Martin

Jenny Lake

Cut Throat Trout

Cut Throat Trout

I love the Tetons. I’ve been here before and I’m always mesmerized by the way their jagged peaks reach up and are outlined against the sky. They are sharp and active and their presence cannot be outdone by the sun, the clouds, or the bluest of skies they stand in front of. They must be the youngins on the block because they’re not as worn down as the Rockies although they’re part of the same chain. Their massive peaks are sharp and rough and there isn’t the real appearance of hills to announce their next place in the geographic waiting line. No. The landscape is flat sage prairie, then lakes, and then there they are. The Grand Tetons. They reach up into the blue and reflect their magnificent presence on the many crystal clear, blue lakes that hug their base. You can drive their entire length and will be challenged to take your eyes off of them. They hold you and implore you to stay and watch the backdrop of a sunset be the final crown on their royalty.

You can tell they are related, these Colorado Rockies and the Tetons. They are tall and rough and they keep their snow hidden on towering peaks throughout the summer. They don’t give in to the summer season at all. They are the same as the Colorado Rockies in other ways as well. This makes sense. They are the same longitude as the Rockies, and their latitude really doesn’t differ that much. They seem to have roughly the same precipitation and they are roughly the same altitude range. So it’s not surprising that you will also see elk, and deer, and marmots, moose, and coyotes, etc. But, you’re also surprised by some new photo opportunities.

During a 7 mile hike around Jenny Lake. We were surprised by a Martin in the middle of the path. We hadn’t seen one before. It stopped and our first assumption was that this was some of the wildlife that had really become accustomed to humans. We were wrong. He was actually on the hunt for a chipmunk lunch as the hunted bolted from the bushes on one side of the path to the other with the Martin in close pursuit. The chipmunk reversed direction and went back to the other side and then made a quick right and the Martin shot two feet past and the Chipmunk smiled and made a quick exit into the underbrush. On the same hike, we were notified by some other hikers that there was a grizzly cub about thirty yards off the path on the right so they exited the area. They asked if we wanted to hike together, which we did, and soon became fast friends as we made our way down the trail making as much noise as we could to give fair warning to mama, wherever she may be. You don’t want to get between a mother griz and her cub and hungry or not, she will do you in quick. So while there aren’t any grizzlies in Rocky Mountain National Park, there definitely are in The Grand Tetons. The following morning we stopped along the road to watch a mother griz and her cub saunter across a field and into the tree’s, to quickly for me to snap a picture. That’s the way it is with wildlife. Timing is everything or at least a lot of the game. Another first for us in the Tetons came when we were swimming in Jackson Lake. Although it’s glacier run off fed, the water was amazingly warm enough for swimming. As we were standing on the shore we watched a line of 5 otters swimming about 50 yards off shore. Very cool. Unfortunately, no camera with us. We were able to get in a 7 mile and 11 mile hike while there, and there was an abundance of butterflies, especially at the higher altitudes. These beautiful and dainty little nymphs always give you just a glimpse of themselves before they bolt forth into some crazy flight pattern that makes you dizzy just watching them.

One of the interesting things about the Tetons is that the fault that caused the mountains to rise, is also causing the valley to drop. From an ecosystem standpoint, you have significant wetlands down below as well as meadows of sagebrush, grasses, and small bushes. This is followed by forests, sub-alpine, and finally alpine ecosystems. Again, it’s somewhat similar to RMNP. The lakes, streams, and wetlands ensure that there is a steady supply of mosquito’s in the neighborhood and even during mid-day, it wasn’t surprising to be accosted by a group of the hungry devils. It’s worth enduring them though as the vista’s of the Tetons are sure to please from dawn until dark.