Day 6: The Grand Tetons
đThe Teton Range, which comprises the grand, middle and south peaks, along with Mount Owen, Teewinot Mountain and Mount Moran, is part of the ancestral homeland of the Shoshone people, who used the Native word teewinot to describe the range’s âmany pinnacles.â The Grand Tetons are at 13,775 feet.I make mention of the native people who inhabited the lands of the National Park areas we visit because I feel itâs important to recognize and honor them.
We had arrived at our hotel late last night so we didnât get to see the full impact of where we were. This morning I woke up early and made a pot of coffee, opened the curtains, and WOW! Canât beat that view for your morning coffee, even if it was a chilly 34 degrees. We spent less than 24 hours here, so we wanted to make the most of it, busted out the robes, and had coffee on the deck overlooking the magnificent valley and Grand Tetons.
Apparently weâve hit a day of weird weather, did I mention itâs cold? đ€Łđ„¶ Todayâs high is 50 with rain in the forecast. However tomorrow and the rest of the week it will be in the mid-70âs.
After a bit of research last night. I wanted to get one more hike in before we left these magical lands. Ken loves me (haha). đ What better place to do that, than Jenny Lake, at the base of the Tetons (Teewinot).
We drove into Jackson and grabbed another coffee at Cowboy Coffee, YUM! They will even put a fun cinnamon print animal on the top of your latte if you ask for a âwild animalâ. I got a Moose! đ„° Itâs the little things that make me smile like a kid!
Jackson is such a cute city. Loads of touristy traps, but still looks like it would be fun for a girls trip back here one day! Jackson even has an airport! There are also signs everywhere to mask up due to Covid, and I mean everywhere; billboards, electric road signs, wolf, moose and bear sculptures with masks, etc. I assume because itâs such a touristy area; so youâve been warned! đ·
Once at Jenny Lake (21 miles from Jackson), we hit the store for a beanie, just in case we hit bad weather on the hike. I checked in with the ranger to find out the bear and moose situation. He said there was a bear spotted that morning, but they usually donât give humans much mind as they are filling up on berries right now before Winter. He said just make sure you clap and speak loudly when walking around blind corner, âHEY BEARâ đ and try to hike in groups whenever possible. He assured me that only the Black Bears are generally around here and the Grizzlies are more common up North. Good to know! He said bear spray isnât necessary to Inspiration Point, but if we continue on to Cascade Valley, he personally wouldnât travel through that area without it.
Note to self: Stop at Inspiration Point! đłđ»
As for Moose, he said they are more common on the Moose Pond hike, but there were a few down there this morning. Just be aware of your surroundings and give all animals 100 feet and back up slowly if you encounter one.
Tip 1: In the essence of time, we decided to take the boat across the lake, which cuts off about 2 miles (one way) off the hike. It is $18 per person and I highly recommend it if youâre short on time, or just for fun. It also saves your legs for the climb ahead to Inspiration Point. The shuttle boats run about every 10-15 minutes across the lake.
We reached the dock on the other side in about 10 minutes, just as it started to sprinkle. The hike to Hidden Falls is an easy 1/2 mile, and a great spot for photos, of course. Continue on another 1/2 mile up the side of the mountain; this is where you will begin to gradually climb up, up, up!
Tip 2: The earlier you go, the better chance you have for the least amount of people (Covid or no Covid), which we also suggest because there are some sketchy areas on your climb to Inspiration Point where you want to hug the mountain (if youâre afraid of heights like I am) and that could be tough with a parade of people going up and down!
Okay so onward to Inspiration Point, and at this point itâs no longer sprinkling, but raining. The stairs turn into rocky scrambles to the top. And the rocks are starting to get a bit slippery, eek!
Tip 3: Wear proper shoes, with good grips, with what I call âSUV 4-wheel driveâ bottoms. Raining or not, youâre going to want them!
Some short moments of hyperventilating and some internal chats with myself about not allowing fear to sink in and WE MADE IT to the top!
Note: It was a piece of cake for Ken, he doesnât have the mental hang ups about heights like I do. I did give him a scare though when I went to pose for a photo he was taking and lost my balance and started to fall forward. I even scared the guy down below that was coming up the switchback! đł Oops, ânothing to see hereâ!! Haha!
At Inspiration Point it is 7,200 feet in elevation. WOW! The prize after the climb was Jenny Lake below us, and 2 moose swimming in the lake (we only knew that because a guy at the top had binoculars). Spectacular!
âThe best view comes after the hardest climbâ -Author Unknown
Tip 4: Its a good idea to arrive in Yellowstone / Tetons a few days before you do some hiking at the higher elevations to allow your body to adjust. We are so thankful weâve been up and down between 6,000 – 9,000 feet the last few days, so it made this hike a bit easier on our lungs and heads.
Ken said his favorite part of the hike was scrambling up MORE rocks at the top for some cool photo ops; that is HIS playground!
I went to see where the hike to Cascade Valley took us, just to see, but it was through some pretty dense forest and well, no bear spray, so we decided to turn back around and head down the mountain. Good thing too because the wind picked up and the rain turned into slush. Did I mention how cold it is? The scramble down was even more slippery now, so we took our time and I hugged the rock wall as much as possible; rules, 1) donât look down (except at your feet, not down the cliff side), and 2) take one step at a time.
We made it down the mountain in time to catch the boat just before it pushed off. It was a wet and chilly ride back across the lake, but after that hike we didnât care! What a fabulous day!!
The drive back to Jackson was with the heater on full blast to warm up our feet, joints and bones. We got breakfast at Eâleven, grabbed more coffee and then began our 5 hour trek to our next destination! Where will we go next? Tune in tomorrow to find out! đ
If youâd like to see more, check out our video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NLOR1lYPWhM
Byrds On A Wire 