George Bernard Shaw’s little quip was cute when I was
younger but now hits closer to home as one ages. The meaning, of course, is that young folk
don’t use their youthful vigor to do the things they may not be able to do
later in life.
TO WIT: Diana and I decided to leave for our winter home in
Mesa early this year and check off one more thing on our bucket list: See
Yellowstone National Park. Notice I said
“See”, not “Visit.” Doing some quick
research, I found that the temperatures in the high country of Yellowstone
begin to drop to below freezing in September, with a touch of snow possible. Diana hates anything below 60° Fahrenheit, so
we had to hustle to get to Wyoming before the white stuff.
On the road we stayed in Lincoln, NE and Cheyenne, WY,
before we found our B & B in Jackson Hole.
The Bentwood Inn is an eight bedroom classic log home, with all the
amenities including two gracious Innkeepers, Scott and Susie. They do not allow pets, which we knew, so our
19-year-old cat, Toddy, had to make do with her suite in the car.
On the first full day we had scheduled a wildlife tour at
sunset, so took off in the morning for a little sightseeing on our own. We entered Grand Teton National Park, stopped
at the Visitor Center, and then may a half-day tour of the area, profoundly
amazed at the beauty of the mountains.
Unfortunately, the wildfires in the area left the mountains in a purple
haze denying us and others the crisp views we had hoped for. The park maps showed us a driving route with
many trailheads from which to park and hike to see even more of nature close up. Here is where we wished we could have used a
little of our wasted youth.
Now of Medicare age, we find we cannot hike the 10 mile
loops around the many lakes and pine woods (oh, let’s be honest – anything over
a mile is a challenge). We no longer
could climb the rolling hills without gasping for air while trying to keep a
lookout for bear or moose. We managed a
few strolls to the shore of Jenny Lake, but envied the Birkenstock crowd who
foraged off into parts unknown with their hiking boots, granola, and a do-rag. Our meager attempts to commune with nature
did not get us into the interior where, surely, we would have met a Grizzly on
the trail, or seen a moose in rut. It is
this kind of trek we were too late for, except in Discovery Channel documentaries.
So the lesson, if I may, is to tell the younger folk to make
these fantastic trips earlier. Take your
children to see not only Old Faithful, but to see what lies over the next hill,
without wheezing and attracting a crowd of wolves, who are hoping to thin the
herd of its weakest members. Leave the
museums and car tours for later in life and make the more athletic choices
while you still can. “See,” not just “Visit.”
However, do not dismay if you already passed the point of
climbing even small hills, because these National Parks are breathtaking from
any vantage point. The roads twist and
turn to take you to scenic overlooks that do not leave you disappointed. It’s just that the young are already so lost
in electronics that maybe a hike in the mountains does not appeal to them, at
least not without a cell signal.
