Grand Tetons NP, Wyoming
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Cascade Canyon Grand Tetons NP, Wyoming |
August 4, 2012 — Day #6
Yesterday was a virtual disaster, having begun in Pinedale, Wyoming
with a drive into the Green River Lakes area of the Wind River Range on
a very unfriendly, washboarded road. Just before beginning the
highly anticipated hike, I fortuitously discovered that the car would
not start — again. A jump-start was available
from a friendly camper, so I abandoned the planned walk and headed for
distant Jackson, needing to find assistance without shutting off the engine.
120 miles later, the only mechanic in town still working at 2 p.m.
on a Saturday determined that the problem was nothing more than a loose
battery cable — the one that I had installed myself four
days earlier without the proper wrench for the job. How stupid.
Not only did I probably not need a new battery after all, but a really
special hike had been trashed for no good reason.
Not wishing to make a total waste of the day, I headed up into nearby
Grand Teton National Park. A huge forest fire to the west was
cluttering the skies to the extent that I could barely see the mountains,
but I was determined. I opted for a shorter walk from the Lupine
Meadows Trailhead. It was okay, but not sufficiently interesting
for a write-up, which brings us to:
August 5, 2012 — Day #7
All right! The forest-fire smoke is not so much in evidence this morning, which is wonderful news. One does not want to visit the incomparable Grand Tetons without being able to view and appreciate them properly.
Arguably the prettiest mountain range in the lower forty-eight
The moon hangs over Teewinot Mountain, 12326'
The first order of business is to take a boat ride over to the trailhead;
this will save a total of four miles of slogging along the lake shore.
Ten dollars gets me a five-minute ride across Jenny Lake, plus an
ink stamp on my hand guaranteeing a second five-minute ride later on.
The Jenny Lake dock
Start of the trail
A first lesson in mountain climbing
Not far into the walk is a spur trail to a waterfall overlook; I'll save that for later. The trail suddenly becomes steep and surprisingly rough.
Leading to Inspiration Point
Wow. Considering the popularity of this walk, I am amazed that this section of trail has not been upgraded. I don't mind it much, but what about all the witless tourists who venture over here wearing sandals? Some of them won't make it, and others may wish that they hadn't.
Jenny Lake in the morning
The trail continues unobtrusively behind the lookout point, temporarily concealing the nature of the route ahead.
For some reason, I had envisioned a steeper climb through a narrow canyon today; instead, it becomes a gentle meander through a long meadow.
This is exciting
Mount Owen, 12927'
Cascade Creek
Up to my left is a long cascade that cannot be seen very well from here due to the angle of the sun.
The wildfire smoke is plainly evident now
A closer view of the cascade
Having no special destination in mind, the plan is simply to continue up to a confluence of two big creeks at the head of the canyon.
Plodding along toward Table Mountain, 11106'
Made it! Numerous hikers are lounging at this three-way trail
junction, including a group of five twenty-something women, all
wearing big backpacks. Looking at a trail signpost, one of them
says to another, "Gee, look! String Lake is only another thirteen
miles. Let's go!"
End of the line
Sensing something ahead, I must venture a bit farther. A short walk
up the left-hand fork of the trail begets a view of another nice cascade.
When heading back, the scenery is, of course, somewhat different. Now the previously ignored north side of the canyon comes into view.
Mount St. John, 11430', on the left
Teewinot Mountain on the right
Looking back
A slender young woman approaches me sporting no equipment other than an empty plastic bottle in her hand. When she asks whether there is any water ahead, I can only point to the creek itself. Whoever planned her outing is an idiot.
Nice berries
Nice butterfly
When coming up, I had no company at Inspiration Point; but just look at it now:
The masses have gathered
The upper portion of this trail was unexpectedly busy, but this is ridiculous. A couple hundred people are bunched up here on a single rock ledge. It is no wonder that the boat taxi runs every ten minutes in the middle of the day.
The rough section along the face of the cliff is even worse. Yes, plenty of sandals are in evidence, and others are toting ice chests or clambering around on all fours. What am I doing here? Scurrying down as quickly as possible, and passing people by the dozens, I cannot get off this freeway soon enough.
Getting through here is not fun
Something nice has been saved for last, however; on that
aforementioned spur trail, a hundred-yard walk over to
a waterfall leads to the prettiest scene of the day:
Hidden Falls
Even though it is plenty hot out, I elect to sit in the sun on the
boat. At the dock, an attendant checks my hand to verify that
I paid for a round-trip.
Returning to base
§: This was a great walk in the hearts of America's Alps.
After reaching Inspiration Point, the going is relatively level most of the
way.
The trail was too crowded, and in places it was disgustingly cluttered
by non-serious hikers. Of course, one can expect no less in a
national park in peak season. On the other hand, it is pleasing to
see so many visitors actually getting out of their cars and away from the
lodge swimming pool.
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| Difficulty |  |
| Personality |  |
| Solitude |  |
