Grand Tetons

Years ago on our first trip to Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, we were told that we should have allocated time for Grand Teton national park too. At the time, we had no idea what we were missing, but we are so glad we came back up this way to see Yellowstone and Glacier again, because this time we added a stop for Jackson Hole Wyoming and the most amazing Grand Teton National Park! After a late night arrival in Jackson, WY we got up and checked out the extremely touristy Jackson downtown square, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. It’s a quaint, warm, and welcoming town that deserves a family vacation all it’s own. But, we had reservations at a cabin up in Grand Teton National Park on Colter bay (on the shores of Jackson Lake). Only 40 miles north of Jackson, but it took us nearly 2 hours to get there due to road construction, grocery stops, etc. Our cabin was absolutely perfect and we were able to walk to the beach of the lake that night and grill fajitas on the BBQ along the shores of the lake and enjoy the amazing vistas.

The next morning, we got up and drove down to Sandy Lake to ride a ferry across Sandy Lake so that we could hike into the back country of the Tetons. We thoroughly enjoyed the amazingly beautiful hike through the high country, saw a moose and many waterfalls and a grizzly bear along the way home, it was an amazing day!

To cap the day off, we arrived back at our cabin, prepared our campfire chicken dinner, and headed off to the beaches of Lake Jackson again. While we were grilling our supper we chuckled as kids rode past the beach area on their bikes, we saw them pass by several times and eventually they began to ask us if we had seen a young boy on a green bike. We said “no” and told them we’d look for him if he passed by. It wasn’t long before casual conversation turned to panic and their family was in an all out search for young “Cash” who was no more than 6 years old and was lost in the park in grizzly bear country! Abandoning our supper, the Heaths immediately set into “search and rescue” mode! I’m so proud of my almost 14-year old son, Kendall, because he ran off into the woods screaming Cash’s name with an urgency that almost became tears for him. He’s such a loving soul and he was in honest fear for that young boy’s safety. Rebecca and I set off in separate directions whistling and shouting Cash’s name while his own family was searching the opposite direction. 4 young boys (brothers and cousins) had been riding their bikes along the trails that line the shores of Lake Jackson and somewhere along the way young Cash had lost his way.

He’s been missing for over a half hour now and his parents were calling the authorities to start a formal search. Rebecca and I had just seen a grizzly bear outside our campsite an hour before and we feared the worst for young Cash.

As I screamed Cash’s name and whistled as loud as I could while running through the woods, I stumbled into a tent campground. Folks there had heard my frantic calls and rallied to help me. They pointed me in the direction of a little boy on a green bicycle they had seen earlier passing through their campground. As I ran down that road a young boy on a green bike appeared over the crest of the hill. I shouted “CASH?!?!” He didn’t respond but kept cycling toward me. I repeated “Is your name Cash?!” At that point, the poor young boy broke down crying and said “I can’t find my family!!!!!” I told him “Oh buddy, I’m sorry, it’s ok, we’ve found your family and they’re looking for you too.” Moments later I was able to facilitate a teary reunion between Cash and his brothers, cousins, and grateful parents who were able to call the authorities off the search.

It was one of those moments that makes you realize what’s really important in life. Not only that, it was another one of those moments that makes me proud to be an American...where multiple groups of complete strangers rally together for a cause of saving a young boy. No promise of reward or other incentive needed. We all just knew it was the right thing to do, and we did it. Cash, we’re so glad you’re home safe tonight and we’re also thankful for the lesson you taught us about the human spirit. People really do care still, I’m proud to be a citizen of Planet Earth today.