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August, 2005
The Tetons

I've chosen the Tetons for this initial issue of a special series of That Ramblin' Sonuvabish, as well as for the logo above, since these mountains have become the most recognizable symbols of the American Rockies. Like gigantic gems, these spectacular peaks look different from different angles. At left is a photo of Mount Teewinot taken from the northeast; the same peak can be seen at right in the logo above. Hopefully, with the following images and words, I can show a few of the many facets of this special place.

I was lucky enough to visit the park at the end of June, when the wildflowers were at their peak. A couple of the most spectacular species are the white miniana columbine, with its tuft of gold stamens, and the ubiquitous lavendar-colored sticky geranium.

Snow lies deep on the high peaks after a late, cold spring. In the valley below, an abandoned barn and thick sagebrush recall the area's Old West past, when cattle mingled with the bison.

Split-leaved paintbrush brightens the forest floor, off-setting the grays of the fallen trees.

Early morning light shines on the abandoned ranch. In the foreground, an irrigation ditch reflects the deep blue skies. Many ranchers were grandfathered in, meaning they retained their property after the establishment of the park in the 1920s. When the property leaves the family, it reverts to the park.

This lovely blue flower is a camas, the thick root of which was one of the staple elements of the local Native American diet. It thrives in damp meadows, particularly on the west side of the mountains.

This old door into the barn shows the weathering of the years.

Hidden Falls, in Cascade Canyon, is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the park.

Arrowleaf balsamroot covers the sunny hillsides in early summer. A relative of the sunflower, the ragged yellow blooms are several inches across.

In places on the western slopes of the Tetons, the balsamroot covers the forest floor, taking its place alongside the sticky geraniums in the shade of the aspen trees. The root of the balsamroot has a smell very similar to the balsam fir.

I camped for my stay in the area, but it's easy to find fine accommodations. This is the rustic Lake Jenny Lodge, an excellent base camp for all sorts of adventures, including a boat that ferries hikers over to the Cascade Canyon trailhead.

For more upscale lodgings, there's the classic Lake Jackson Lodge, which overlooks the flats on the shores of Lake Jackson and the northern peaks of the Tetons in the distance. In the Blue Heron Lounge I enjoyed the Americana/roots music of my friends The Mitguards, who were often upstaged by the moose wandering through the willows outside.

The hike up Cascade Canyon is one of the premiere hikes in all the national parks. Although it's a bit steep above Hidden Falls, after that it's an easy, family-friendly stroll along a meandering stream. I saw a couple of moose and a black bear, all of them safely across the stream, and never lost my wonder at the awesome scenery all around. At left is yet another aspect of Teewinot Mountain, with its permanent snowfields and some of roiling cascades that give the canyon its name.

From the high point of my Cascade Canyon hike, I got a very different perspective of the 13,000-foot summit of Grand Teton Peak. Though not the tallest peak in Wyoming, it's almost a thousand feet higher than the surrounding peaks, including Mount Owen.

One of the more endearing denizens of the high country is the yellow-bellied marmot, whose high-pitched whistle is often heard echoing through the rocky canyons. These year-round residents fatten up all summer on the abundant wildflowers and roots all around, as well as the occasional treat left over from some careless hiker, and then snooze in their cozy dens through the winter months.

Another familiar creature in this wildflower paradise is the butterfly. This one is helping pollinate, unfortunately, an introduced species, the bull thistle, with its large purple flower and spiky leaves. Many of the national parks now enforce strict codes about stock feed, which has introduced many stubborn weed species into the otherwise pristine environments of the national parks.

Unlike the almost white geranium I grew up with in the mountains of Colorado, the sticky geraniums of the Tetons are a deep purple, with darker veins that direct the pollinators to the center of the flower. These are true geraniums. Many of the horticultural flowers sold as geraniums are actually pelargoniums and have doubled petals. But these geraniums have that familiar smell to the leaves.

This isn't a reversed negative. From the west the Tetons seem to have a odd reversed cant. Unlike the east side, there are foothills on this side that form Teton Canyon beyond the old ranch in the foreground.

I couldn't leave the Tetons without showing one of the classic scenes, meadow lupine blossoms silhouetted against the fresh green needles of a fir tree. Lupines blanket the Wyoming plains and foothills through the spring and early summer.

I'll close with an image reenacted most every morning since the last ice age: bison resting among the sagebrush while the clouds still cling to the jagged peak of Grand Teton. If not for the foresight of the local residents 80 years ago, this valley might now be filled with shopping malls.

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