Tonelli's Travels

Thursday before Labor Day Weekend, we checked out of Yellowstone and made the short drive to our next national park, The Grand Tetons. Leaving Yellowstone a day early was a great idea as it secured us a camping spot in the park for the next four nights. We snuck in right before the holiday rush. Kuddos to my dad for the suggestion and encouragement!

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We spent the next three days exploring the park and admiring the marvelous mountains that erupted from the land. The Grand Tetons certainly live up to their name. Gigantic steel gray mountains, topped with white tufts of snow and glaciers, set behind the serene Jackson Lake. They were so big, they seemed on top of us in Colter Bay even though they were miles away. The first afternoon in the park my dad and I walked down to the lakeshore and hugged it’s edge, soaking up the sun bouncing off the water and mountains. It was easy to get distracted and have time slip away. Hunger eventually got the best of us, and we continued on the Lake Foot Trail back to the campground and up the hill to my parents’ camping site. We ended the day with dinner at the picnic table and a friendly grouse visitor.

The next day I picked my parents up in the van and we set out for Taggart and Bradley Lakes. As we were leaving the campground at 7:30AM, a long line of hopeful campers were parked at the entrance. Everyone was vying for a spot in the campground, which is first come first serve. The line had to be about 50 vehicles deep, lined up two by two, stretching past the stop sign and curving down the main road. Boy, were we happy we had come in yesterday! We sent good luck and positive vibes to the waiting campers and continued on to our hike.

The trail to Taggart and Bradley Lakes is a popular one, so we were motivated to get an early start. The two lakes were formed by melting glaciers and dammed by moraines – the earth the glaciers pushed ahead and left in large hills as they melted. the lakes were hidden in the rising and falling terrain. As we started out, there was a chill in the air, but the shining sun gave us life. We hustled along, until we stopped abruptly. There was a moose in the forest! It was moseying long, paralleling the trail as it chewed on grasses and shrubs. What a great morning gift! We followed it for a while, trying to snap the perfect shot, before it drifted away into the thick vegetation. They are such large, gentle looking creatures. It was the closest I had ever been to a moose, but still far enough away to be safe.

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The excitement of more wildlife sightings encouraged us forward and we proceeded to Taggart Lake. Quiet and peaceful, nestled in the woods, It did not disappoint. The sun was perfectly placed in the sky so that it created a reflection of the massive Tetons in its waters. We admired it for a while, enjoyed conversation with some people from Alabama and Dorchester, MA (!) and continued on.

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Bradley Lake was our next stop, another spectacular setting to admire the mountains. We found a quiet spot down by the water and enjoyed lunch. While we didn’t see any more animals that day, the mountain views satisfied our souls.

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Back at the campground later that afternoon, we enjoyed delicious scoops of ice cream and then I plopped my chair down on the stone beach of Jackson Lake to bask in the sun and enjoy some alone time. It was a good way to end a great day.

The next day, Saturday, we opted for another hike to see The Tetons. We had to capitalize on the smoke free views while we could. So we found the trailhead to Lookout Point and Two Oceans Lake down an unlabeled dirt road, parked in the nearly empty lot (win!), and set out for the 600 foot climb.

Up at the lookout, we had a picture worth view of the line up of mountains in the park. They were crystal clear in the distance, putting on a show for us on this lovely morning. When we got to the top, a few other hiking groups were there, but they quickly moved on and we settled in to enjoy the scenery. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

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We spent some time chatting with a couple from Idaho, socially distanced of course, and then proceeded down the other side of the trail. A few miles ahead, through the woods, lay Two Oceans Lake. A green blue gem stretching long through the hills. We walked for a while down the path, but it soon grow narrow and grass-lined without much of a view. We knew we weren’t going to loop the whole lake anyways, so we turned around to backtrack to a good lookout spot for lunch. I found a great log to sit on and propped myself up to soak in the sun. Got to get that vitamin D when you can! The still waters of the lake were peaceful to admire.

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Eventually we made our way back to the car, completing our seven miles for the day. That afternoon I caught up and reconnected with friends via the phone, which always makes my heart happy. Later, with my parents, we finished the day with a campfire. It was relaxing and warm, quiet and soothing, until a fox snuck into our campsite looking for a snack! It came right up behind us, about four feet away, put it’s paws on the picnic table, and sniffed around for scraps. Very bold, and not a good thing – too comfortable with people! It quickly scattered though when I gasped, and slunk away through the trees. Never a dull moment!

The following day, knowing it’d be busy as it was Sunday of LDW, we figured we’d avoid hiking the trails and instead find a quiet spot near Jenny Lake to plop down our chairs and relax. Well, Jenny Lake was packed with no parking anywhere safe or legal, so we headed to the far side of the lake and tried out a dirt road that led down to the Snake River. There were people there, but far less, and we were able to find a spot to claim for the afternoon.

Unfortunately, the smoke had blown back in and the Tetons, so massive and unmistakable, were barely an outline across the river. We felt fortunate we had had two previous days of clear skies. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the spot and watched the river and marsh in front of us.

After a while my dad and I walked down to the main part of the river to explore. While it was a nice walk, by this time the mountains were hidden behind a gray curtain. It was almost as if they were saying, “Sorry everyone, we are feeling camera shy today.” Sadly it wasn’t that funny in reality as this was the effects of the devastating fires raging in California and the newly ignited fire in Yellowstone National Park. I read, and hope sincerely, that new plans and efforts to work with native peoples are coming into effect to combat these horrific wildfires i the future. Sending love and support to all those affected.

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Overall, we had a lovely three days at The Grand Tetons, land native to the Shoshone and Cheyenne people. On Monday morning, we packed up and headed east in search of a campsite with full hookups. Snow was coming!