A DAY IN THE TETONS
Christy
teaches high school online, and she had to do some work to prepare for the Fall
semester. We knew this when we planned
the trip, so I had booked two nights at the Trail Creek Campground near
Jackson. On that Saturday I would do a
solo dayhike while Christy spent the day working at a
coffee shop in town. The campground is
just west of Teton Pass but just east of the Idaho state line. It was a pretty decent place, except that it
is located just below the highway. As a
result, it was loud, particularly early in the morning when we were trying to
sleep in a little. At least it was convenient. After breakfast, Christy dropped me off in
Grand Teton National Park before heading into Jackson.
My
plan was to hike to Amphitheater Lake and Surprise Lake. It’s a moderately difficult but popular dayhike to two alpine lakes and a viewpoint. She dropped me off late on Saturday
morning. The trailhead parking lot was
full, and there were cars parked along the entrance road for nearly a
mile. I guess I picked the right hike to
be dropped off! The hike was a steady
climb on switchbacks. There was a lot of
traffic, both coming and going, but that wasn’t surprising given the number of
cars we’d seen. On the way up I passed a number of views of the Tetons above and
Jackson Hole to the east. Jackson Hole
was nearly impossible to see due to smoke from a wildfire burning near
Yellowstone. The smoke had filled the
valley. It was so bad that I had debated
whether it was even worth doing the hike.
Ultimately, I decided that a hike to a pair of alpine lakes would still
be enjoyable. I was just hoping that the
smoke wouldn’t ruin the views.
After
a couple of hours of hiking I reached Surprise Lake. I had a late lunch there and enjoyed the view
before continuing up to Amphitheater Lake.
That one also offered some nice scenery.
From there, I followed a beaten path beyond the lake and up to the top of
the ridge above. This was the real gem
of the hike. There I had a great view of
Disappointment Peak and the Grand Teton above and the beautiful green waters of
Delta Lake far below. The smoke had dissipated
some, and I could even see some of Jackson Hole. There were two couples at the overlook with
me, which wasn’t too bad given the incredible number of people I’d seen during
the hike. It’s a good thing it wasn’t
more crowded, as there isn’t room for many more people on that cliff. The one couple asked me if I’d been to Delta
Lake. I hadn’t, and in fact, I wasn’t
even aware that there was a route to it.
That’s probably because I hadn’t done any real research on this hike prior
to our trip. They gave me directions for
accessing it, and I decided to check it out on the way back.
I
descended many switchbacks before I reached the one with the route to Delta Lake. There is no official trail, but a series of
beaten paths leads to it. This was by
far the most difficult part the hike. The route is steep and rugged in places,
with lots of talus and scree. It’s worth
it though. Delta Lake is prettier than
Surprise or Amphitheater Lake. Unfortunately my timing was terrible. When I reached the lakeshore, I found myself
looking directly into the sun, and the light was terrible for photos. If you decide to do this hike, go to Delta
Lake first, preferably in the morning.
That way you’ll have good light there and later on at the upper lakes
and the overlook.
The
views of Jackson Hole were pretty clear on the way back down. I reached the trailhead a few minutes after our
designated meeting time. Christy rolled
in a few minutes later. She had been
delayed briefly on the way by an antelope in the road. On the way out we
stopped to watch some elk. Then we
headed into Jackson for dinner and drinks at the Snake River Brewery. The food and beer were both excellent, and
the brewery was a great way to end a fine day in the Tetons.
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