the Grand Tetons from Gros Ventre valley
the Grand Tetons from Gros Ventre valley |
On the way north from Rock Springs, the mountains gradually approach, the land gets greener, the road gets twistier, follows a river down a narrow canyon, turns up another canyon ...and then, between foothills, the wall of mountains appears.
The surprise, the nearness of the mountains, their abruptness at the edge of Jackson Hole's huge flat plain, is spectacular.
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 Tetons across the National Elk Refuge |
The spectacle has two parts: the broad green plain of Jackson Hole, and the sharp, craggy wall of the Tetons right at its edge. |
This is geologically unstable land. When the Tetons were thrust up by tectonic action, the broad, flat plain of Jackson Hole was thrust down. The action continues in modern times: just to the north, Yellowstone, an incredibly active volcanic region, and across the valley, another mountain is still marked by a famous event, the Gros Ventre Slide.
Tetons from Gros Ventre |
 Gros Ventre slide
As big as Jackson Hole is, the Tetons nevertheless dominate it. |
After the tectonic excitement, along came the ice ages, and glaciers started carving the upthrust block into the mountains we see today, and conveying the spoils downhill into the massive rocky ridges and humps -- glacial moraines -- that now impound a string of sparkling moraine lakes, Jenny, String, Leigh, that now set the peaks off even more beautifully.
from below Jenny Lake moraine |
 unmarked hot creek and Tetons
Like the Grand Canyon, the Tetons are, for most visitors, unapproachable, to be appreciated from afar. Like the Canyon, the Tetons are a constantly changing play of light and rock. |
The Tetons create their own weather, and the tallest, the Grand Teton, often waves a cloud-flag or hides its head in a cloudy mantle. Yet even on rainy days when only patches and peaks appear unpredictably, they continue to loom, an unforgettable presence. |
 mountains playing hide and seek |
 Lou Anne wrangling Rochelle |
One of our days at Jenny Lake Lodge was rainy. Despite the weather, we bundled up and mounted horses to explore "Jenny's backside," the forested moraine across the lake from the mountains.
With three other hardy souls, we rode out into the thick forest, past a small, curious herd of elk, up rocky slopes and along the margin of the lake and stream, gently guided by wranglers Lou Anne and Mary Ann. Every step of the ride, we sensed, and often saw, bits of mountains looming through the clouds. |
The abundance of wildlife here in Jackson Hole is as striking as the Tetons. There has been a tradition, stretching back to before the first europeans came to Jackson Hole, of treating the meadows and moraines as a sort of refuge for animals as well as people. While here, we saw elk, moose, deer, whistling swans, marmots, and a variety of squirrels in abundance. The big ungulates, like these elk, placidly watch the people stopping to gawk. |
 Elk in Jenny Lake's forest |
 view from our room |
Jenny Lake Lodge is a small inn, located half a mile from Jenny Lake and two lunear miles from the mountaintops. With Jenny Lake tent camp, it is the only place to stay near the mountains. Modest but comfortable cabins, attentive staff, and fabulous breakfasts and dinners -- we enjoyed every minute of our stay. |
Spring weather here showed us everything but snow and clear skies. One day we hiked around Jenny Lake and up Cascade Canyon. We started early enough to have the trail out to ourselves, and appreciated the sounds of birds and wind in the trees and the water rollicking down from the snow and glaciers above. It's Spring here, and water is everywhere. Even so, it's easy to see there's drought even here.
water coursing from Hanging Valley
By the time our trail joined the more traveled path, we were no longer alone, and by the time we reached Hidden Falls, we were a part of an appreciative throng. |
 trail up Cascade Canyon
Along the way we saw a moose trying to be invisible, and several marmots. The views out over Jackson Hole improve with altitude. We stopped again and again to catch our breath, to fix the views in our minds, to absorb the sweet mountain air.
Hidden Falls |
 walking among mountains |
In the face of such massive mountains, it's the little details, the plants, lichens, and mosses clinging to the most improbable niches, that appeal most to my eye. These slopes are covered with snow and ice eight months of the year, but in June, they are covered with blooms.
a hanging garden |
During our last dinner, the Tetons put on a spectacular sunset show, featuring backlit clouds and spotlights of sun illuminating the mountain cliffs. Feeling a little spoiled, but sensing less accommodating lodgings ahead, we basked in the good food and gorgeous scenery. |
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I remember boat rentals on String and Jenny Lakes, and that pottering around in a canoe is one of the Tetons' great pleasures -- but alas, no more. Perhaps in the "old days" when there were fewer visitors here, the National Park Service felt that a boating concession was a good addition to the park. Now, with two million visitors a year in a seasons barely longer than two months, they've decided to allow folks to bring their own boats, but no rentals. No doubt, the lake shores and critters that live in and about the lakes are grateful for the decision.
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