Majestic Grand Tetons

Grand Tetons National Park is a great national treasure. Located in the north west corner of Wyoming, the Tetons range is like nothing else in Wyoming. Compared to the flat desert like surface along I-80, the Tetons is an oasis for your eyes and inspiration.
Rebecca had visited the park before on a family trip in her teen years, but Larry had never been. He was surprised by the view of these majestic peaks rising 13000 feet above the valley floor, known as Jackson Hole. There are views of mountains 360 degrees from the valley floor.



The day we arrived, there had been some rain showers and it continued throughout the evening. The next day, Wednesday, July 12, the clouds were lower than the mountain peaks, creating a mystical feel to our car ride into the park. We toured on the main road via car in the early morning to take in the all the mountain views. We also stopped at the Cunningham Cabin and strolled around the quarter of a mile trail taking in the history of the area.

We had a few recommendations for hikes to take in the park, and decide to hike to Taggart and Bradley Lakes. Located at the base of Grand Teton peak, the trail is a gradual climb to two lakes at the foot of this range. All in all, the trail is about 5 miles round trip, approximately 400 feet in elevation gain, starting at 6629 feet above sea level. Coming from Colorado at 5280 fet above sea level, the hike was pretty easy.
When we reached Bradley Lake, we stopped to take in the scenery and take photos of the reflection of the mountains in the crystal blue lake. The reflection magnifies the actually height of the mountains and plays with your mind. After taking a break and capturing the view both mentally and digitally, we began to take the small path around the lake to capture more views. However, we didn't get very far as we encountered a black bear munching on his lunch in the trees in front of us. We had to have been about 25 feet away from him, when he looked up at us. Larry and I stepped back away from the bear and ran out the trail. By the way, do not run away from a bear. You should back away slowly and continue to do so. Needless to say, we got a work out in on that trail. What was humorous later that day, was our friend who recommended this trail had mentioned in his notes, that this was where he encountered his first black bear as well.