While in Grand Teton National Park, Bob and I decided a hike with a ranger would be fun - especially since we could continue on a longer hike into Cascade Canyon. So we showed up at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station before 8:00 A.M. on Saturday to claim a spot. Our ranger was the park geologist so we got to learn a lot about how the Teton range came to be.
The day was cloudy and foggy at first, but most of the fog lifted before the afternoon clouds moved back in and reattached themselves to the mountains. But the overcast skies made for a lovely, cool hike.
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| View of Jenny Lake taken the day before |
Our hike included a boat ride across Jenny Lake to save two miles of mundane hiking and get everyone to the beautiful Cascade Creek, the Cascade Creek Falls, and then finally up to Inspiration Point. The trail was pretty easy, except for the last climb to Inspiration Point. And we had three or four rest stops to listen to the ranger and ask questions.
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| Boat trip |
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| Trail |
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| Ranger Erica at one of the talking stops |
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| Cascade Creek |
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| Me on the trail - picture by Bob |
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| Hikers |
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| Hikers |
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| Narrow portion of the trail |
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| Taking pictures of the view from Inspiration Point |
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| Enjoying Inspiration Point |
After the tour ended with the ranger leaving us at Inspiration Point, Bob and I continued our hike down Cascade Canyon, sometimes walking along the creek and always having at least parts of mountains in view. The tops of most of them were covered in clouds for the first part of the trip. There were still a few clouds clinging to the mountains when we finished our hike. But I thought the cloud-draped mountains were beautiful.
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| Dead but still beautiful tree and roots |
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| Sumac berries |
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| Mountains wrapped in clouds |
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| Trail view |
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| Cloud Cradle |
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| Bob walking across Cascade Creek |
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| Mountains in the fog |
After the hike, Bob and I went back up north and explored the northern part of the park, before spending some time at Jackson Lodge to use their wireless. We ended up eating supper there when a rain storm lasted through the early evening.
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