Grand Teton National Park

I know I’m from the flat lands of the Midwest, but I’ve seen mountains before. Matt and I always tried to vacation somewhere that has mountains. We love them. We even got engaged on a mountain in Colorado! So, I guess what I’m saying is that I know what a mountain looks like. However, I was not prepared for the mountains in Grand Teton National Park. Driving into the park, you suddenly see the mountains and it is startling. They are giant and magnificent. I actually teared up when I saw them for the first time. True, I was also on my period and already hypersensitive, BUT STILL, they are amazing, people!!

I kept asking myself, “You’ve seen mountains before. Why is this so different than any other mountain range?” Even three weeks after seeing them, I have no idea. Maybe because the landscape surrounding the range is so flat that it provides a striking contrast against the monstrous mountains. These mountains demand your attention. They invoke a visceral sense of wonder. You can’t help but pull the car over in a trance to just stare at them. There’s probably a poet out there that can do a better job describing the experience… All I know is that seeing them is magical.

Another delightful experience I wasn’t anticipating was catching the fall foliage. The bright colors of autumn were in full fledged making the landscapes sensational.

We camped at Signal Mountain Campground which is along Jackson Lake. The campsites were so small though that we had to block the one-way road for fifteen painful minutes as Matt and I furiously unhitched our trailer from the truck. Thank God it wasn’t our first rodeo or else it would have taken us twice as long. We had to perform in front of three cars that were waiting for us to finish so they could continue driving. It was really stressful, er I mean fun 🙂

The next day, we met up again with our friends Julia and Brendan at the trail head to hike to Lake Solitude. It was a killer hike – 17 miles long with 2600 feet of elevation! The views though were *chef’s kiss* beautiful.

Julia and Brendan stayed with us that night in the RV and left the next morning. Matt and I decided to stay in the Tetons for a few more days. We did some other hikes: Death Canyon, Hidden Falls, Phelps Lake, and Amphitheater Lake. While there, the weather took a cold turn dropping the night temperatures to below freezing. During our hike to Amphitheater Lake, we were greeted by a foot of snow at the top which provided us unique views of the lakes.

Our last morning in Teton, we woke up to snow on the ground at our campsite. As lovely as it was, we were ready for some warmer weather. We brushed the snow off our truck and headed to Idaho.