Wednesday, May 24-Saturday, May 27                                                                                     Jenny Lake Campground

We drove straight to Jenny Lake campground, which is located roughly in the center of the park.  We liked it because it’s tents only, and the sites are large and wooded.  It was windy when we arrived, but we’ve gotten pretty expert at setting up the tent in high wind conditions.  The weather was good for the most part; cold at night and 40s to 50s during the day.

We came here determined to see a moose after being denied at Yellowstone, so the first thing we did was a hike to Moose Lake.  Lovely, but no moose in sight. We also drove to some spots in the park known to be favored by moose.  No luck. Everywhere we heard people talking about seeing moose.  “I saw one in the parking lot of the visitor center!” I heard a woman say.  “I saw a mom with her calf on the road yesterday!”

Despite driving to every location recommended by the rangers and other “experts,” hanging out for hours at Oxbow Bend and Willow Flats while scanning the marshes with binoculars, and being keenly attuned to every movement in every bush, we saw nothing.  We did see a beautiful yellow warbler and there was a martin in the campground one morning, but that was about it for wildlife.

The Tetons, however, are the most magnificent mountains I’ve ever seen.  French trappers called these three peaks les Trois Tetons (the three breasts). There are no foothills; the peaks rise right out of the earth for a mile.  They were covered in snow during our visit, and we could see many tracks where hikers climbed up and skied down.  I can’t begin to imagine how terrifying that would be!

We did some hiking as well as driving through the park, and we had a very pleasant and informative boat ride around Jenny Lake.  Our guide grew up in the area and is very knowledgeable about the history and geology of the mountains.  The Tetons are young and still growing. They extend for 40 miles and were formed by earthquake activity along a fault line.  We could see the fault from our boat.  We could also see a glacier at one of the peaks.  Our guide told us that he has climbed this glacier and has also seen it diminish by 75% in his lifetime.  He’s 30 years old.

 

We were near Jackson Hole, the famous ski resort, and the town of Jackson.  We spent a pleasant afternoon exploring there.  There is an elk preserve nearby (the elk aren’t around this time of year) and every spring, the local boy scouts collect the antler shed and sell them at auction in Jackson.  The money goes to maintaining the preserve.

We saw some interesting art in Jackson, including the closest thing to a moose we could find.

 

I always fall for the smart ones.

We went to the local rec center to take a shower.  The town has very nice amenities, including this facility.  As I was getting out of the shower in the women’s locker room, I heard someone calling for help.  I ran around the corner to find a woman lying on the floor.  She had slipped and hit her head and was bleeding.  I went to the front desk to report the accident; several staff people sprang into action and surrounded her while they waited for the ambulance.  She had come to swim with her husband and grandchildren, and their happy afternoon was interrupted by this event.  I didn’t get her name, but she is one of the people from our trip that I continue to think about.

Grand Teton National Park makes the list of top 5 most beautiful parks; I think I may have more than 5 places on the list already, but this one is definitely a winner.