Grand Teton National Park

After moving Snoopy from the full-service RV campground to the regular campground, we headed off to Jenny Lake to hike up Cascade Canyon. Though rain and cool weather were predicted, the morning was nice. The Tetons are caused by fault/uplift forces just like Steens Mountain, though the sediment in the Grand Tetons is identical to that 30,000' below the surface of the land. They rise 7,000' from the valley floor.

We took a boat (5 minutes) across Jenny Lake and started hiking. There were tons of people of all different descriptions. At least they were walking, but it was like walking in New York City. The first sight, .5 miles from the boat dock, is Hidden Falls. From there you climb up to Inspiration Point and start the 3.5 mile additional hike into the forks at the head of the canyon. The total length of the hike is 9 miles round trip with a 1,000' elevation rise. It's very gradual and pleasant. There were lots of folks on the trail, but as we got higher and there was more snow, the crowds thinned out.

The mountains were in clouds most of the time, but it was still spectacular. We reached the forks at 3 p.m. and trotted down the mountain in 1 and 1/2 hour, pushing ourselves. We met no one on the way down. Perhaps it was the spritzing weather or the fact that it was Sunday afternoon. We passed beautiful green, clear streams, but no real flowers. Spring has not arrived in the Grand Tetons. It's still under 10' of snow above 8,500'. There are avalanche chutes along the sides and still lots of snow up high. According to the Visitor Center staff, it often snows in mid-June.

Our destination was the base of this monolith. When we got back to Snoopy, we headed to the laundromat to wash clothes for the first time on the trip, Bob took a shower, and we both down-loaded e-mail in a restaurant. It was raining hard. It's at times like this that I appreciate Snoopy and the fact that I can cook indoors instead of under a tarp with the rain coming in sideways. It's been really cold (in the 30's) and we have been sleeping under our sleeping bags in addition to the blanket and quilt. The Grand Tetons are truly amazing and worth more visits and more time. However, we have a date with a world disc golf competition the last week of June in Ohio, so we're on the move.