Grand Teton Mountains Trip

Located just south of Yellowstone Park, and near the towns of Moose and Jackson Hole in western Wyoming, these magnificent alpine peaks are a favorite of ours.

[church]

Lovely grassy meadows suddenly end at the base of the majestic, rugged snow-capped peaks of the Tetons. The Church of the Transfiguration sits among the wildflowers of the meadow. This, by the way, is where I was married in 1970.

[trailhead]

We began our 4 day trip at Jenny Lake. It was special because this was the week of our 25th wedding anniversary and we had backpacked this same trail on our honeymoon.

[Leigh Lake]

Glacier fed Leigh Lake lies at the base of the canyon and it's icy waters reflect Mt.Moran.

 

Looking across Leigh Lake, you can see the canyon where we are headed (note: this photo was taken a few years later and there is not as much snow in the canyon)

:[bridge]"

Across the bridge is a trail leading up into Paint Brush Canyon. Before the great ice age, these canyons were narrow, steep gorges. Over the eons more snow fell here than could melt in the summer, until gradually, great glaciers formed. These glaciers scoured out the bottoms of the canyons, and when warmer climates came and the glaciers disappeared, they were left with "U" shaped spacious floors. The trail climbs steeply from 5,810 ft. at the lake to 10,720 ft. 8 miles away. Alpine wildflowers abound among the conifers and protected nooks among sages and mosses.

[camp]

We found a level spot to camp and enjoyed watching the wild mountain goats grazing on the slopes.

[snow]

Due to the heavy snowfall of the previous winter not yet melted. we reached the "end of the trail" a little sooner than planned. And to us southerners, snow in July was quite awesome!


Want to know more about the Tetons? Try these links:

http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/wy_grand.HTM

http://www.nps.gov/grte


BACK TO THE TRAILHEAD