Tuesday - 28 June 2011

We arrived at the KOA just south of Jackson, WY on 28 June in the mid-afternoon.
It was crowded and lively, and we did well to call ahead and reserve a spot.

Between the KOA camp and Jackson WY

The City park in Jackson WY

just exiting Jackson and before the view of the Tetons is visable

Wednsday - 29 June 2011

The first view of the Grand Teton range at the South entrance of the National Park.

We got a camping site at Coulter Bay in the Northern part of the Park.
It is a large visitor area with a large camping area, store, lodge,
Visitor Center with museum and a marina where boats are moored.

The campsite at Colter Bay.

The beginning of the trail to the peninsula.

The marina at Colter Bay

The first part of the trail to the round peninsula at Colter Bay, Lake Jackson.

Joseph experiencing the very cold water in Jackson Lake.

We happened upon some geese near the end of this walk.
They were on land, and instead of flying off they walked into the water and swam to be away from us.

Pine cones and fruiting bodies.

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The Teton Park - Colter Bay Visitor Center had a surprisingly good little museum
filled with American Indian artifacts from many tribes scattered throughout USA.
We were lucky to see it. The exhibit was due to be taken down and returned to the museums which owned the various artifacts.

a Sioux saddle bag (excuse the reflection from the overhead light)

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The Chapel of the Sacred Heart

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About 7 PM on 29 June ...

We saw a mama Grizzly bear with 3 cubs about 120 yards off one of the main roads.
Even with the longest lens we only got fuzzy pictures (cropped out of larger ones).

Here is a picture of mama Grizzly with her head up.
She stayed in this place for quite a long time eating roots or something on the ground.
Considerably more than half of what these bears eat is vegetable matter.

Same as above but digitally cleaned up by a friend.

The people in foreground are really a long way from the bears.

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We went to a Ranger talk about the geology of the Teton range.
The mountains are rising, but the land East of the mounains is sinking at a much faster rate
than the mountains are rising. However the sinking part is filling in fast enough that it is almost
static in relative position. The movements are a pulling away of 2 plates rather than
a pushing together, which is why the Eastern bit is sinking.

This talk was at dusk at the Signal Mountain campsite. The mosquitos were absolutely fierce.
we were glad to return to our own camp area and get inside our adequately screened R-Pod.

Tetons at Sunset

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Thursday - 29 June 2011

Thursday morning - 30 June - after breakfast we drove to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center

The Tetons - earlier in the day

From there we took one of the aluminum shuttle boats across the lake to the trail head for the Cascade Canyon trail.
The first part of the trail has tight switchbacks and ascends about 500 ft. then crosses the first of several rapidly running streams,
then crossed the first of several snow fields. This first one was also one of the avalanche sites evidenced by the trees which were flattened by the moving snow.

The hike up Cascade Canyon after taking the boat across Jenny Lake.
The red dots are a wild estimate of distance walked. We probably walked much farther.
It surely felt like it.

One of the several boats - all of identical make - which ferry people across Jenny Lake
This is the boat landing on the west side of the lake - by the Cascade Canyon trail head.

The trailhead - beginning of trail - from here it was several hundred feet up
a series of switchbacks then it more or less leveled out to a hike along the bottom of Cascade Canyon.

The beginning of the trail - note small rise in the trail and the beginnings of a switchback going left.
Joseph ahead as usual - on the right in this picture - Mona not yet fatigued on the left.

Snow and mud on the switchbacks. Joseph leading.

Immediately after crossing the first stream we were presented with this snow/ice field to cross.
Some who are sure they will make it back before sunset wore shorts.
There were a few (foreign born folks) who hiked in the kind of boots one would wear to the shopping mall.
One was heard to say - next time I wear my sports shoes -

After climbing the switchbacks, and traversing a rapidly running little creek
by use of oddly shaped stones to step on and keep our feet dry, we crossed the first
small ice field. This is where an avalance passed some time ago. If you slipped here
it was a long way down. Just below where we were standing there were small trees

lying flat on the ground, knocked over when this snow/ice slid down the mountainside.
There were several such places on the trail.

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It is called Cascade Canyon for all the water cascading from the snow and ice fields down the sides into the river.
sometimes the river is quiet as the bottom of the photo on the right shows.

More often it rages along at a fast pace.

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The trail up the Canyon - nice trail through rock fields

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Another cascade into the canyon - - sometimes they begin from a higher snow/ice field, run down the side wall
                                          and plunge into a lower mass of snow only to emerge lower down before plunging into the river
Of course the 230% of normal snowfall last winter make the snowmelt flow more excessive than most years

Some of the trail went through wooded areas.

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Mona crossing little fast moving mountain creeks - with good balance one can do this dry-shod. - Joseph, as ususal ahead, watches.

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Mona watches Joseph cross a rushing creek - - Joseph was happiest on the trail.

Trail winds through a rock fall

another section of heavily forested trail -

On the way back, in the area where the river slowed to a pond we found this moose.
He was fairly close to the trail, and there was nowhere for us to easily go to give him room.
He seemed very content eating the leaves of small bushes and fairly ignored us.
This one was middle sized... even a middle sized moose is a huge animal... to be respected.

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The moose was not totally unaware of our presence - looking back at the people jam quietly looking at the moose.

Saw this mess of porcupine quills on the trail when we were heading back.
There were a lot more quills scattered along some 10 to 12 ft (3 - 4 Meters) of trail
They were not there when we passed this point on the way out, so I gather something
happened after we passed going out and before we came back.
There was no blood or body parts visable. I will always wonder if the porcupine got away
or was some preditors lunch.

On the way back, scene across Jenny Lake, from an opening in the forest in one of the switchbacks.

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Rocky switchback - - - - tree roots making steps in steep switchback
I had more time energy and inclination to take pictures of the switchbacks
when we were returning and heading back than in the beginning and we were hiking up.

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The dam raises Jackson Lake about 20 ft. This makes the lake much larger and contain much more water.
Important to local agriculture. It seems that the Federal government owns the land, but the
local government owns the water.
On a previous day I saw half a dozen or more white pelicans swimming in the turbulent race at the output of the dam.

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Friday - - 1 July 2011

Got up early, had a quick breakfast then drove into Yellowstone National Park.

Next page - Yellowstone National Park - WY

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