Teton National Park

Janet and Sophia at an overlook from Jackson Hole.

Sunset on the Tetons

We strolled into Teton National Park from Yellowstone on our way back towards Logan.  We were greeted by this vista as we blasted "Blame it on the Tetons" by Modest Mouse for no apparent reason.  We came in Sunday night, stayed at a campsite on Jackson Lake.  We got up early to see the sunrise.  We found this view and similarly stunning views of the mountains as those of the night before, but with a near-mirror-like glass over Jackson lake.

Early morning twilight on Jackson Lake.

The view of Jackson Hole from the slopes of the Teton front.  That oblong mound in the background is a glacial moraine: rocks and rubble transported in a glacier only to be deposited en masse as the ice recedes.  At one point, this glacially carved landscape was covered in ice up to all but the tallest peaks of the Tetons.

We left early Monday morning before the rangers showed up.  This is a great way to save money if you don't care about supporting the maintenance of our beautiful, cash-strapped national parks.  We decided to do a day hike up to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes.  To Amphitheater Lake it is about 5 miles from the 6,000 ft valley floor up to the 9,700 ft lake.  There were 17 switchbacks.  The Tetons are sheer.  We were greeted as the first ones out on the trail to a black bear at the trailhead.  He went along on his way and we on ours.  Luckily the huckleberries along the trail were not ripe yet or we probably would have seen more than just one busy black bear.  We climbed most of the way with two climbers setting out to conquer all 13,775 ft of Grand Teton.  Any later in the season and the peaks start creating their own afternoon thunderstorms--a vicious obstacle for such exposed rock faces.  The trail up to Surprise Lake is one of those incredible trails that is doggedly tough but totally worthwhile and rewarding at the end.  Both Amphitheater and Surprise Lake are outstanding alpine lakes.  They expressed impossible shades of blue: from black hole dark on to radioactive-bright antifreeze.  Both lakes were still covered in ice and surrounded by spring snow.  The views out onto the valley were too big to photograph and the tobogganing was in season.  A capstone hike to a mammoth weekend.  Actually, deep-dish pizza in Montpelier, Idaho (the site of a Butch Cassidy where the sheriff gave chase on bicycle into the mountains.  They were never caught.  The bank is still open.) followed by Harry Potter on opening weekend was pretty great.  "Come on Harry, let's take a walk."

Surprise Lake, nearly 9,700 feet up in the Teton Range.

PS if you make it up to the Tetons and Yellowstone, you have to try Huckleberry ice cream.  A flavor not to be forgotten.

PPS "Hey, what should we do for the epilogue?"  "How about we let Ron and Harry grow a couple days of stubble and we put Hermione's hair up?"  "OK. that should work." = Harry Potter easy button.