A paddle at Oxbow Bend

Eagles generally don’t enjoy the company of people. For people paddling on the water, they tend to wait a little longer before fleeing. 

That’s been my experience, and it repeated on the Snake River’s Oxbow Bend, where a morning paddle provider nice closeups of three eagles, two adults and a juvenile (non-white head). Jess has a kayak, but rentals in the national park proved a bit of an issue. They were not easy and were rather expensive. We borrowed a kayak from her friend and some gear from another friend, then set out to paddle on Oxbow Bend.

We had a perfect morning for the paddle, with blue skies and the fire smoke greatly reduced. The Tetons arose in greater detail, sprouting up from Jackson Lake’s far shore.

Getting on the water separates the experience from standing on the shore. That might seem basic, but animals regard you differently in the water. That makes the float trip worth it. 

We took a gentle paddle down the south side of the oxbow. Jess had seen river otters, and of course anyone would want that experience repeated. Oxbow Bend is a maze of side channels off an old bend in the Snake, not a full oxbow lake. 

A short distance below the Jackson Lake Dam, the Snake is relatively calm, wide river, with Signal Mountain looming in the foreground. While that means the Teton Range lies mostly out of view, the forested peak feels huge when observed from the river. 

The wildlife did not keep us waiting long. We saw a juvenile bald eagle early, its hooked beak enough to differentiate from the ample numbers of crows and ravens in the area. 

We had barely paddled a few hundred yards before the sandhill cranes strutted on the grassy shore. They congregated in a small flock, not the thousands that migrated through Colorado. As we floated close, they strutted inland to where we could not see them so easily. 

One nest high in a tree clearly belonged to a bird of prey, and we confirmed ospreys owned it. One of them stopped in, then took off just as quickly. A series of ducks floated near us at times, their path veering away from our boats. 

The waters could not have been clearer. The shallows were sand and dirt, but a lot of vegetation swayed in deeper waters. That left me wondering about moose, which can dive 20 feet down and stay under for a minute. But I didn’t wonder long. Plenty of fish darted along. 

Aside from our conversation, the bend provided solitude seconds after we launched. It was quiet except for birds and insects. We only spotted a few other paddlers. We were so close to one of Grand Teton’s most-visited spots yet completely alone in the river’s wilderness. 

The wind began blowing after a while, adding some unexpected current and wiping away the oxbow’s glassy surface. But the bend was an easy place to launch and land the kayaks. We entered a channel in one of the Oxbow’s islands in hopes of more fauna. We got a sparring match between two great blue herons, one of our last encounters before turning back. 

I did not take any pictures, since maintaining balance while paddling was more important. Besides, I remember every moment of the trip and the birds that crossed our route.

We never sighted the otters that Jess saw, but I wouldn’t have traded that float for anything. I had not dropped a paddle in any body of water in three years, not since my final trip on the Piney River with my old Tennessee buddies. The wide, gentle waters suited me far better than the Piney’s sometimes technical turns.

Heart racing and arms already sore from paddling, I immediately wanted another water excursion. I forgot how freeing those moments can be. It took a few hours of Oxbow Bend to remind me.