Jackson Hole - Part II

I had hoped to write a daily post while still on vacation, but, alas!, that did not happen (there is just about no service out there).  So rather than try to recount it all now that I'm back on the east coast, I'll just share the best pictures/stories from our trip.  Enjoy.

Our trip to Yellowstone on Wednesday was all about 2 things: seeing Old Faithful erupt (which it faithfully did) and looking for wildlife.  We spent nearly the whole day in the car scoping for the big animals, and we were rewarded with a plethora of bison, 2 elk, and lots of birds.  Sadly, no moose or bears this time!

We spent Thursday morning in downtown Jackson before going whitewater rafting in the afternoon.  Jackson is a quaint tourist trap filled with old western-y types of shops that cater to us visitors.  We tried to get a good family photo in front of the famous antlers, but it turned out a bit dark.  Happily, though, we have some excellent photos from our whitewater rafting excursion that will hopefully be used for the Arnold family Christmas card....

Friday morning, Jane, Caroline, Locke and I awoke early to go for a hike on "Death Canyon" trail.  Sounds intimidating, right?  Well, it was by the end.  It was a pretty easy incline up to an overlook of Phelps Lake (top picture) and then a steep descent to the lake's shore.  Locke made friends with a marmot, and Jane and I became convinced that a bear was going to attack us at any moment.  There were several signs saying that the lake's campsite was closed due to bear activity, and I was terrified of seeing a bear without the safety of a car around me.  So, rather than walk to the shoreline, we turned around and retreated home.

Friday afternoon my dad convinced us to all join him on a 3 hour ranger-led hike around Swan Lake and Jackson Lake.  The ranger was not the best, but I got a few nice shots of the park, so it was worth it.

Saturday we hopped aboard a tram out of Teton Village that went up to the top of one of the Teton mountains.  It was frigid up top!  Of course we took lots of pictures of us on the summit before taking a break to warm up with hot chocolate and nutella waffles.  I just can't imagine skiing down those slopes!

Even after spending a week gazing at the mountains, I still found myself taking pictures of them every time the light changed slightly.  I can understand (well, almost) why some people live here despite the hundreds of inches of snow that accumulate each winter.  I'm sure Locke and I will be back again one day, perhaps in an RV next time.