The South Fork of Cascade Canyon has an eery enigmatic nature to it. It’s not as wide as its northern counterpart, leaving it more shaded. It’s also less visited, despite being along the incredibly adventurous Teton Crest Trail. Despite some of the most impressive mountain scenery in the Teton Mountains and Grand Teton National Park, it still doesn’t receive much attention, adding to its cryptic nature.
Eager to expand my understanding of the canyon, I had set out to camp near the top of the South Fork Camping Zone, a large camping zone that stretches nearly the length of the canyon. I had secured one of the last sites, finding a cozy location near my destination, the top of the South Fork of Cascade Canyon. The South Fork of Cascade Canyon is naturally separated into different tiers, created by glacial erosion. I was settling into the highest tier of the camping zone, one of four potential campsites before leaving the camping zone. Satisfied with my choice, I had my dinner and got camp setup, leaving only an hour or two left in the day.
In the seconds after getting my campsite ready for bed, still with another hour or so of daylight left, a pair of hikers made their way down and excitedly exclaimed, “Hey, did you see that bear?”
“Bear?” I wondered out loud, excited, but also skeptically nervous.
“Yeah, just a couple of campsites back,” they explained before continuing on their way down. I set out to investigate.
Hiking up the canyon roughly 200-300 yards, I reached the last campsite, where, sure enough, a black bear was grazing next to the site. I got a few shots, the above included, before heading back to camp as the light was beginning to fade. I pondered over my choices. I knew enough about bears, black bears especially, to know that it probably wouldn’t be an issue. He’d likely continue to graze, and even if he came by my site, I had secured everything well enough to know he’d have no reason to harass me. Still though, I’d be waking up at every noise wondering if I had forgotten something. I figured I’d be safe, but I probably wouldn’t sleep well. So then, should I just pack up and move to have a good night’s sleep? My mind circled around these thoughts without ever coming to a conclusion, and the sun had now already set. I needed to make a decision. I decided to go back to the campsite to see if the bear had moved on, which if so, would help me sleep a little better.
Taking two steps away from my camp, I saw another sight that made the decision for me. Less than 100 yards away from my campsite were now a mother black bear and her cub. I was virtually surrounded by bears. Laziness tried to talk some sense into me. “Everything’s put away properly. None of them have any reason to visit.” But I knew I wouldn’t sleep well with at least three bears within ear shot of my camp. In addition, the other sites at the top tier were vacant. I was outnumbered. In the last of the daylight, I quickly threw my campsite into my backpack and began back down the trail, hoping to find an open campsite.
After two miles of hiking, I found a vacant campsite in the dark. I got my campsite ready once again, and slept blissfully knowing that I wasn’t camping next to any bears. At least that I knew of.