Mosaic Monday #107: Road Trippin', Part IV

October 17 - 19: Our Time in the Tetons

Mountains.  Wildlife.  Lakes and rivers.  You could say the Tetons are almost like home (smile)!

Before we even entered the Park proper, wildlife put in an appearance.  A bull moose was bedded down among the cottonwoods along the Gros Ventre river, and a cow moose grazed nearby.  The animals were encircled by a crowd of onlookers, so we did not add to the melee.  So, no photos, I am afraid.

Inside the park, a pull-out provides a stunning panorama of the Teton range, along with a helpful plaque explaining the source of the names of various features.  French Canadian trappers referred to the Grand, Middle and South Teton as "Les Trois Tetons", or "The Three Breasts".  Since the vista was so expansive, I decided a video would be the ideal way to capture it.

At 9.30 AM, we began our hike to Surprise Lake and Amphitheatre Lake.  Clouds scudded across the face of the mountain, and the 48-degree temperature suggested we might encounter a snow shower or two at the higher elevations.  It was a Saturday, and it quickly became apparent that the locals had turned out in droves to do this hike before winter truly sets in.  In the first hour alone, we saw 22 people.  In the meantime, the chipmunks were fully occupied collecting food - so adorable skittering away with mouths crammed with pine seeds.  At this elevation, autumn color was splotched on the hillsides as though a five year old had been let free with the paintbrush.

The switchbacks became more intense, and the terrain featured predominantly rock fields as we neared Surprise Lake. 

Spousal Unit pointed out some white pouches on the widely scattered pines, and pausing to read a notice, we learned that whitebark pine are critical to the Grand Teton alpine ecosystems.  The park is working to protect the trees from mountain pine beetle using pheromone pouches.  We began to see hikers already on the descent, and they warned us of breezy, cold conditions up top.  One said he had been chased off by a sudden snow squall.  So, we paused long enough to take pictures, but then hurried the remaining x distance to Amphitheatre to ensure good visibility.  When we arrived, I was wearing only a long-sleeved shirt on top.  Within moments, it was coat, hat, neck gaiter and both pairs of gloves!  Brrrr.  It was worth the view, including Canada Jays that were locating something to eat in this barren alpine environment.  And it wasn't our snacks!!!

We headed back to the trailhead, and were rewarded with expansive views of the valley along the way.  Also, we spotted a pine marten crossing the trail ahead of us.  This is only the second time on our lives that we have seen one of these elusive creatures.  It is always amazing to me that is possible for such a sighting on a popular trail - we encountered at least 30 people headed up while we descended, but I suspect we were the only ones that saw the marten.

The full parking lot was additional testimony to this well-liked trail, and so perhaps we should not have been surprised when a fox showed up there, looking for abandoned food or even a handout.  I was sitting on a rock, changing out of my boots, when it sauntered past me, not more than 10 feet away.  You could have knocked me over with a feather!  Spousal Unit caught this gorgeous creature on video, and several hikers with large sandwiches can be heard telling it "No" quite firmly as it eyed up their food!  Check it out - you have to see this jaw-dropping beauty!

As we discovered the next day, foxes frequenting parking areas is more common in Teton than we might have imagined - this sign was in the parking lot near Signal Mountain. 

We also noticed that the moose were prevalent at the Gros Ventre river each time we passed.  While I don't think it is safe to assume that they were all different moose, if they were, it meant we saw five moose!  Other wildlife during our visit included pronghorn antelope bison, elk, a hawk, 2 bald eagles and an owl.  Sorry that I don't have blog-worthy pictures of them!

Low-lying clouds limited many of the vistas as we drove through the Park on the second day, so we re-traced our route on our final day and obtained some reasonable photos.  Nevertheless, we were not completely satisfied, so we resolved to return in the future, perhaps a few weeks earlier in the season.  Watch this space!

Jenny was the Shoshone Indian wife of Richard Leigh, a trapper who served as a guide for the 1872 Hayden Expedition.  Jenny Lake is more than 250 feet deep, indicating the power of glaciers to sculpt the landscape.

We couldn't call ourselves proper tourists if we left the area without some souvenirs, so our last stop on the way south was downtown Jackson Hole. 

(above picture will enlarge if you click on it)

Fortified with some Starbucks coffee, we turned to the GPS to lead us to Mountain Green, Utah, the home of one of my brothers and his wife.  After six nights on the road, we licked our lips in anticipation of their hospitality, which is renowned in our family.  We had no doubt that good times and good cooking lie ahead.  For now, I will leave you with a Utah sunset as seen from the deck of the house.  Glorious!  

Mosaic Monday

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