We got up very early to go over to the most congested part of the Tetons: Jenny Lake. This is the site of one of Dick’s fond memories from all the way back to 1957, when he first visited this national park. This is a lake at the base of the main Teton mountains, and is very, very deep: over 250 feet deep in the middle. The reason that we came so early was so that we could find a parking place, which we barely did, and so we also could get a ticket to ride the boat across the lake to some of the most popular hikes in the park. Despite arriving at 7:45, there was still quite a long line for people waiting to get on the boat (30 minute wait). The boat ride is quick, in about 15 minutes but it saves almost 2 1/2 miles of walking around the lake to begin the hike. And we wanted to save our walking energy for the actual stupendous hikes themselves.
The first popular hike was up to an area known as Hidden Falls. This is a beautiful falls about a half mile from the boat dock. This is the most popular place for people to come, and many photos were taken. The next spot was another half mile, this time nearly all uphill on a very rocky trail. At the top of this climb was Inspiration Point, which gave a lovely view over Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole beyond it. Most people stop after either Hidden Falls or Inspiration Point. But, Dick knew we wanted to continue on for the main event: Cascade Canyon. The crowds quickly thin out for this beautiful hike going further into the mountains. There was minimal elevation gain on this trail, because we had already climbed a long ways with the other two hikes.
We had such a nice morning walking along catching beautiful view after beautiful view. There were so many wildflowers, and very friendly happy people to chat with about the Tetons. We had to make a decision how far up into the canyon we would hike. What really impacted us was the fact that we were again hiking at elevation, much less oxygen in the air. Once we were in the Canyon, we were well over 7000 feet. We had recently been back in the lower elevations again and hadn’t had much of a chance to acclimate ourselves. However, we walked as far as we were able and then we’re a little sad to turn around to head back down the canyon. We had a chance to talk with people who were going to be hiking much farther up, or who were backpacking in this beautiful area. We listened with a little longing to their stories, but knew we had done the right amount of hiking for us. The trip down is always quicker than the trip up.
We were happy to catch a boat back across the lake. Then we went back to our campsite and laid down for a well-deserved nap. It sure was good to be back in this beautiful area again.
So we cooked dinner, built a fire, and roasted Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies over the fire. Dick especially enjoyed meeting and chatting with a number of fellow campers about their experiences. This campground was filled with lots of families and very friendly people. It was a great day in the Tetons.
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