Day 9 --- Tetons, Day 2

Miles traveled: 108
Hours on Road: All Day
States covered: 2 –Wyoming

We got going somewhere between 9 and 10 a.m. today. With no obligations to attend to it’s hard to remember to look at the watch. Driving along the road that the camp is on we saw a herd of elk. They were pretty far away, but we could tell what they were. At one point they started to run all together across the prairie – what a sight!

Jeff called early in the morning to let us know when he’d be arriving. He was already in Chicago when he called at 8 a.m. our time, which is currently Mountain Time. He’d gotten up at 5 a.m. Eastern Time and was expected to land at 2 p.m. Mountain Time. We decided that we would just drive around until we picked him up and start our hiking after we’d gotten him.

The drive to Jackson Hole is beautiful. I was much more relaxed driving it the second time, despite the steep drop-offs. These aren’t drop-offs like in the mountains. These were deceiving drop-offs in which I thought there was a green field stretching between the road and the Tetons, only to look more closely and realize that there is only five to 10 feet of green field before the land drops off into deep green valley, about 50 to 100 feet below the road. There is no room for error out in this part of the country, and watch it when you pull over to the side of the road, as there may be no side of the road at all. But on this second drive to Jackson Hole, I was a little more calm.

We stopped at several lookouts along the road. These are places where there actually is land to drive onto and there are awesome views of the valley below as well at the Tetons above. The first one we stopped at turned out to be my personal favorite. You could look 100 feet below to the Snake River winding its way through the valley, which was covered in various species of pine tree. Above that valley loomed the Tetons, viewed from more of a side angle. Further along the road was a pull-off that allowed you to see the Tetons straight on. That was John’s favorite since he got a great shot of the mountain range.

We stopped at the Grand Teton Visitor Center. It’s brand new and has a few great exhibits that tell about the history of the area, the people who settled here, the natives who first lived here, and the climbing that’s been done here. Well worth the visit. Plus, heading toward it put us on Moose/Wilson Road, which is closer to the Tetons than the highway is so we got a more rustic drive.

We stopped at the Chapel of the Transfiguration. John said that lots of people get married there and that they must book it well in advance, and he believes it costs about $1,500 to get married at the Chapel. When we pulled in we could see why -- this tiny little chapel with all three of the Tetons as a backdrop. We all rang the chapel bell.

Next along that road was the visitor center for Jenny Lake. Our plan was to boat across the lake and hike the trail once Jeff arrived. After checking it out we continued along the back roads where we saw a mother moose and her calf walking along a river that was right next to the road. It was so exciting to see our first big animal up close. The big four we have been hoping to see are moose, bison, elk, and bear. We’d already seen the herd of elk, and now here was the moose. We’d seen bison at Bear Country, but we wanted to see them in their natural environment. A little farther along the river, we saw an adolescent moose, as well. Fittingly, we saw these moose on Moose Road.

When we finally reached Jackson Hole it was lunch time. We stopped at a BBQ joint called Bubba’s. They had the most fantastic salad bar. We all filled up because, as I warned John, all I had for us to eat for dinner was a piece of chicken each and a cucumber.

After lunch we went to get Jeff from the airport. We were a little early, so the boys went to check out the bathroom again. They like the hand dryer, which is a Dyson that you put your hands into. I tell you, simple things amuse them. Jeff arrived on time, and we were all happy to see him.

With Jeff in our midst, we headed to Jenny Lake. On the way, we saw our bison not too far off the road. We were at three for four! All that was left was a bear. Although Jeff still had elk and moose to see.

The boat ride across Jenny Lake was fun. As you leave the boat dock and round the peninsula the dock is nestled in you can see the Tetons rising up from the edge of the lake. A camera simply cannot do justice to the magnificence of the scene. The boat traveled at high speeds and water splashed on us, so I did wind up tucking the camera back in its case. The ride was only about five minutes, then we were off on our hike.

There is a river that runs down the side of the mountain right into Jenny Lake. It must be fed by a glacier because this was no small trickle. Massive amounts of water were rolling down the hill and every now and then, at the steepest parts, there were magnificent waterfalls. Our first destination on the hike was hidden falls. They’re pretty massive and are made more beautiful by their setting, which is in a crack of the rocks with trees growing all around.

We continued on to Inspiration Point. I had not been made aware at the beginning of the hike that the final part of the trail went along a thin ledge. But once I’d started this trek, there was no turning back. Cal and John opted to stay at a lower level, and Parker, Trey, Jeff, and I carried on. I had no problem with the cardio aspect of the climb, but the steepness of the potential fall had me panicked. I believe I’m the only one who got up there while hiding my eyes from the sight to the right, much like a horse sometimes has side blinders on so as not to be distracted. I was in a squat-like pose for the walk up, keeping my center of gravity nice and low, grasping frantically at the rock wall as I ascended. John told me later that he could see me holding tightly to the rock face as I went along. I made it to the top without a heart attack, but I think I overdosed on adrenaline. My body has been in fight or flight mode since we entered high country, but this hike nearly did me in. I looked like Mr. Tudball, “I’m coming, Mrs. Hawiggins!”

The view from the top was well worth my fear. We could see all of Jenny Lake and the surrounding valley. The walk down was not as bad, except for the part where I had to walk on the outside of the trail because a family was resting in a little corner made by the rocks. I told them I had no problem waiting until they moved on because going around them was not an option. But they weren’t going anywhere any time soon, so I started to move past them. I gathered all my courage and took my first step, but I must have looked a mess because one of the women stepped back toward the edge of the ledge and put out her hand for me to hold onto. I couldn’t look her in the eye, but I did grab that hand, and I moved on. I may experience humiliation in my day, but I’m not going to miss a beautiful view.

When we got back to camp I got the chicken out that I’d planned to serve for dinner. It didn’t smell quite right, so we ended up having hotdogs. While I sat typing into the computer, a chipmunk that Parker and Cal had been chasing to get its photo went right under my feet. The creatures here are not afraid of people.

I was so exhausted by bedtime, I thought I was gonna die. But what a day!!

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