I became a solo traveler after my husband’s death in 2017. I love traveling on my own, however, recently I had an opportunity to travel with two friends.

My friend Liz is a childhood friend. We grew up together in Brooklyn. Our parents were best friends and through the years, we stayed connected.

This is a picture of Liz and I at one of my birthday parties.

I met my friend, Jill in NC over ten years ago at a business luncheon. We reconnected four years ago after her husband died. Through divine providence, Jill and I visited Liz at her home in Colorado. We then met at Jill’s new home in NC. Recently, we all met at my home in FL. We got along beautifully and decided that we wanted to step out on an adventure together. We began planning our national park adventure last year that included Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and the beautiful lake town of Coeur d’Alene in Idaho.

Our adventure began in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

From the moment I stepped off the plane, the scenery was breathtaking.

Our first national park was Grand Teton. It is difficult to share in words the beauty of this park. Even pictures do not capture all its beauty. However, I think you will enjoy what I’ve put together in the video below.

Here is a picture taken from our cabin at the lodge.

In addition to sharing the beauty of Grand Teton, I’d like to share with you an amazing miracle that took place on our hike around Jenny Lake.

Jenny Lake was formed 12,000 years ago by glaciers. The lake is estimated to be 256 feet deep and encompasses 1,191 acres. This lake is one of the most visited areas in Grand Teton National Park. The hike around the lake is 7.1 miles with 1,040 feet of elevation gain. It is estimated to take approximately 2-3 hours to complete the Jenny Lake loop hike.

We started our hike around 11am after visiting several other spots in the park. We were not sure we wanted to complete the 7-mile hike and decided to walk for an hour and see how far we got. After an hour of walking on the trail and visiting a beautiful spot with a father and son fly fishing, we decided we would head back to our car.

Although the scenery on the trail was quite beautiful, the trail itself was a dirt path, narrow in sections with many roots and rocks on the path. In compliance with all the signs throughout the park, we had bear spray on hand but prayed that we would not encounter a bear. In our backpacks, we also had snacks and water. We were prepared; however, we did not expect things to unfold as they did.

On our return home, we were greeted by four frantic young hikers who had just seen a bear. We immediately turned and walked in the opposite direction. In this direction, we were then approached by three other hikers who encountered a bear and two cubs. We were trapped between two bear sightings. We waited for a while trying to decide with our new friends which way we should go. After some time, the group split up with some going toward the parking lot and the other group headed in the opposite direction. We wanted to get back to our car, so we joined the first group. It was an interesting line up. They were all young – in their 30’s. I chuckled to myself as I remembered the saying – You don’t have to outrun the bear; you just have to outrun your friend. Without a doubt, these 30-year-olds could outrun me and my two friends. We also knew that we needed to make noise when hiking to keep the bears away.

So here was the line up. In the lead was a young man with bear spray. Behind him was a young man who we saw earlier in the hike. This man was on the hike barefoot. We all noticed him and pointed at his feet, but he was happy and fast moving. Now, he was the second man in our lineup. In his backpack, he took out a flute and began playing the flute to keep the bears away. Behind him was a young woman who was quite frightened. She came face to face with the bear earlier and did not want that to happen again. She had an empty plastic water bottle and beat it continuously while shouting, “Bear…Bear…Stay Away.” Behind her were a young couple from Chicago celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. They too were shouting and walking quickly with the woman continuously looking behind to check on us. Liz, myself and then Jill brought up the rear. Periodically, the young woman from Chicago would turn and say, “How are you doing ladies?” We were huffing and puffing and keeping up with the young ones. Jill was the only one in the back of the group that was able to walk and yell at the same time.

Periodically the group would stop so we could catch our breath. During one of these breaks, Jill ran off behind a bush to empty her bladder. She quickly rejoined the group, and we were once again on our way. After 15 minutes more of hiking briskly toward the end of the trail, Liz suggested that I take a video so I could add it to my blog. I rolled my eyes and immediately said, “I know I can’t keep up the pace and handle my phone at the same time.” With that Jill said, “Let me try.” She then reached in her back pocket for her phone – but it was not there. She screeched, “My Phone!” The entire line stopped. It was at that point that we separated ourselves from the group letting them know that we would stay with our friend to find her phone.

Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack. We were three seniors with one can of bear spray and a fierce determination to stay with our friend until she found her phone. The shoulder of the path was diverse and full of limbs, brush, and all kinds of plants. In some areas, it was steeper than others. It was difficult to locate where she had stopped earlier. We tried to call her phone, but that was not successful. We each had different phone carriers, and, in some places, there was service but for the most part, the phones were dead. Several people passed us as we looked diligently for Jill’s phone. Some stopped and offered to call the phone # but the best we could get was Jill’s voice mail.

In the beginning of the search, I immediately thought of Saint Anthony. I prayed aloud, “Saint Anthony, help!” Jill then asked her deceased husband, Dennis, for assistance. Liz did not say anything out loud, but I knew she was praying too. After my request for Saint Anthony’s help, I just kept repeating the Hail Mary prayer. Time was clicking by quite quickly and soon it was 3pm. We knew we couldn’t stay on the path much longer. We kept moving up and down the same stretch of trail. Liz and I were standing on the trail when Jill checked a new area of the trail. Suddenly, she squealed with great joy, “My Phone!” When she picked up the phone and held it high, tears welled up in my eyes. This was truly a miracle. What we did not realize was that Jill set an alarm on her phone so that we would know when the halfway point of the trail would be. She did not see her phone at first, but she heard the alarm. She was the only one that heard it. Liz and I were on the trail only a few feet from her but did not hear the alarm at all.

I truly believe that there were several teams keeping us safe throughout the day. The first team was the one that got us through most of the trail with the flute and loud noises. The second team was Liz, Jill, and I – determined to stay together. The third team consisted of all the angels and saints, including Jill’s husband, who helped us find the needle in the haystack.

We made it out of the trail by 3:30pm and took this picture to celebrate our victory.

We spent three beautiful days in Grand Teton. The next day after our Jenny Lake adventure, we embarked on a boat excursion where we saw bald eagles, a moose, and several beavers. Enjoy the video below of the beautiful Grand Teton National Park. This is only the beginning of this 14-day adventure. Stay tuned for more blogs and videos.

My next book is coming along nicely. This book provides a study of the Book of Job from the Old Testament. I hope to have the book ready for distribution no later than February 2026. Be sure to sign up to receive updates on my books and travel.

God bless, Happy Reading, and ENJOY the VIDEO!