HIKING THE TETONS

We left early on Monday morning for Teton National Park. Once again at Jenny Lake, this time we flew past the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point and continued on to Cascade Canyon. Our hike began at 6,800 feet and followed along the snow melt fed brooks, creeks and falls. We stumbled over miles of inclining rock to a fork at the canyons top. Our destination was Lake Solitude so we chose to go North. We hiked on over bridges, through mountains and always near water. The source of all this water became evident once we approached our destined area. While we were both very warm from the hike it was necessary to us to cross several large patches of snow. About 7 miles into the hike we found a wonderful campsite that had a beautiful brook that rushed through, had both sunny and shady spots, great views of the Grand Teton behind us, and best of all a huge rock that we could sit on and watch to Tetons while the sun went down. And it also happened to be the Marmot Kingdom (marmot- cute little creatures that are a cross between a prairie dog and a beaver). They were everywhere. Luckily they cared no attention to our food, instead preferring our pee spots. Strange creatures, though very cute. After setting up camp we took a short nap, then hiked the half mile up to Lake Solitude (over 9,000 feet). When we arrived an hour before dusk the lake did indeed provided us with much solace. It was amazing, it's surface alive with the glistening of the setting sun. No one else was around and we rejoiced in the solitude. Back at the campsite, we had soup and salad for dinner while sitting next to our brook. Then we sat on the big rock and watched the moon come out over the Grand Teton. Superb!