Trip Report: Return to Wonderland! or maybe "Wyoming 5-O"?
Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, Wyoming; July 14 through 24, 2014
Part I: Introduction and Grand Teton National Park (Days 1 through 4)
We began planning this trip while on the drive from Signal Mountain Lodge back to Jackson to drop off our rental car at the end of our 2011 visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We knew then that there was still so much to see and do in the area. I told Lynn that a return trip might be a good destination for my 50th birthday, which was still three years away at that time. That would give us plenty of time to get a good plan in place.
Over the next several months we discussed options for itineraries and reviewed the things that we would like to see and do on during our next Wyoming adventure. For the return trip we would try to cover new ground, but still hit a few favorite spots. We planned a little more time in Grand Teton in order to take in some of the hikes that we missed in 2011. And of course we wanted additional time in Roosevelt. Lynn suggested a night in Mammoth as we transitioned from Grand Teton to Yellowstone. She also wanted a couple nights in Jackson, just to look around the town. I did research on moon phases to make sure that we would have dark skies when at Roosevelt…a little bit of a challenge to be there for a new moon and still be on the trip for my birthday on the 15th but I worked it out. OK, there’s a framework.
For the details of the plan, I consulted my favorite sources: the Trip Advisor forums, of course, “Yellowstone Treasures”, and the National Parks website. I posted a few questions and some itinerary options on the TA forums and got some great ideas, but I was able to get a lot of information from just searching the forums, reading the trip reports and watching the traffic on the forum. Lots of great folks on the forums with so many wonderful ideas and experiences to share.
I started making reservations in the spring of 2013. I grabbed Signal Mountain Lodge during April then got my Yellowstone reservations on opening day, May 1, and I was able to get the exact dates that I wanted, including securing reservations at Roosevelt; three nights in a Frontier cabin just to chill and stare at the stars. Oddly enough, the hardest lodging to get was in Jackson, not due to availability but rather cost. The places that I was interested in were all running around $300 per night; what’s up with that? So a minor alteration to the itinerary was needed; rather than two nights in Jackson, I suggested another night at Signal Mountain following our time in Yellowstone, then the final night in Jackson. To me that was an ideal compromise as it gave me a little more time in the park and would still give Lynn nearly a full day to explore the galleries around the square in Jackson. Plus I had just enough Hilton points to cover the one night at the Homewood Suites in Jackson.
By the end of November 2013 I had all the pieces in place. I found a good deal on a rental car and opted to lock in flights using frequent flier miles. The flight itinerary that we wanted was running over $800 per person and while the fare might drop I was not too hopeful as we also used miles for the previous trip (I reckon Jackson is just an expensive destination from CLE). So 100K United miles and $20 later we had our flights and our assigned seats (last trip we did not get the option to select seats and got stuck in center seats on the CLE to Denver flights). All was ready, now we just had to wait for July 2014 for our return to Wonderland.
The Plan: Some of the best advice that there is regarding visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone is to NOT over plan and to be flexible; take whatever Mother Nature gives you. I do take that advice to heart but at the same time, there needs to be a little structure so that we have a starting point for each day, as we can always adjust as needed. So with that, here’s the starting plan for the trip:
Over the next several months we discussed options for itineraries and reviewed the things that we would like to see and do on during our next Wyoming adventure. For the return trip we would try to cover new ground, but still hit a few favorite spots. We planned a little more time in Grand Teton in order to take in some of the hikes that we missed in 2011. And of course we wanted additional time in Roosevelt. Lynn suggested a night in Mammoth as we transitioned from Grand Teton to Yellowstone. She also wanted a couple nights in Jackson, just to look around the town. I did research on moon phases to make sure that we would have dark skies when at Roosevelt…a little bit of a challenge to be there for a new moon and still be on the trip for my birthday on the 15th but I worked it out. OK, there’s a framework.
For the details of the plan, I consulted my favorite sources: the Trip Advisor forums, of course, “Yellowstone Treasures”, and the National Parks website. I posted a few questions and some itinerary options on the TA forums and got some great ideas, but I was able to get a lot of information from just searching the forums, reading the trip reports and watching the traffic on the forum. Lots of great folks on the forums with so many wonderful ideas and experiences to share.
I started making reservations in the spring of 2013. I grabbed Signal Mountain Lodge during April then got my Yellowstone reservations on opening day, May 1, and I was able to get the exact dates that I wanted, including securing reservations at Roosevelt; three nights in a Frontier cabin just to chill and stare at the stars. Oddly enough, the hardest lodging to get was in Jackson, not due to availability but rather cost. The places that I was interested in were all running around $300 per night; what’s up with that? So a minor alteration to the itinerary was needed; rather than two nights in Jackson, I suggested another night at Signal Mountain following our time in Yellowstone, then the final night in Jackson. To me that was an ideal compromise as it gave me a little more time in the park and would still give Lynn nearly a full day to explore the galleries around the square in Jackson. Plus I had just enough Hilton points to cover the one night at the Homewood Suites in Jackson.
By the end of November 2013 I had all the pieces in place. I found a good deal on a rental car and opted to lock in flights using frequent flier miles. The flight itinerary that we wanted was running over $800 per person and while the fare might drop I was not too hopeful as we also used miles for the previous trip (I reckon Jackson is just an expensive destination from CLE). So 100K United miles and $20 later we had our flights and our assigned seats (last trip we did not get the option to select seats and got stuck in center seats on the CLE to Denver flights). All was ready, now we just had to wait for July 2014 for our return to Wonderland.
The Plan: Some of the best advice that there is regarding visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone is to NOT over plan and to be flexible; take whatever Mother Nature gives you. I do take that advice to heart but at the same time, there needs to be a little structure so that we have a starting point for each day, as we can always adjust as needed. So with that, here’s the starting plan for the trip:
Day 1: Travel day to Grand Teton, arriving at JAC at 12:30; collect the rental car and head into Jackson for supplies (bear spray, bug spray and groceries). We’ll do a drive through of the park on our way to Signal Mountain Lodge. After check-in it will be back to the park to check out trail conditions, Ranger program options at the visitor center. Perhaps we’ll cruise up Signal Mountain for the view, or head out the Moose-Wilson Road looking for critters.
Day 2: We’ll want to acclimate to the elevation today, so maybe “flat” activities today. Morning photos at the favorite spots (Oxbow Bend, Schwabacher Landing, Mormon Row, etc.) then a hike. Maybe something from the Two Ocean Trailhead or Bradley/Taggart Lake (we’ll do one today and one later in the week). I liked the option that TetonBill described about going CCW around Two Ocean, then up to Grand View Point and finally along the north side of Lake Emma Matilda.
Day 3: The idea is to hike up Cascade Canyon, taking advantage of the boat ride across Jenny Lake. We’ll start as early as we can and hike as far as we like, but hopefully we can get to the fork of the Canyon. Who knows, if we feel good, maybe we can make it to Lake Solitude (that would be a looong day of hiking). I’m guessing we’ll be done for the day after this hike!
Day 4: Perhaps hit some of the favorite photo spots again in the morning. Then some combination of a hike (either Two Ocean Trailhead or Bradley/Taggart Lake) and the tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain with a hike at the top (Rock Springs perhaps). Lots of options.
Day 5: Transition from Grand Teton, driving from Signal Mountain Lodge up to Mammoth (we have a Frontier Cabin for one night at Mammoth). Plan to hike to overlooks above Grand Prismatic Spring (did this last trip and it was amazing; one of the few places we will revisit on this trip as the general idea is to cover new ground). Hoping for an early start. After GPS we’ll head on to Mammoth. Thinking about hiking Bunsen Peak (or maybe save this for tomorrow morning for better light); otherwise we’ll just explore around Mammoth.
Day 6: Bunsen Peak hike in the morning (if we did not go on day 5) or look around Mammoth. Then on to Roosevelt (via Blacktail Plateau). Next three nights in a Frontier cabin at Roosevelt.
Days 7 and 8: We’ll be looking for critters in Lamar valley one morning and one evening for sure. We’ll hike Agate Creek or Specimen Ridge (or some combination thereof) one morning. Maybe the cowboy cookout one evening. Certainly some time to chill at Roosevelt on the porch of the lodge with a cold beer. Star gazing is on the menu as well.
Day 9: We’ll be heading back to Grand Teton (Signal Mountain Lodge) for the night. We hiked Mount Washburn coming up the Crittenden Road trail during our last visit. Perhaps we’ll hike up the other side this trip. Maybe a look around the Fishing Bridge area.
Day 10: Lynn wants to spend a day in Jackson, so we’ll just do a drive through of the park on our way to town. We’ll be staying in Jackson tonight and flying home tomorrow morning.
Day 11: early flight home.
That’s the going in plan; we’ll see how it turns out…
As for the plan for this journal, it is a long one (no surprise there), so I split into three parts:
Day 2: We’ll want to acclimate to the elevation today, so maybe “flat” activities today. Morning photos at the favorite spots (Oxbow Bend, Schwabacher Landing, Mormon Row, etc.) then a hike. Maybe something from the Two Ocean Trailhead or Bradley/Taggart Lake (we’ll do one today and one later in the week). I liked the option that TetonBill described about going CCW around Two Ocean, then up to Grand View Point and finally along the north side of Lake Emma Matilda.
Day 3: The idea is to hike up Cascade Canyon, taking advantage of the boat ride across Jenny Lake. We’ll start as early as we can and hike as far as we like, but hopefully we can get to the fork of the Canyon. Who knows, if we feel good, maybe we can make it to Lake Solitude (that would be a looong day of hiking). I’m guessing we’ll be done for the day after this hike!
Day 4: Perhaps hit some of the favorite photo spots again in the morning. Then some combination of a hike (either Two Ocean Trailhead or Bradley/Taggart Lake) and the tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain with a hike at the top (Rock Springs perhaps). Lots of options.
Day 5: Transition from Grand Teton, driving from Signal Mountain Lodge up to Mammoth (we have a Frontier Cabin for one night at Mammoth). Plan to hike to overlooks above Grand Prismatic Spring (did this last trip and it was amazing; one of the few places we will revisit on this trip as the general idea is to cover new ground). Hoping for an early start. After GPS we’ll head on to Mammoth. Thinking about hiking Bunsen Peak (or maybe save this for tomorrow morning for better light); otherwise we’ll just explore around Mammoth.
Day 6: Bunsen Peak hike in the morning (if we did not go on day 5) or look around Mammoth. Then on to Roosevelt (via Blacktail Plateau). Next three nights in a Frontier cabin at Roosevelt.
Days 7 and 8: We’ll be looking for critters in Lamar valley one morning and one evening for sure. We’ll hike Agate Creek or Specimen Ridge (or some combination thereof) one morning. Maybe the cowboy cookout one evening. Certainly some time to chill at Roosevelt on the porch of the lodge with a cold beer. Star gazing is on the menu as well.
Day 9: We’ll be heading back to Grand Teton (Signal Mountain Lodge) for the night. We hiked Mount Washburn coming up the Crittenden Road trail during our last visit. Perhaps we’ll hike up the other side this trip. Maybe a look around the Fishing Bridge area.
Day 10: Lynn wants to spend a day in Jackson, so we’ll just do a drive through of the park on our way to town. We’ll be staying in Jackson tonight and flying home tomorrow morning.
Day 11: early flight home.
That’s the going in plan; we’ll see how it turns out…
As for the plan for this journal, it is a long one (no surprise there), so I split into three parts:
- Part I covers the Introduction, The Plan and our primary time in Grand Teton National Park (Days 1 through 4).
- Part II starts on Day 5 and goes through most of Day 9, the period in which we were exploring Yellowstone.
- Part III concludes Day 9 and covers the remainder of the trip in Grand Teton and Jackson as well as the wrap-up.
Day 1 - Monday, July 14th – Travel Day: While this trip started today, vacation started on Friday at COB. Amazingly, Friday was a pretty quiet day at work there was no mad scramble to complete actions prior to departing for two weeks. Shoot, I even had time to completely empty my email inbox and outbox, an amazing feat in the electronic age!
Once back at the ranch, we officially christened vacation with a Victory “Dirt Wolf” Double IPA on the patio. It was a very pleasant evening to chill with a beer and watch the hummingbirds chase each other away from the feeder.
Since we did not leave until Monday, we had the weekend to pack and take care of chores. We already had most of the gear staged in the spare room so packing would not be major ordeal. I had started last weekend getting the hiking and photography equipment together so there would not be a mad dash on Sunday. In hindsight, maybe things were too relaxed (that’s my attempt at “foreshadowing”…you’ll see). By Sunday afternoon, we thought all was ready. The luggage and backpacks were loaded and weighed. Well under the 50-pound checked-bag limit, so Lynn has some margin for loot.
I checked the weather along out route and the flight schedule and all looks good for our travel to Jackson (we are connecting through Denver on the outbound flight). Nothing to do now but enjoy the last of the “Dirt Wolf” and enjoy the evening.
Finally departure day. No worries at all this morning. We were on the road at 6:15 so right on time. However, no pretty sunrise shot as we were leaving the ranch like we had for the 2011 trip.
One of the advantages of working adjacent to the airport is being able to have a colleague act as the airport shuttle, as long as the schedule is convenient of course. We used the “Three Amigos Taxi” this morning, so we swung through the base to pick-up Ed so that he could drop us at Hopkins and then park the Edge back at the base (no cost for transportation or parking and the car is in a very secure lot…what a deal!).
Wow! What happened to the hoard of folks who are usually at Hopkins on Monday morning? The past few trips that I have made, the check-in and security lines were enormous, but today there was nothing. Shoot, Ed dropped us at the United entrance at 0700 and we were checked-in and through security at 0714. And that includes the higher than usual inefficiency displayed by TSA. No complaints from me, though. That had to be a record. We had plenty of time for a bagel and Lynn got her coffee so she can wake up. We finally meandered down to the gate about 8:00.
So the first bad news of the trip is that our flight is running late getting out of Chicago. Looks like a 20-minute delay on our departure. Still, no worries…yet. Instead of a 9:05 AM departure we were finally boarding around 9:40. By the time we arrived in Denver we were short on time for making our connecting flight. Funny how everyone on the plane thought they were the only ones running late. There was one older lady and her grandson trying to make a connection to Hawaii. She was dragging her stuff out of the overhead bins during approach and as soon as the plane stopped she was sprinting down the aisle toward the door. The problem was that we were not yet at the gate, still on the apron waiting for an opening to park the jet. So Granny had to do the walk of shame back to her seat and wait like the rest of us tourists.
At this point we still had about 30 minutes or so until our connection left, although it would certainly be in the process of boarding. But it took several more minutes to get to the gate plus time to deplane. But there were several folks without tight schedules who just stayed seated to allow those who needed to get off the bus quickly a chance of making their flights (thanks, y’all!). The good news for us is that we only had to get from gate B31 to gate B18; the bad news was that we had less than 15 minutes to do it. But we made it. We were the last two on the plane but we were on the inside of the tube with even a couple minutes to spare. Hats off to the gate agent; he was looking out for us. Lynn did point out that the luggage still had to make it as well, but there was nothing to do about that now. However, it was still several minutes until we pushed back from the gate, so I think we’re good.
Unlike the flight from CLE to Denver, which was packed, then flight was not crowded at all. It was a big, old 757, so lots of space. In fact, I was the only one in my row, so I scooted over to the window and Lynn moved into the aisle seat that I had vacated (originally we were in seats across the aisle from one another).
Once back at the ranch, we officially christened vacation with a Victory “Dirt Wolf” Double IPA on the patio. It was a very pleasant evening to chill with a beer and watch the hummingbirds chase each other away from the feeder.
Since we did not leave until Monday, we had the weekend to pack and take care of chores. We already had most of the gear staged in the spare room so packing would not be major ordeal. I had started last weekend getting the hiking and photography equipment together so there would not be a mad dash on Sunday. In hindsight, maybe things were too relaxed (that’s my attempt at “foreshadowing”…you’ll see). By Sunday afternoon, we thought all was ready. The luggage and backpacks were loaded and weighed. Well under the 50-pound checked-bag limit, so Lynn has some margin for loot.
I checked the weather along out route and the flight schedule and all looks good for our travel to Jackson (we are connecting through Denver on the outbound flight). Nothing to do now but enjoy the last of the “Dirt Wolf” and enjoy the evening.
Finally departure day. No worries at all this morning. We were on the road at 6:15 so right on time. However, no pretty sunrise shot as we were leaving the ranch like we had for the 2011 trip.
One of the advantages of working adjacent to the airport is being able to have a colleague act as the airport shuttle, as long as the schedule is convenient of course. We used the “Three Amigos Taxi” this morning, so we swung through the base to pick-up Ed so that he could drop us at Hopkins and then park the Edge back at the base (no cost for transportation or parking and the car is in a very secure lot…what a deal!).
Wow! What happened to the hoard of folks who are usually at Hopkins on Monday morning? The past few trips that I have made, the check-in and security lines were enormous, but today there was nothing. Shoot, Ed dropped us at the United entrance at 0700 and we were checked-in and through security at 0714. And that includes the higher than usual inefficiency displayed by TSA. No complaints from me, though. That had to be a record. We had plenty of time for a bagel and Lynn got her coffee so she can wake up. We finally meandered down to the gate about 8:00.
So the first bad news of the trip is that our flight is running late getting out of Chicago. Looks like a 20-minute delay on our departure. Still, no worries…yet. Instead of a 9:05 AM departure we were finally boarding around 9:40. By the time we arrived in Denver we were short on time for making our connecting flight. Funny how everyone on the plane thought they were the only ones running late. There was one older lady and her grandson trying to make a connection to Hawaii. She was dragging her stuff out of the overhead bins during approach and as soon as the plane stopped she was sprinting down the aisle toward the door. The problem was that we were not yet at the gate, still on the apron waiting for an opening to park the jet. So Granny had to do the walk of shame back to her seat and wait like the rest of us tourists.
At this point we still had about 30 minutes or so until our connection left, although it would certainly be in the process of boarding. But it took several more minutes to get to the gate plus time to deplane. But there were several folks without tight schedules who just stayed seated to allow those who needed to get off the bus quickly a chance of making their flights (thanks, y’all!). The good news for us is that we only had to get from gate B31 to gate B18; the bad news was that we had less than 15 minutes to do it. But we made it. We were the last two on the plane but we were on the inside of the tube with even a couple minutes to spare. Hats off to the gate agent; he was looking out for us. Lynn did point out that the luggage still had to make it as well, but there was nothing to do about that now. However, it was still several minutes until we pushed back from the gate, so I think we’re good.
Unlike the flight from CLE to Denver, which was packed, then flight was not crowded at all. It was a big, old 757, so lots of space. In fact, I was the only one in my row, so I scooted over to the window and Lynn moved into the aisle seat that I had vacated (originally we were in seats across the aisle from one another).
This was a quick flight. There were nice views of the Tetons on approach into Jackson. Plus I snapped a few of the Tetons once we landed and were taxiing to the terminal (I was in seat 24A to get the mountain view, same side as the 2011 trip). Beautiful conditions currently; sunny with blue skies and a few puffy, white clouds.
So now the routine of baggage claim, rental car shuttle, get the car…yeah, right, “routine.” The baggage claim area was being rebuilt so the bags were brought around to the front of the terminal and unloaded. Hey, that worked, but it took a while. Then a wait for the rental car shuttle; they were running late enough that I was looking for the phone number to see if there was in fact a bus coming to get us.
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The drive into Jackson was pleasant except that we had to listen to the driver’s monolog (Dude, if you are going to work in a National Park area, learn the terminology. It ain’t a “pack of elks”). But the kid was trying to provide some useful information about the area, like some of the better dining options. His favorite was McDonald's, so I’ll not be taking any culinary pointers from him. But at least the scenery was nice.
The National Rental Car pick-up is all the all through Jackson (I did not know this when I made the reservation), so it took a little longer to get there. But once on site, the check-in was quick and easy and we received our brand-new Chevy POS (it was an Impala and actually not a bad vehicle)…it had 3 miles on it when we drove off the lot. We also started our critter count as there were three Red-tail hawks flying about just beyond the rental car station.
The National Rental Car pick-up is all the all through Jackson (I did not know this when I made the reservation), so it took a little longer to get there. But once on site, the check-in was quick and easy and we received our brand-new Chevy POS (it was an Impala and actually not a bad vehicle)…it had 3 miles on it when we drove off the lot. We also started our critter count as there were three Red-tail hawks flying about just beyond the rental car station.
Next stop, lunch! We headed back into Jackson to one of our favorite places, Merry Piglets. Scored with a parking spot right on the square. We stumbled onto this place in 2011 and Lynn has been wanting to try it again ever since. It was worth the return visit. We both had the shrimp mango wrap. Lynn had a margarita and I tried another local favorite, the Snake River Brewing Pako’s IPA. We had noticed that the sky was getting more overcast and dark, so we might be due for an afternoon storm, and sure enough, the skies opened up and it just poured for about 30 minutes. Hey, no worries, we are on vacation. I’m quite happy to sit here in this Mexican joint and eat, drink and be a Merry Piglet.
After the rain subsided, the skies turned back to blue for the most part and we headed out to get some supplies. First stop was Albertson’s where we picked up some trail food and bear spray. Sixty bucks for one canister seemed a little steep, but driving around looking for a better price is no way to spend the first day of vacation so we bought what we came for and headed next door to the liquor store for some local beer. Once our shopping was done, it was time to head back to the park. Since we were already on the west side of town, we just hopped on route 22 and headed to the Moose-Wilson Road to take the “back door” into Grand Teton. By now the afternoon had returned to blue skies with a few clouds and comfortable temperatures. Driving this route allowed us to do a little reconnoitering for later in the week, as one of the potential activities is the tram ride to the summit of Mount Rendezvous from Teton Village. Plus we got an opportunity to look for critters, but only spotted a single mule deer doe. |
We were not able to purchase our annual pass at the small entrance station on Moose-Wilson Road as the credit card machine was down, but the Ranger there just told us to stop at the Visitor Center and get the pass there, which we did. While at the VC, we saw the notices for the Plein Air in the Park artshow. Well, there’s something else we can do since the show takes place while we’ll in town during the event.
By now we were past time for check-in at Signal Mountain, so we took the park road to lodge and were quickly in our cabin. Once we unloaded and got a little organized, it was time for a beer on the porch. We lucked out a bit when I made the reservation as I was able to get a place with a “partial” view of the lake (cabin 134). Well, I thought the view was just fine, even though we were on the far end of the facility. Plus there were plenty of critters in the area, with birds and squirrels just scurrying about the underbrush.
About 7:30 I suggested that we drive the Moose-Wilson road and look for moose at the wetlands (it was about a 30 minute drive from Signal Mountain). No moose, but there were lots of elk (cows and calves), some ducks and a beaver…plus clouds of skeeters. I think that this is the first time that we had seen anything of note at this location (we tried several times during our 2011 visit).
While there, a young family stopped for the view and I chatted a bit with the parents. Dad said that there had been a bull moose at the bridge past the Visitor Center. They did not see it, but supposedly it had been spotted there twice today. So we opted to take a look. Bingo! There was a herd of cars parked along the road adjacent to the bridge so there must be something of note. Sure enough, a big bull moose grazing in the field on the south side of the bridge on the east side of the river. As the road is well above the field, the view was great. The lighting was fading, so the photos were not the best, but the sight of that big guy just wandering about having dinner was pretty darn cool. Of course there were some folks who just felt the vantage point from the road was not close enough, so they had headed down into the field to a closer look. A double header; our first moose and our first stupid-people trick of the trip. Fortunately, someone yelled at the kids in the field and they turned back before getting too close. You can’t be too careful with wildlife, particularly the unpredictable and sometimes cantankerous moose.
About 7:30 I suggested that we drive the Moose-Wilson road and look for moose at the wetlands (it was about a 30 minute drive from Signal Mountain). No moose, but there were lots of elk (cows and calves), some ducks and a beaver…plus clouds of skeeters. I think that this is the first time that we had seen anything of note at this location (we tried several times during our 2011 visit).
While there, a young family stopped for the view and I chatted a bit with the parents. Dad said that there had been a bull moose at the bridge past the Visitor Center. They did not see it, but supposedly it had been spotted there twice today. So we opted to take a look. Bingo! There was a herd of cars parked along the road adjacent to the bridge so there must be something of note. Sure enough, a big bull moose grazing in the field on the south side of the bridge on the east side of the river. As the road is well above the field, the view was great. The lighting was fading, so the photos were not the best, but the sight of that big guy just wandering about having dinner was pretty darn cool. Of course there were some folks who just felt the vantage point from the road was not close enough, so they had headed down into the field to a closer look. A double header; our first moose and our first stupid-people trick of the trip. Fortunately, someone yelled at the kids in the field and they turned back before getting too close. You can’t be too careful with wildlife, particularly the unpredictable and sometimes cantankerous moose.
So we had a Bullwinkle kind of day, as in the words of Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, we saw “moose and squirrel.” But our critters sightings for the day were not quite complete, as we saw a couple big bull elk along the park road, just past the Jenny Lake area. They made a nice sight with the final light of the sunset fading in the background. Of course they were too busy grazing to worry about us so there were no great photos, just elk butts.
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We hit the Deadman’s Bar for dinner. Just small plates tonight as the Mexican fare from lunch was very filling. Lynn had the bruschette and I got the fruit and cheese plate, which was very good, but heavily weighted to the cheese. Plenty to take home for a snack. We were back in the cabin by 9:45 and crashed for the day. And what a day. For not doing anything, we certainly saw a lot! Here's a few more photos from our first day in Wyoming.
Day 2 – Tuesday, July 15 – First Hike: The phone woke us up at 0330. It seems that folks start early on Facebook with birthday wishes. I had the phone on silent, but the vibrate mode still makes a fair amount of noise. I quickly figured out the “mute” setting and went back to sleep. We opted to sleep in a bit today. We wanted sort of an easy day to acclimate to the elevation. We were finally rockin’ and rollin’ about 0700.
First stop was the registration building for coffee; Lynn needs her morning motivation. For me, motivation comes from the beautiful vistas of the Tetons across Jackson Lake. I walked down to the lake and got some decent morning images of the mountains. Lynn soon joined me, carrying two coffee cups; a two-fisted drinker, as I figured she had doubled up on the caffeine this morning. No, the good wife brought me a hot chocolate. We enjoyed the views and the flowers for a bit, swung back by the cabin for forgotten sunglasses (better to remember now than once we were on the trail, albeit in hindsight this was just more foreshadowing of things forgotten and events that were soon to transpire) and lastly a stop at the general store for an “on the go” breakfast of Pop-Tarts and juice (normal fare for me when I have an early morning tee-time). We were heading into the park at 7:45. Shucks, I was supposed to turn left to get to Oxbow Bend. One U-turn later and we are really headed out to explore.
First stop was the registration building for coffee; Lynn needs her morning motivation. For me, motivation comes from the beautiful vistas of the Tetons across Jackson Lake. I walked down to the lake and got some decent morning images of the mountains. Lynn soon joined me, carrying two coffee cups; a two-fisted drinker, as I figured she had doubled up on the caffeine this morning. No, the good wife brought me a hot chocolate. We enjoyed the views and the flowers for a bit, swung back by the cabin for forgotten sunglasses (better to remember now than once we were on the trail, albeit in hindsight this was just more foreshadowing of things forgotten and events that were soon to transpire) and lastly a stop at the general store for an “on the go” breakfast of Pop-Tarts and juice (normal fare for me when I have an early morning tee-time). We were heading into the park at 7:45. Shucks, I was supposed to turn left to get to Oxbow Bend. One U-turn later and we are really headed out to explore.
So the plan for today is to hit a few of the favorite photo spots then take a hike. We pulled into Oxbow Bend right at 8:00. Much better than the smoke obscured views we had in 2011 but it was still hazy. We saw several birds in and around the water, large and small: eagles, osprey, pelicans, swans, cormorants, red-winged blackbirds and Great Blue Herons. Plus the ever present Unita ground squirrels
were on the prowl. There were a couple of guided photo tours here as well. One of the guides was talking about the dark colored vertical stripe near the summit of Mount Moran. Turns out that it is a basalt vein that is 150-feet wide. Sort of cool, plus it provides some perspective to the scale of the peaks.
After Oxbow, we continued south on route 89. My original thought was Mormon Row since it was so smoky there last year. However, we decided to try Schwabacher Landing instead. We spotted a small herd of pronghorn on the way in the fields to the east of the highway, the first of the trip. The road to Schwabacher Landing is longer drive than I remembered from last trip, but we got there in good time. And when we turned off 89 onto the access road we were in for a very pleasant surprise; the road had been paved! Major improvement. No more washboard. Only the portion of the road on the hill between route 89 to where the road levels off is paved, but that was the worst part of the road. Once on the level, the road turns back to gravel, but that portion is well graded and smooth.
I’m glad we opted to drive down to Schwabacher Landing; I think it is one of the best views of the Tetons (honestly, I was only going to skip it as I did not think Lynn would appreciate the ride down the rough road, but she was the one who suggested it, so away we went. Paved road…BONUS!). The conditions and the view today were good, although the mountains were sort of fading into the cloudless sky. I found that I had to take two shots of the scene, one of the mountains and one of the refection, in order to get fairly crisp images of each and even then the mountains were a bit muted (just a little too late this morning for the best light I reckon); I’ll just merge them with Photoshop Elements. Maybe that’s a limitation of the superzoom cameras; perhaps a more expensive DSLR would not have that constraint; or maybe I just need to get here a little earlier for the best light. I really don’t know and as long as I have a work-around, it really does not matter. My little Canon SX50 is still the ideal for what I’m doing.
There were a few other folks in the area, but it was not crowded at all. There were a couple of folks painting and one really serious photographer with his gear set up right on the edge of the water. It is interesting to glimpse as the painters work to get an idea of their perspective and style and how they interpret the scene before them.
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We walked down the trail a little ways to get some additional shots of the mountains in the still water. The wildflowers were out in force; this will be a common theme for this trip. There were also a few critters. The ever present chipmunks were scurrying about. We spotted a muskrat swimming along in one of the pools. Plus there were several ducks including chicks in the water but they were too far out for good photos.
We decided to skip Mormon Row today to get on the trail, so we headed through the Moose entrance to the Taggart Lake trailhead for our first hike of the trip. I reckon we pulled into the parking lot about 9:30 and there were still a good number of spaces available (I’d guess the lot was about 70% full). Once we got our packs in order I fired up the phone so that I could track the hike on EveryTrail. That’s when I saw the notification of a missed call from Sue, our critter sitter. That cannot be a good thing. Remember that foreshadowing? Here we go…
We’ve used Sue for years and this is the first time that I remember her calling. OK, who died? We do have one very ancient cat in the pride, so that would not have been beyond the realm of possibility. So I was actually a little relieved when she said that she was locked out of the house. Doh! Shoot, I had Sue’s voicemail on speaker so that Lynn could hear it as well, and when Sue said that the key was not in its normal spot, we both just looked at each other rather dumbfounded. Neither of us had a clue. I’m just an idiot. I reckon I just got complacent with my normal clockwork-like procedures and travel checklists. Oh, well, this is why God created cell phones. Sue already had the wheels in motion with the locksmith, so all we had to do was call and confirm that we needed for them to get Sue into the house. All is well and the cats never missed a meal since we fed them yesterday morning. But I was still kicking myself along the trail, at least until I get confirmation that Sue has gotten in the house. Well, nothing to be done for it now. Sue had the conn, so we’ll just go hiking as planned.
At 10:15 we were finally off and, well, hiking, but I was still grumbling about the whole forgotten key debacle. Well, at least for a little while. It did not take long for the trail to work its magic and I was quickly absorbed in the variety of scenes along the trail. For our hike, we traveled counterclockwise once we reached the main trail from the connector from the trailhead parking lot. The trail passes by the horse barn and pasture, then starts to climb along Taggart Creek with one crossing via a bridge. About 20 minutes after leaving the parking lot, the trail had leveled out and we were rewarded with very nice views of the Tetons and a few interesting glacial erratics along the trail. It was somewhere in here, I think, that we hit a junction and took the right fork toward Bradley Lake. Also along this part of the trail, we were hop-scotching with another group of hikers, so we were able to help them with a group photo. They climbed up on one of the erratics and had a nice backdrop with the Tetons. They returned the favor but we opted not to climb up on the boulder. The guy taking the photo quipped that he expected to see this on the cover of Backpacker magazine. Well, we're not backpackers, but we do look pretty good, but then with a backdrop like the Tetons, who wouldn't look good!
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The hike continued through this open are for a while, still gradually gaining elevation, then entered a more wooded area. The views of the Tetons to the west were now obscured, but there were glimpses looking south, including elevated views over Taggart Lake. We stopped at one view point above the lake and chatted with a couple from Michigan who were taking a break from the trail; yeah, we live in Ohio, but we’re not from Ohio, so we did not engage in the normal Buckeye-Wolverine banter. Actually, they were very nice folks. They had been hiking here for several days and were heading back home soon. They said that Cascade Canyon was a favorite of theirs; another positive perspective on that trail. We snapped a couple photos from the view point then left the Michganders behind to enjoy their snack.
The character of the trail changed again, as it cut down along several switchbacks through a wooded hillside. When the trail bottomed out, we were at Bradley Lake. But the views of the lake from this point are not that good as there is no good opening through the pin trees. But we could see the far end of the lake from here so we opted to continue along the Amphitheater Lake Trail to see what we could see. I reckon it was only about a quarter mile to get to the head of Bradley Lake, and the views from this side were unobstructed and quite lovely; well worth the short, level walk around the edge of the lake. We took a few minutes to enjoy the vistas and
watch the butterflies, and then retraced our steps back to our trail.
Once back at the far end of Bradley Lake, the trail took an uphill stroke, finally topping out in a hillside of wildflowers and butterflies. Wow, just a lot of variety along this trail. Then we started decreasing elevation down toward Taggart Lake.
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The trail rolls right along the southern shore of the lake and offers some very nice views across the lake. Up to this point, we had not seen too many folks along the trail, but along the shore of Taggart Lake there were many people hanging out, including some kids swimming. We also had a decision point along the shore of Taggart
Lake, as the trail splits here. The
original plan was to take the longer route along Beaver Pond Loop and as we
were still feeling pretty spry, we stuck with that plan. At the lower end of the lake where the trail crosses on a bridge, there were three or four more painters. The submerged logs in the shallow part of the lake seemed to be their shared subject. While interesting, I thought there were better subjects in the area like the view over the lake of the ridge line. But those guys are the artists…I’m just an engineer.
After crossing the bridge at the lower end of the lake the trail starts to climb up a sort of steep hill. The views from the trial looking back to the lake and off to the south after cresting ridge were spectacular; some of the best vistas along the entire hike. The character of the hike changes significantly on the other side of the ridge and the trial drops in elevation. We found ourselves hiking downhill through meadows that were dotted with a few evergreen trees with a smattering of granite boulders and carpeted in wildflowers. There were also many butterflies flitting about. The views all around were beautiful.
We got a welcome surprise just shortly after we started down from the crest. Apparently we hit a hotspot on the trail, as my phone pinged indicating that I had a phone message. Generally I ignore such signals on the trail (in fact, I usually mute the phone; it is only on so that I can track our hikes), but since we were hoping for an update from Sue, we took a minute to check voice mail. So there we are, standing out in the middle of the wilderness listening to my mobile phone. Ain’t technology wonderful! Good news from Sue as the locksmith got her into the house and all the cats are fine. Emergency averted and all is well. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming….
As the trail continues to drop down toward the trailhead, the meadows gave way to some tree-lined stretches; mostly aspens I reckon, but still some pine trees as well. The temperature was also starting to rise a bit, still pleasant but definitely warm enough that I was glad that we were coming off the trail instead of starting. Plus there was a chance for afternoon storms, so another reason to be finishing a hike rather than starting one. But as we approached the trailhead we saw a lot of folks starting up the trail. We were back at the trailhead about 2:00, so right at 4 hours to complete this outstanding, seven-mile hike. This was a good first-day hike, perhaps a bit more strenuous than I was planning for as our first full day in the park, but still a great day on the trail.
Once back at the trailhead, I noticed a commotion across the road from the parking lot, so I shuffled over to see what the hub-bub was about. As expected, it was an animal jam. Seems there was a mamma moose and her calf lying in Taggart Creek to beat the heat. They were up against the near bank, so mostly obscured but very close, maybe just 50 feet from the road. Of course there were way too many tourists there and several trying to get close to the big critters, but there were Rangers on the scene and they quickly had the situation under control. The good news is that mom and baby really did not seem to care and were enjoying their afternoon dip in the cool mountain stream. While we were standing there at the far end of the throng, we struck up a conversation with tow ladies. They said that they were the first to see the two moose and they had a few quiet moments before the jam started. Lynn started to ask them a question and before she could say three words the one lady asked if she was from Pittsburgh. The ladies were and they recognized the remnants of Lynn’s, well, regional inflection. Small world. |
After snapping a few more pics of the moose, we decided that we needed something cold to drink and headed to Dornans to see what we could find. Plus, heading toward Dornans meant that we did not have to run the gauntlet of the animal jam. Dornans was packed; seems a lot of folks were looking for a cold drink or ice cream. No luck with lemonade; had to settle for a lemon-lime Gatorade, but it hit the spot. We headed back to Signal Mountain via the park road (the moose jam should be subsiding by now) so that we could regroup at the cabin. Plus I wanted to get an estimate of the drive time between Jenny Lake and the cabin so that we could plan our departure time to catch the hiker’s shuttle across the lake for tomorrow morning.
Now for a little down time on the porch of our cabin with a Sweetgrass American Pale Ale. Great beer. Probably my favorite that we found on the trip (6.0 % ABV, 60 IBU). It is brewed by Grand Teton Brewing out of Victor, Idaho. Very easy to drink.
After our break, Lynn wanted to check out the Colter Bay Visitor Center. On our last trip there were several Native American vendors setup there, a couple of whom were displayed some very nice examples of jewelry. But there was no joy this trip as there were no vendors there. But we enjoyed the drive and displays at the VC. While our drive to Colter Bay was under mostly blue skies, the weather was turning again by the time we made the return trip. The wind was picking up and there were white caps on Jackson Lake. There was another afternoon downpour; glad we were off the trail! BTW, Willow Flats was closed during our visit, I think due to bear activity, so no exploration allowed there. Something to save for the next trip. During the course of our visit, we drive the stretch of road along Willow Flats several times but never saw any activity other than magpies.
Now for a little down time on the porch of our cabin with a Sweetgrass American Pale Ale. Great beer. Probably my favorite that we found on the trip (6.0 % ABV, 60 IBU). It is brewed by Grand Teton Brewing out of Victor, Idaho. Very easy to drink.
After our break, Lynn wanted to check out the Colter Bay Visitor Center. On our last trip there were several Native American vendors setup there, a couple of whom were displayed some very nice examples of jewelry. But there was no joy this trip as there were no vendors there. But we enjoyed the drive and displays at the VC. While our drive to Colter Bay was under mostly blue skies, the weather was turning again by the time we made the return trip. The wind was picking up and there were white caps on Jackson Lake. There was another afternoon downpour; glad we were off the trail! BTW, Willow Flats was closed during our visit, I think due to bear activity, so no exploration allowed there. Something to save for the next trip. During the course of our visit, we drive the stretch of road along Willow Flats several times but never saw any activity other than magpies.
For dinner we again walked to Deadman’s Bar. Lynn had the Oxbow burrito which was huge as well as awesome (I tried it). I went light with the game sliders and a side salad which was quite tasty. However, the burrito is now on my list! Lynn tried the blackberry mojito but was not impressed. I started with the old standard of a Pako’s IPA then tried a beer flight consisting of Deadman’s Dirty Blonde, Snapshot by New Belgium, an amber lager and the Bison Brown Ale. Quite the variety pack! All were at least drinkable, but I’m a hophead so I’ll stick with the Pako’s as that’s the only IPA on the beer list at Deadman’s Bar.
So after a day filled with beautiful scenery, lots of critters, an seven-mile hike to two lakes, the whole “locked Sue out of the house” debacle and finally a nice meal and good beer, we were wiped-out. I think we crashed about 8:40!
Here's the link to the photographic highlights from today.
So after a day filled with beautiful scenery, lots of critters, an seven-mile hike to two lakes, the whole “locked Sue out of the house” debacle and finally a nice meal and good beer, we were wiped-out. I think we crashed about 8:40!
Here's the link to the photographic highlights from today.
Day 3 – Wednesday, July 16 – Cascade Canyon: Early to bed, early to rise… We were up at 0500 and basically ready to roll at 0545. Lynn walked up to the registration building for coffee while I finished pulling my gear together for the hike then I followed her up to the registration building for some hot chocolate. But I detoured down to the lake shore for some photos as there were some low-hanging clouds on the mountains across the lake. It looks like we have a wonderful day in store, if this morning is any indication. Other than the few low clouds, the sky is bright blue and morning is crisp with temperatures in the 50s. But the forecast is for 80 today with no mention of rain. This should be ideal for our planned hike up Cascade Canyon.
After enjoying our morning antifreeze, we headed back to the cabin get our gear. The cabin is working out very well for us; great location and perfect size for the two of us. The old screen door brought back some childhood memories. I haven’t heard a door like that in years. The spring makes a distinctive, stretchy, creaking moan as the door opens, then slams shut with a sharp bang of wood-on-wood and the reverberating twang of the spring. Yeah, there used to be lots of doors like that back home in southern West Virginia.
We were ready to go at 6:20 but as we were loading up, Lynn noticed a mule deer buck just up the hill from us so we watched him for a few minutes. He did not care at all that we were there, he was there for breakfast on the tender grass around the cabins. We left him to his snack and headed to the Jenny Lake boat dock to catch the hiker’s shuttle across the lake. Once at the Jenny Lake parking lot, which was surprisingly empty, we geared-up and headed to the dock. There was one couple in front of us when we got to the boat ramp at 6:50. That was sort of a surprise as I figured there would be a much larger crowd for the first boat across the lake. I reckon there were about 20 folks on the boat by the time we finally cast off. The other great surprise was that the cost for a round trip ticket for the first boat of the day was only $5 per person! The couple in line in front of us said they were shooting for Solitude Lake, as did the couple behind us. However, we already knew that there was a large snow field up the North Fork and the recommendation from the Park Service that crampons and ice axes are needed. So I think our best day will be to get to the snow filed and turn around. We’ll see how it goes. The hike into Cascade Canyon is one of the main reasons for the return trip to Grand Teton. We just did not get that much hiking in during the 2011 trip and Cascade Canyon was scratched due to weather. Well now we are on the trail with ideal weather and the moon to guide us up the canyon. We were across the lake in 10 minutes. I had some adjustments to make to my backpack so we delayed on the dock just long enough for everyone else to get ahead of us. Perfect! We essentially had the trail to ourselves. We headed up the temporary trail due to construction on the main trail. This part is dirt, mostly, and weaves through the trees and along the creek. We could see the construction materials for the trail work across the creek. There were several huge bags of rock arrayed along the trail bed. No way those came up via mule. We figured those bags were brought in using a helicopter. Regardless, it appears to be quite the operation. We made our way along the short spur to Hidden Falls then up the switchbacks to Inspiration Point. From the falls the trail continues up through the trees but starts to transition to a more rocky terrain as it works up along the canyon wall. There are several points along the trail that provide nice vistas of the peaks up the valley. The final section of the trail before reaching Inspiration Point is basically a rock shelf carved into the canyon wall. This section could be a bit hairy for folks with a fear of heights or edges, like me. But the trail is in good shape and fairly wide, so I had no issues with this section. |
Inspiration Point is aptly named as it does provide a grand view across the lake and wide valley beyond. But the view is directly into the morning sun, so photos at this time of day were not great. No worries as we’ll pass this way again this afternoon…or whenever we get back.
The climb from the lake shore up to Inspiration Point is the hard part of the hike as it is all uphill through a series of switchbacks and is sort of steep in places. From Inspiration Point the trail continues to climb through rocks, but as the trail was working generally west to east from Hidden Falls to Inspiration point it is now heading westerly into Cascade Canyon. After a final climb, the trail “levels out” a bit and alternates in scenery from the next three miles or so to the split. OK, “levels out” means that there are no seriously steep elevation changes, but the trail is rising going up the canyon, but there are ups and downs along this entire stretch. Hidden Falls was nice and the view from Inspiration Point was beautiful, but the hike up Cascade Canyon was truly outstanding with great views and several interesting critter sightings. But I’m getting ahead of the story.
We were now in Cascasde Canyon, with its lush creek banks, boulder fields and imposing granite walls. While the walls of the canyon are impressive, the distance between them is considerable, so that there are wonderful views up the canyon from all along the trail. We had a lovely morning, perfect weather for hiking and we had the trail all to ourselves. We were taking our time and enjoying the views, so I figured that folks from the next boat would be closing in on us, but we had almost complete solitude on the trail for about two hours. The only other souls that we saw were backpackers coming down the canyon. I reckon they were out here camping last night and were on their way out. We saw three or four pairs of hikers coming out of the canyon, and everyone had a cheerful ‘good morning’ as we passed by.
The skies were completely cloudless for our hike up the canyon. The only object in the sky now was the moon. We had been chasing it up the canyon since we got off the boat this morning. I was keeping an eye on the setting orb as I figured there might be a nice photo when it got near the walls of the canyon. And I was right, I think. As the moon continued its downward track and we continued up the canyon, there were several times when the big orb seemed to be in very close proximity to the granite walls. And several times I thought we had seen the last of the moon as it was slipping behind the canyon wall, only to see it reappear as we moved further up the canyon and thus changed the horizon just enough. Just an added little game, this playing tag with the moon, as we continued trekking up Cascade Canyon.
As we walked, we kept a watchful eye out for animals. It was still early in the day and the first wave of hikers had already moved through, so there was a good chance of interesting sightings. Each time that we came to a pool in Cascade Creek, our radar went up looking for moose, but alas no big critters were seen in the water. We also scoured the boulder fields for little varmints and there we had more luck as we saw a couple Pika scurrying about. We saw one in the rocks just a few feet off the trail, so we stopped to watch him for a bit. Just like the mule deer at Signal Mountain earlier this morning, this little guy did not seem to care about us at all. He did sit still for a few photos, but otherwise just went on about his business. We also spotted a couple snakes on the trail as we went up the canyon (and later a third on our return trip. That's four in two days, counting the one we spotted yesterday on the trail). They were moving pretty quickly across the trail, so we did not get a good look about just seeing them from a distance was enough as we rarely see snakes when hiking out west (the Mojave Rattler we saw on the way back from The Wave a couple years ago and the Midget Rattlesnake in the Fiery Furnace are really the only sightings I recall; we see snakes all the time on the local trails back home, just not on vacation). But our best critter sighting was yet to come.
The trail runs between the creek and the base of the north wall of the canyon, often very close to the base of the granite wall. This actually works out well as we are near to the creek and the boulders at the base of the canyon well, which is great for critter sighting but also provides a grand view of the south wall that includes many grand granite spires as well as several waterfalls. We stopped several times to gaze at the creeks formed by the snow melt tumble down the mountain side.
The climb from the lake shore up to Inspiration Point is the hard part of the hike as it is all uphill through a series of switchbacks and is sort of steep in places. From Inspiration Point the trail continues to climb through rocks, but as the trail was working generally west to east from Hidden Falls to Inspiration point it is now heading westerly into Cascade Canyon. After a final climb, the trail “levels out” a bit and alternates in scenery from the next three miles or so to the split. OK, “levels out” means that there are no seriously steep elevation changes, but the trail is rising going up the canyon, but there are ups and downs along this entire stretch. Hidden Falls was nice and the view from Inspiration Point was beautiful, but the hike up Cascade Canyon was truly outstanding with great views and several interesting critter sightings. But I’m getting ahead of the story.
We were now in Cascasde Canyon, with its lush creek banks, boulder fields and imposing granite walls. While the walls of the canyon are impressive, the distance between them is considerable, so that there are wonderful views up the canyon from all along the trail. We had a lovely morning, perfect weather for hiking and we had the trail all to ourselves. We were taking our time and enjoying the views, so I figured that folks from the next boat would be closing in on us, but we had almost complete solitude on the trail for about two hours. The only other souls that we saw were backpackers coming down the canyon. I reckon they were out here camping last night and were on their way out. We saw three or four pairs of hikers coming out of the canyon, and everyone had a cheerful ‘good morning’ as we passed by.
The skies were completely cloudless for our hike up the canyon. The only object in the sky now was the moon. We had been chasing it up the canyon since we got off the boat this morning. I was keeping an eye on the setting orb as I figured there might be a nice photo when it got near the walls of the canyon. And I was right, I think. As the moon continued its downward track and we continued up the canyon, there were several times when the big orb seemed to be in very close proximity to the granite walls. And several times I thought we had seen the last of the moon as it was slipping behind the canyon wall, only to see it reappear as we moved further up the canyon and thus changed the horizon just enough. Just an added little game, this playing tag with the moon, as we continued trekking up Cascade Canyon.
As we walked, we kept a watchful eye out for animals. It was still early in the day and the first wave of hikers had already moved through, so there was a good chance of interesting sightings. Each time that we came to a pool in Cascade Creek, our radar went up looking for moose, but alas no big critters were seen in the water. We also scoured the boulder fields for little varmints and there we had more luck as we saw a couple Pika scurrying about. We saw one in the rocks just a few feet off the trail, so we stopped to watch him for a bit. Just like the mule deer at Signal Mountain earlier this morning, this little guy did not seem to care about us at all. He did sit still for a few photos, but otherwise just went on about his business. We also spotted a couple snakes on the trail as we went up the canyon (and later a third on our return trip. That's four in two days, counting the one we spotted yesterday on the trail). They were moving pretty quickly across the trail, so we did not get a good look about just seeing them from a distance was enough as we rarely see snakes when hiking out west (the Mojave Rattler we saw on the way back from The Wave a couple years ago and the Midget Rattlesnake in the Fiery Furnace are really the only sightings I recall; we see snakes all the time on the local trails back home, just not on vacation). But our best critter sighting was yet to come.
The trail runs between the creek and the base of the north wall of the canyon, often very close to the base of the granite wall. This actually works out well as we are near to the creek and the boulders at the base of the canyon well, which is great for critter sighting but also provides a grand view of the south wall that includes many grand granite spires as well as several waterfalls. We stopped several times to gaze at the creeks formed by the snow melt tumble down the mountain side.
As mentioned, we pretty much had the trail to ourselves since we left the dock. After about two hours, we were passed by a single guy then a young couple, probably folks from the second boat or maybe they hiked around the lake. Anyway, they were faster than us. But shortly after they passed, maybe 15 minutes, we caught them at the edge of a wooded area; it was obvious that they saw something that gave them pause. As we approached we got the word that there was a black bear just ahead on the trail in the woods. The single hiker saw the bear first and it had crossed the trail in front of him, so he backed down about 50 yards to this point. He said the bear went up a tree at one point, but came back down and stayed in the area of the trail. We all had our hands on our bear spray, just in case. We just stayed on the trail, talking loudly while the bear worked along the edge of the trees on the slope above us. We then heard more hikers approaching behind us so we called out a warning which they greatly appreciated. They joined our little herd, bear spray already unholstered. The single guy had the best view and was keeping an eye on the bear and after a few minutes, Yogi started working his way along the edge of the trees above the trail to get around us. Seems he did not want anything to do with us either. I finally got a good view of the bear as he worked the edge of the trees above and now slightly behind us, perhaps 20 yards away…a little too close for comfort. It would have made a nice photo, but the camera was not really a consideration right now. We waited a few more minutes for the bear to move on then continued hiking up the canyon. It did not take long for Lynn and I to once again be alone on the trail as the younger, faster hikers quickly pulled out ahead of us.
Back to the trail. While the creek and the canyon walls are constants, the details of both change to provide a variety of views and habitats. My favorites were the wide meadows where the creek slowed to a crawl. While we saw none, this looked like prime habitats for moose. The trail also passed along the base of several boulder fields, the remains of falls, some apparently fairly recent by the way the rocks were resting against the trees and cut stumps. The lichens in these rocks provided highlights of color against the otherwise grey field. Finally there are the forested areas. As we move further up into the canyon and gained in elevation, the trail did become more wooded. These were the least interesting stretches as the views were obscured, but they did provide a break from the sun. It was also in the wooded areas where the creek generally flowed faster and where we had some run-off creeks to negotiate but only one of these was really wide enough to cause any concern at all…and that was minimal.
Back to the trail. While the creek and the canyon walls are constants, the details of both change to provide a variety of views and habitats. My favorites were the wide meadows where the creek slowed to a crawl. While we saw none, this looked like prime habitats for moose. The trail also passed along the base of several boulder fields, the remains of falls, some apparently fairly recent by the way the rocks were resting against the trees and cut stumps. The lichens in these rocks provided highlights of color against the otherwise grey field. Finally there are the forested areas. As we move further up into the canyon and gained in elevation, the trail did become more wooded. These were the least interesting stretches as the views were obscured, but they did provide a break from the sun. It was also in the wooded areas where the creek generally flowed faster and where we had some run-off creeks to negotiate but only one of these was really wide enough to cause any concern at all…and that was minimal.
We reached the split in the trail after about 3 hours. This is the point where we opted to continue on up the North Fork toward Lake Solitude. But we had to take a little detour as the normal trail was closed as the foot bridge was out. The detour route cut through the woods to avoid the creek and it was a bit rough with a couple of logs to step over and a few branches that snagged us as we walked past. The detour trail reconnected with the normal trail just above the washed out bridge. Yep, it was a bit of a wreck. There was a crew of National Parks Service folks rebuilding the bridge and they were doing things the old-fashioned way. They were using the available timbers from the forest as the main structure of the bridge. There were chains, ropes and come-alongs in play as the crew dragged the new main beams up to the trail. It was a tough looking job but they seemed to be enjoying the work. Hats off to these folks who work so hard so the rest of us can play hard on the trails.
As we continued on up the North Fork beyond the construction area I felt something brush against my leg. Rut-roh-raggy! Somehow my backpack has opened up; I bet I caught one of those snags back on the detour part of the trail. However it happened, I’ve dropped my jacket, my gorilla-pod and the binoculars. OK, about face! Fortunately, we found each of the missing items back around the old bridge and on the detour trail. Well, we lost a little time but all’s well now and we turn back around and head back up the North Fork.
The trail following the detour is a wooded stretch and on an uphill grade, but fortunately it is not a long haul before the trail breaks out of the trees and levels out a bit. At this point we started seeing patches of snow on the trail but also got the grand views looking up the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. The views up the North Fork show the rounded shape of the canyon, indicative of glacial carving. As we continued up the canyon, we crossed a few more small snow fields as the trail weaved through the fields of wildflowers and boulders and across the stream. There were also a few critters about, several birds as well as a couple marmots sunning themselves on the rocks. The snow fields were not so bad thus far, so we thought we still might have a chance of making it to Lake Solitude (although our pace was a bit slow to this point, what with the bear, the open backpack and just taking our time to enjoy the sights). However, we had not reached the avalanche area at the camping area yet, and when we did we quickly decided to take a conservative approach to the hike and save Lake Solitude for another visit.
As we continued on up the North Fork beyond the construction area I felt something brush against my leg. Rut-roh-raggy! Somehow my backpack has opened up; I bet I caught one of those snags back on the detour part of the trail. However it happened, I’ve dropped my jacket, my gorilla-pod and the binoculars. OK, about face! Fortunately, we found each of the missing items back around the old bridge and on the detour trail. Well, we lost a little time but all’s well now and we turn back around and head back up the North Fork.
The trail following the detour is a wooded stretch and on an uphill grade, but fortunately it is not a long haul before the trail breaks out of the trees and levels out a bit. At this point we started seeing patches of snow on the trail but also got the grand views looking up the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. The views up the North Fork show the rounded shape of the canyon, indicative of glacial carving. As we continued up the canyon, we crossed a few more small snow fields as the trail weaved through the fields of wildflowers and boulders and across the stream. There were also a few critters about, several birds as well as a couple marmots sunning themselves on the rocks. The snow fields were not so bad thus far, so we thought we still might have a chance of making it to Lake Solitude (although our pace was a bit slow to this point, what with the bear, the open backpack and just taking our time to enjoy the sights). However, we had not reached the avalanche area at the camping area yet, and when we did we quickly decided to take a conservative approach to the hike and save Lake Solitude for another visit.
The snow field here was caused by an avalanche that occurred last winter. I guess it was at least a couple hundred yards across and no telling how deep, although we did see the top of the camping area sign just poking through the top of the snow. The pine trees here were bent and twisted, but not all were broken. We walked out onto the avalanche area a bit, but there was no discernible path to follow. We did see some other hikers picking their way across the snow, but the going was slow and it just looked like a good way to get hurt, so we just took in the vista from here then retraced our steps back down the valley. I reckon it was about noon when we started the return hike.
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We did not dally on the return hike. We snapped a few more pictures on the hike out of the North Fork, but for the most part this was just a “keep on truckin’” return hike, but we still had our eyes open for critters and the lovely views from the trail. We did spot another snake and a juvenile pika but the highlight of the return trip was the black bear we spotted up in the boulder field north of the trail. He looked like a youngster, maybe the same guy we saw this morning. But he was moving along and apparently not worried about all the tourists watching him from the trail. We watched him move on up the hill before proceeding down the trail.
As we got closer to Inspiration Point, the number of tourists increased dramatically. There were very few folks up in Cascade Canyon, but herds of folks near the beginning of the canyon and at the overlook. We paused for the views at Inspiration Point as well as to watch the critters; a few birds and golden-mantled ground squirrels scurrying about, looking for handouts from the tourist. Someone had dropped some M&Ms, so we scooped those up before the critters could get them (hey, chocolate is not good for dogs, maybe it is also bad for squirrels). Apparently there is a “hotspot” at Inspiration Point as we saw three or four folks huddled in an odd corner of the rocks yakking on their cell phones. Go figure. Of course, when the crowds increase so do the opportunities for “stupid people tricks” and this was no exception. The examples we saw fell into the “bad parenting” category as there were kids running amok, walking on the edge of the sheer drop-off, climbing on the cliff above the trail, chasing the squirrels, you know, being kids. Hey, that’s fine, kids will be kids, but just remember, this ain't Disney World so there are not safety barriers to keep you from falling off the "rides. "
As we got closer to Inspiration Point, the number of tourists increased dramatically. There were very few folks up in Cascade Canyon, but herds of folks near the beginning of the canyon and at the overlook. We paused for the views at Inspiration Point as well as to watch the critters; a few birds and golden-mantled ground squirrels scurrying about, looking for handouts from the tourist. Someone had dropped some M&Ms, so we scooped those up before the critters could get them (hey, chocolate is not good for dogs, maybe it is also bad for squirrels). Apparently there is a “hotspot” at Inspiration Point as we saw three or four folks huddled in an odd corner of the rocks yakking on their cell phones. Go figure. Of course, when the crowds increase so do the opportunities for “stupid people tricks” and this was no exception. The examples we saw fell into the “bad parenting” category as there were kids running amok, walking on the edge of the sheer drop-off, climbing on the cliff above the trail, chasing the squirrels, you know, being kids. Hey, that’s fine, kids will be kids, but just remember, this ain't Disney World so there are not safety barriers to keep you from falling off the "rides. "
We were back at the boat dock around 3:00 and had just a short wait for the boat back across the lake. We did not consider hiking back around the lake; 12 miles and 8 hours of hiking was enough for one day! But what a day! This was certainly an excellent hike and we were very fortunate to have had such lovely weather. Wonderful views for the entire hike and several animal sightings along the trail. Yep, this is a first rate hike and worth the return trip to Grand Teton to make it happen. Of course now we have to come back and try to make it all the way to Lake Solitude! Here are the rest of the photos from our excursion in Cascade Canyon.
We had a quiet afternoon and evening. First a beer on the patio of the cabin, just enjoying the views and watching the birds and squirrels. After a very refreshing shower, we headed up to Trapper Grill for dinner. The South Shore Chicken Sandwich was awesome with some nice heat. Very good onion rings as well. But after the big hike today we crashed early. I was out a little after 8:00!
Day 4 – Thursday, July 17 – Changing Plans: One thing for certain is that you have to be adaptable when on vacation, particularly in the National Park and especially in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The going in plan was to hit some of the photo spots (Oxbow, Schwabacher, Mormon Row), then the tram to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain followed by a hike, perhaps Two Ocean Lake. However, it was foggy and hazy, so the views were not the greatest (hey, even on a bad day, the Tetons are still beautiful). Plus having hiked 20 miles over the past two days, maybe we could use a little break. That said, we were again up early (0500), headed up to the registration building for coffee and hot chocolate and then scurried back to the cabin to load up and head into the park. We were on the road about 6:15.
This turned out to be quite the day for animal sightings and it started right as we pulled out on the park road from the Signal Mountain Lodge access road as right on the side of the road was a big ol’ mule deer buck. How cool is that. We headed around the park road toward Oxbow Bend and saw a plethora of Magpies along the road at Willow Flats.
We had a quiet afternoon and evening. First a beer on the patio of the cabin, just enjoying the views and watching the birds and squirrels. After a very refreshing shower, we headed up to Trapper Grill for dinner. The South Shore Chicken Sandwich was awesome with some nice heat. Very good onion rings as well. But after the big hike today we crashed early. I was out a little after 8:00!
Day 4 – Thursday, July 17 – Changing Plans: One thing for certain is that you have to be adaptable when on vacation, particularly in the National Park and especially in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The going in plan was to hit some of the photo spots (Oxbow, Schwabacher, Mormon Row), then the tram to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain followed by a hike, perhaps Two Ocean Lake. However, it was foggy and hazy, so the views were not the greatest (hey, even on a bad day, the Tetons are still beautiful). Plus having hiked 20 miles over the past two days, maybe we could use a little break. That said, we were again up early (0500), headed up to the registration building for coffee and hot chocolate and then scurried back to the cabin to load up and head into the park. We were on the road about 6:15.
This turned out to be quite the day for animal sightings and it started right as we pulled out on the park road from the Signal Mountain Lodge access road as right on the side of the road was a big ol’ mule deer buck. How cool is that. We headed around the park road toward Oxbow Bend and saw a plethora of Magpies along the road at Willow Flats.
Once we arrived at Oxbow Bend, we found the placed was basically “socked in” such that Mount Moran was quite obscured. The near field views were OK and there were plenty of birds in the water or cruising about: Canada Geese, Mergansers, swans, pelicans, mallards and osprey. Due to the poor visibility we opted just to keep moving and look for critters. We alter learned that forest fires in Idaho, Oregon and Washington were the cause for the haze; another smoke issue just like in 2011.
Waited a while for the fog to burn off, but there was no progress so we opted to ditch photos for now and go in search of wildlife. We did not have long to wait as three elk cows crossed the road a few hundred yards in front of us. They were at the trot so maybe something was in pursuit, but nothing else came out of the trees and by the time we reached the point where the cows crossed they were nowhere to be seen. Just down the road was a herd of more than 20 elk cows in the large field east of route 89 and shortly after that sighting there was an even larger herd of bison on the west side of the road. These were the first bison of the trip. OK, we’ve seen our bison; we can go home now. I remembered from my research that there often a lot of critter sightings made in the Gros Ventre [pronounced "grow vont"] area. So we agreed to give that a shot. So south on route 89, then east on Antelope Flats Road to Gros Ventre Road where we turned right. There were several chippers along the way and a few birds, but we were looking for the big, or at least unusual, game. And it did not take long to find just what we were looking for. First was a bird of some sort crossing the road about 100 yards ahead of us. As no one else was on the road, I stopped for a quick but blurry photo. Lynn thought it was just a crow, but the neck was way too long. It finally shifted so that we could tell that it was a grouse of something of that nature then it walked off the road. I slowly pulled down to the exit point and she was still there in the tall grass adjacent to the road. I was able to get a decent photo so that I can try and identify it later. Lynn thought there may have been a chick in the shrubs as well but I never got a clear view. As for the identification of the bird, I posted a photo on birdforum and the folks there confirmed that it was a female sage grouse.
Just a little further down the road, we spotted a pronghorn buck off to the right, just close enough for a nice photo. He was kind enough to pose for us (I cropped the photo a bit once we got home and ended up with one of my favorite images of the trip). After driving through the sprawling metropolis of Kelly, we spied to Red-tail Hawks in a tree to the left of the road. They were not as cooperative as the pronghorn but at least they sat still for a photo. But the best was yet to come. |
Just past the campground, eagle-eye Lynn spotted a bull moose in the river about a quarter-mile away from the road. Good eye! It took me a while to locate him as he was in the brush along the river, but he did finally come out into the clear so that I could attempt a long-range photo. My trusty Canon SX50 came through with a scrapbook worthy shot of the big guy. Pretty darn cool!
So let’s see. In just a little over an hour, we saw the five most common big ungulates in the park: mule deer (coming out of Signal Mountain at 0630), elk, bison, pronghorn and moose (at 0740). Those plus all the birds made for an exceptional morning of critter watching.
Since we were in the area we stopped at the Moose Visitor Center to check the “En Plien Air” art exhibit that we had seen advertised during an earlier stop. En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air" and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. To qualify for the show, the artists are working out in nature and have to have completed their works within the last two weeks. So that explains the artists that we were seeing along the Taggart/Bradley Lakes trail the other day. In 2011, we saw a couple of painters in the park, but this trip we have seen dozens, sometimes in groups of three or four. It was a small show but there were a lot of great paintings of views from all over the park
So let’s see. In just a little over an hour, we saw the five most common big ungulates in the park: mule deer (coming out of Signal Mountain at 0630), elk, bison, pronghorn and moose (at 0740). Those plus all the birds made for an exceptional morning of critter watching.
Since we were in the area we stopped at the Moose Visitor Center to check the “En Plien Air” art exhibit that we had seen advertised during an earlier stop. En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air" and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. To qualify for the show, the artists are working out in nature and have to have completed their works within the last two weeks. So that explains the artists that we were seeing along the Taggart/Bradley Lakes trail the other day. In 2011, we saw a couple of painters in the park, but this trip we have seen dozens, sometimes in groups of three or four. It was a small show but there were a lot of great paintings of views from all over the park
We made a quick drive to the wetlands area on the Moose-Wilson road and hit it lucky again as there was a moose cow having breakfast. This year we have really done well at this spot whereas in 2011 we basically saw nothing. There’s just no predicting the wildlife.
OK, this has been a full morning but it is time for some fuel people so we made an uneventful drive along the park road back to our base to find some breakfast at Trapper’s Grill. It is sort of the only game in town for breakfast at Signal Mountain Lodge (well for a sit down meal anyway), but it is still a great choice. Lynn had one of her favorites, eggs Benedict, while I went for the breakfast burrito, substituting cooked apples for the hashbrowns so that I could at least think I was eating healthy. Great food, excellent service and a nice family atmosphere, plus the views out over the lake are hard to beat (even with the smoke).
OK, this has been a full morning but it is time for some fuel people so we made an uneventful drive along the park road back to our base to find some breakfast at Trapper’s Grill. It is sort of the only game in town for breakfast at Signal Mountain Lodge (well for a sit down meal anyway), but it is still a great choice. Lynn had one of her favorites, eggs Benedict, while I went for the breakfast burrito, substituting cooked apples for the hashbrowns so that I could at least think I was eating healthy. Great food, excellent service and a nice family atmosphere, plus the views out over the lake are hard to beat (even with the smoke).
We made a quick stop at the registration building for Lynn’s final cup of coffee. We got a bonus animal sighting for the day looking out the picture windows overlooking the lake with a Cedar Waxwing perched in the trees right behind the building. Wow, it’s only 10:30 in the morning and we’ve already had a full day of critter sightings and exploring. I think whatever else we do today will be gravy! We regrouped at the cabin. The views were still no good due to smoke and haze but otherwise it is a great looking day, so we decided to take the tram ride from Teton Village up Rendezvous Mountain.
Of course we drove the park road and the Moose-Wilson Road to get to Teton Village, but had not wildlife sightings this trip. There were plenty of critters, however, as we saw lots of cattle out in the field along with a few horses. I speculated that the red cows were where rare steaks come from and the black ones were for well-done. Lynn corrected me by, stating that the black ones were Cajun (blackened, get it?). We arrived in Teton Village about noon and headed to the ticket booth for the tram. Sixty bucks for us to ride to the top; seemed a little steep but what the heck. I had seen pictures of the tram but it was bigger than I thought it would be; a lot of folks can fit in the car. The ride to the top was very smooth and pretty quick, just a few minutes. We were standing at the back of the bus, so we have a nice view of the valley as we climbed up the mountain side. The distant views were muted due to the smoke, but closer it was OK. Hey look! A golf course! Looks like a nice track. Some other time perhaps. |
It was interesting seeing a ski slope from this perspective. We saw the trails, the routing of the lifts and the snow making machines arrayed along the slope. Near the summit we got an idea of how the really crazy people ski and snowboard. The tram driver was one of those guys. He pointed out one place in particular where folks basically jump off a climb down to the slope below to start their run down the mountain. And it was not an insignificant drop. I hope the snow is soft. Of course, I won’t be doing any of this, thank you very much.
We reached the summit at 12:14, according to the big clock. The temperature was 64 degrees F, warmer than I expected at 10,450 feet. It was 70 down in Teton Village. While the smoke obscured the views of the valley and the surrounding peaks, in the immediate area we were drenched in sun as the sky was blue and cloudless. We walked up to the high point beyond the tram for a look around. There were folks taking off the backside of the peak in paragliders. We saw a couple cruising down to the valley as watched one take off. I think I’ll pass on that as well.
We reached the summit at 12:14, according to the big clock. The temperature was 64 degrees F, warmer than I expected at 10,450 feet. It was 70 down in Teton Village. While the smoke obscured the views of the valley and the surrounding peaks, in the immediate area we were drenched in sun as the sky was blue and cloudless. We walked up to the high point beyond the tram for a look around. There were folks taking off the backside of the peak in paragliders. We saw a couple cruising down to the valley as watched one take off. I think I’ll pass on that as well.
We walked down from the high point to Corbet’s Cabin, which is the snack and gift shop, which has a nice view from the patio. We decided to wait until later to try the famous waffles and set off to look around the mountain top. We walked the short “top of the world trail” which basically just runs along the ridge line and offers wonderful views to the peaks to the west as well as the valley to the east. But the real show today was right along the trail with the explosion of wildflowers of all types and colors. It was simply an amazing sight. Yellow and white were the dominant colors but there were also splashes of blue and purple along with orange lichens on the rocks for added flavor. It was one of the most amazing displays of wildflowers that I have ever witnessed and there is no way that a photograph could do this scene any justice. Of course that did not stop me from trying.
We completed the loop “around the top of the world” and ended up back at Corbort’s Cabin. OK, let’s try a waffle and have a beer. We split a waffle; it was OK, but nothing special. The Snake River Pale Ale was a better treat for me. By the time we finished our snack it was 2:00 so we decided it was time to head back down the mountain. I reckon we had a nice time on top of the mountain; certainly worth going to take in the vistas and the wildflowers, but I would not say this was a "must do" event. Back at the base we walked through a few of the shops in Teton Village. There were a couple of areas that we walked through that reminded me of Pike Place Market in Seattle as we were walking through a bit of a maze of corridors and shops. We did not stay long in the shops then headed home via Moose-Wilson and the park road. No critters until we were past Jenny Lake lodge where a big bull Elk was creating quite an animal jam. We just admired the big guy while we rolled through; no sense adding to the mayhem along the road. Well, Lynn got to admire the Elk, as I was watching the tourists swarming along the road. No telling what they will do. The elk was happy eating.
We were back at the cabin about 3:15 and looking at hiking options for the afternoon. We figured Two Oceans Emma Matilda Lakes was a bit much for a late afternoon start and besides we were thinking a shorter trail. Moose Ponds looks like a winner; short, easy trail with a good chance of critter sightings. We decided to head to the trailhead at 4:30, so we had a little time for some rest. We rested a little longer and finally started for the trailhead a little before 5:00.
We were back at the cabin about 3:15 and looking at hiking options for the afternoon. We figured Two Oceans Emma Matilda Lakes was a bit much for a late afternoon start and besides we were thinking a shorter trail. Moose Ponds looks like a winner; short, easy trail with a good chance of critter sightings. We decided to head to the trailhead at 4:30, so we had a little time for some rest. We rested a little longer and finally started for the trailhead a little before 5:00.
Short drive from Signal Mountain to the Moose Ponds trailhead; we basically retraced our route to the Jenny Lake boat dock. We were on the trail at 5:10. We hoped that starting a little later would enhance our chances of seeing some big critters but that theory did not hold up. We did saw a couple squirrels early in the hike, not far from Jenny Lake and a Great blue heron perched in a tree across the ponds, but no moose. However, the wildflowers were amazing, particularly in the area immediately around the ponds. Yellow was the dominant color but there were several varieties competing for top honors in the brilliance category with flashes of red, white, purple and lavender.
The trail is fairly easy and mostly level, with just a little elevation gain. It starts working along the left shore of Jenny Lake from the boat dock. The trail is just dirt with a few exposed roots and is level along the lake. Once at the southern point of the lake, the trail cuts away from the water and starts to climb a bit as it leads toward the Tetons. We did take a wrong turn here as there is an unmarked intersection; the left fork in the trail just runs out to a service area and boat trailer parking, so the right fork is the way to go. There is one short but steep climb over a little ridge and then a drop down over that ridge into a bowl containing the ponds. At the peak of the ridge or maybe just a little ways down the slope into the bowl are nice views across the ponds. The skies were grey when we made the hike, so the lighting was not the best, but it was still a pretty scene. The vantage point coming down from the ridge allowed us to search for critters but as mentioned all we saw here today was the heron in the trees across the ponds, and we probably would have missed him if he was not talking (we were probably disturbing his afternoon siesta). As we walked down into the bowl, we were engulfed by the wildflowers. Some of the plants towered over the trail, almost forming a tunnel in places. I have no idea what they were, but they had large yellow flowers, kind of like a sunflower. There were also stands of bright red Indian Paintbrush, little purple asters with golden centers, white Columbine…you get the picture. This morning was certainly the time for fauna, but between Rendezvous Mountain and the walk around the Moose Ponds, the afternoon has been a highlight reel for the flora. We continued on around to the other side of the ponds, crossing a couple of slightly muddy areas where the run off drains to the ponds. Once to the opposite side of the ponds, the trail works through some wooded areas and crosses a creek and generally looses elevation at a slow rate. We came out of the woods into an avalanche field where most of the trees had been snapped off by the weight of the snow, but there were still a couple of survivors in the area. It was fascinating that one or two trees would still be standing when all around them similar trees were snapped off like so many toothpicks. Perhaps the ones still standing were more flexible than their brethren? The trail worked along the edge of the debris, which was six feet deep in places. The Park Service crews had done a nice job in keeping the trail clear. There was still deep snow packed in the debris; perhaps the layer of debris provided some insulation. Anyway, the whole scene was a bit surreal. Once past the avalanche area, the trail crosses the creek again then crosses Lupine Meadow Road and finally makes a bee-line across a large open meadow back toward Jenny Lake. This was just a flat walk through a rather nondescript area with not much of interest (at least not when we walked through; there is always the potential for wildlife in these areas). We were back in the parking lot right at 7:00, so a little less than 2 hours to complete this 3.5-mile loop. This is one trail that would certainly be worth trying again sometime to look for wildlife, perhaps hiking in the morning. We only saw two other hikers on the trail once we got away from Jenny Lake, and they were moving swiftly so we only saw them for a very few minutes, so we basically had the trail to ourselves the entire time…sweet! |
For dinner tonight we wanted pizza so we headed to Leeks Marina for carry-out. We tried Leeks last trip and really enjoyed the pizza, so a return visit was a no-brainer. We had a pleasant early evening drive that included a fly-over by a pair of Sand Hill Cranes. There was a big crowd at Leeks; the outdoor seating was mobbed, but fortunately the line to place an order was short when we arrived but we just beat the rush it seems since as soon as we sat down to wait for our pizza the line was backed-up nearly out the door and was moving rather slowly (only one guy at the counter and he was taking both the dinner orders and filling the ice cream cones).
On the return from Leeks, we saw a proposal taking place at the Willow Flats overlook. The young man was just getting down on one knee as we passed by, so I missed the young lady’s reaction. I wonder if she said “yes”? I hope she did, and I wish them a long and happy life together. We did spy some elk in Willow Flats, but the area was closed off due to bear activity so there is no stopping along some sections of the road. There obviously must have been something in the area but other than these Elk, we never saw anything too exceptional here this trip. Back at the cabin, we devoured our pizza in record time while watching “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” on the portable DVD player. The pizza was outstanding…there were no survivors!
While not exactly our original plan, it was still another great day in the park. It was just another example of the need to be flexible and the need to play the cards that Mother Nature deals you. Today we had a winning hand. Photos from today's adventures.
Tomorrow we’ll most likely hit a few spots for photos in the morning, if the skies are clear of smoke (not likely) and then we’ll head north into Yellowstone with our primary goal being the climb up the hill overlooking one of the most amazing features in the park, Grand Prismatic Spring. Hopefully the haze won’t be an issue for that vista. That mystery and others will be answered when the story continues in part two of “Return to Wonderland”…
On the return from Leeks, we saw a proposal taking place at the Willow Flats overlook. The young man was just getting down on one knee as we passed by, so I missed the young lady’s reaction. I wonder if she said “yes”? I hope she did, and I wish them a long and happy life together. We did spy some elk in Willow Flats, but the area was closed off due to bear activity so there is no stopping along some sections of the road. There obviously must have been something in the area but other than these Elk, we never saw anything too exceptional here this trip. Back at the cabin, we devoured our pizza in record time while watching “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” on the portable DVD player. The pizza was outstanding…there were no survivors!
While not exactly our original plan, it was still another great day in the park. It was just another example of the need to be flexible and the need to play the cards that Mother Nature deals you. Today we had a winning hand. Photos from today's adventures.
Tomorrow we’ll most likely hit a few spots for photos in the morning, if the skies are clear of smoke (not likely) and then we’ll head north into Yellowstone with our primary goal being the climb up the hill overlooking one of the most amazing features in the park, Grand Prismatic Spring. Hopefully the haze won’t be an issue for that vista. That mystery and others will be answered when the story continues in part two of “Return to Wonderland”…