Yesterday (Sunday) brought another day of cold, wet weather with snow flurries most of the day. I decided to take advantage of the down time to catch up on laundry. As I was walking the path to the laundry building - I encountered this handsome guy. He was only about 10 feet from me ... and I was amazed he stayed in one place while I gently reached into my waist pack and pulled out my iPhone. This is a male mule deer. They shed their antlers annually .... this guy is just growing his new set. The new antlers look very soft and velvety until they manage to rub against enough trees to scrape off the 'fuzz.'
Today, the weather was much improved with lots of sun and temperatures getting into the mid-60's. We decided to hike to Inspiration Point via the Jenny Lake Trail. Our destination involved an 800 ft ascent and there was a choice of the long route (6 miles round trip), or the short route (2 miles round trip).
We chose the short route because we sort of got a late start and did not arrive at the trailhead until about 11AM. Yes...you are correct .... I am the cause of the late start .... I know you are shocked!! Anyhow, the short route involves a boat shuttle across Jenny Lake (as opposed to hiking around the lake). In this shot, we are in one shuttle getting ready to pass another one returning folks to the main dock.
One of the most spectacular things about the Tetons is the immediate rise of the mountains from the lakes and valleys ... it really brings them up close and personal. We are approaching shore from the shuttle in this pic, and the trail begins to rise quickly from the boat dock.
The hike up was filled with fabulous views. While the path was pretty rocky, the elevation was not too bad at this point. My knee has actually been holding up pretty well. I do a pretty good tape job to stabilize my kneecap, and just need to watch my step and carefully negotiate the rock climbs and descents.
'Hidden Falls' is a stop mid-way up the trail to Inspiration Point. My shot cannot begin to capture the rush, rage and roar of the falls .... the water all melt-off from the mountain peaks. It seems amazing that all this water comes from the peaks .... how much ice and snow can be melting to create the massive volume of water flowing day after day after day???
There were a few different levels to these falls, some with massive swirls around rocky formations creating quite a vortex.
I was trying to capture a shot of Dick and I with the falls in the background. I have not quite gotten the knack of taking my own picture and getting the background lined up. Well ... at least I am now managing to get my fingers out of the way of the camera lens!
As we got closer to Inspiration Point, the trail got steeper and was quite challenging. We have noticed a difference in the crowds since Memorial Day .... things are not too crowded yet, but the volume has definitely increased. This is a rare shot I was able to grab without others coming and going.
So ... we made it to Inspiration Point; elevation 7,200 feet ... we started at about 6,800 feet. The small point of land jutting out to the left of the sign is really pretty far away .... the trees down there are hemlocks and super-tall. This shot does not quite capture it!
So, here I am on the way down. In many ways, down is more difficult due to the degree of descent and the gravity push that combines with the forward motion. I have gotten pretty good at learning to position my hiking poles to control the speed and angle of my steps!
We are starting to get used to seeing wildlife, although our enthusiasm has not dimmed a bit. This guy is a pretty big bull moose ... looking back at us from across a creek. We understand there was moose charging at people at Jenny Lake today, but we must have been on our hike when that occurred because we did not see any of that action. We do, however, make a practice of hooking our bear spray onto our belts .... you just never know!
Tomorrow, we are doing a horseback ride that will take us on some remote paths up into the Tetons. I haven't been on a horse since high school and I have no idea when Dick was last horsing around :-) Tomorrow should produce some pretty interesting pictures ... stay tuned !!!
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