After a day full of arrivals, our group travelled to Colter Bay campground where they learned how to put up tents, work the Coleman stove, and how to wash dishes. Our dinner of fettuccine alfredo with chicken and vegetables was easy to prepare and delicious. Afterwards, we all followed Jonah to the lake at our campsite where we reviewed our contract and discussed our excitement for the trip. After a long day we all slept soundly.
Grand Teton National Park Day Hike
We woke up for our first full day to a beautiful cloudless blue sky and pleasant weather. We filled up our water bottles and hiked around Jenny Lake. At inspiration point, Blake found a friendly chipmunk and snapped a few photos. We then walked to the boat dock where everyone jumped in the water to cool down after hiking in the hot sun. Caden was the first to boldly dunk his head under the chilly water, and the rest of the group soon followed suit. We hiked back to the van tired and ready for dinner. Tommy took the lead on making our delicious mac n’ cheese on the stove and the whole group cooked hot dogs over the campfire. Our kayak instructor came by our campsite to give instructions for the following day’s paddle and then we all went to bed. We awoke the next day at four o’clock, just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. Finn and Will demonstrated their tent packing skills when they were the first to finish packing up, and they even had time to help the others.
Kayaking
Our day of kayaking started early, but it gave us time for a leisurely paddle around the geysers. Teddy and Braden had a great time circling their kayak around the underwater geysers. The entire group enjoyed their time on the water and liked being able to feel the warm water run off from the geysers. The natural formations impressed everyone. We returned to the put-in for lunch on the warm sandy beach. When all the boats were put away we went to our new campsite where we set up camp, played ninja, made dinner, and went to bed.
Yellowstone
We arrived at Yellowstone just in time to watch Old Faithful erupt! We then went to the Old Faithful Inn to admire the building and get ice cream! We then walked around the geysers and saw many geysers go off, even some that were unpredictable! The boys really loved Castle Geyser, which erupted for well over 30 minutes. After breaking for lunch at the Firehole Canyon, we made for our next campsite near West Yellowstone, Montana. After bear proofing the campsite, the boys went to bed after an informational day.
West Yellowstone
The day was off to a great start when everyone got to sleep in! Everyone was in a great mood upon learning that no bears had visited our campsite the night before. We packed up and went to the grocery store to restock. The boys planned delicious meals. Caden and Finn have planned to make breakfast burritos. Will, Tommy, and Braden have planned a delicious dinner of broccoli and bacon pasta. Blake, Jonah, and Teddy are going to try their hand at making hamburgers. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, learning about wolves, grizzlies, and raptors. The boys were very inquisitive and really impressed our tour guide! We went for a swim in Hebgen Lake and then went souvineer shopping in West Yellowstone. It’s been an exciting day and will probably end in us all going to bed early in preparation for rafting and zip lining tomorrow!
