Swinter in the Tetons

As we approached the Tetons from the East we could see the snow still up on the top peaks.  The kids thought that was way cool. Bella decided they have a unique season here, Swinter. Summer + Winter = Swinter. She also wanted to go up and see the snow. She was disappointed to find out we wouldn't be hiking up quite that high.

We had already decided to skip Jackson since we needed the time that morning for laundry and shopping.  That is something we are trying to remember as we go, we can't do everything and we need to stay a little flexible with our plans. We reached our campsite just north of the Tetons around dinner time.  Greg has a great story about who we met while checking into the campsite in this post: here.  It was a busy campground and I heard other folks saying that all the campgrounds were full, I was very glad we had our reservations!  We cooked up a yummy steak dinner cooked over charcoal and enjoyed catching up with Rudi.  We had been lucky up to that point not to need the A/C at night but this was the first night where we actually needed the heat! I love the warm days and cool nights of the mountains!

The next day started out cool and sunny. We only had one day to spend in the Tetons, so we decided to head to Jenny Lake for some great views of the mountains and a nice hike and boat ride.  We made a quick stop in Colter Bay for passport stamps and then headed down to the lake.  We had packed a picnic lunch to eat on the way around the lake.  The hike was supposed to follow the base of the Mountain around the lake and then head up to Hidden Falls. When I checked with the park ranger she said that trail was closed but we could take the other more moderate trail around, so off we went!

We stopped early for lunch, on an old log in the shade, then we continued on as the path started to rise in elevation. Bella wanted to be first so, she and Greg went ahead while Rudi, Kellen and I brought up the rear.  We had our walkie-talkies with us, which was really nice since we had split up. We have been using them quite a bit on the trip, especially to stay in contact with the kids at the campsites! 

The 3 mile hike wound up being more strenuous than we anticipated.  We got some beautiful views from high above the lake, but it was a hot day and our first at that altitude so it was a tough hike.  We were rewarded with some amazing views of the falls. It was crowded there since most folks opt to just take the boat ride over.  As a result we had a long line to wait for the ferry back, but Bella kept everyone around us amused with her comments that lack any social filter.  We finally got on a shuttle and enjoyed the ride back across the lake.  We were all tired at that point and elected to head up to Yellowstone.  It was a 63 mile drive up to our site at Canyon and we wanted to get there by dinner.

It was a great day to get a quick taste of the Tetons, we will have to come back someday and explore more!