Hiking Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Doug and I just got back from a huge birthday hiking trip.  Let me know what you think of the highlights and what bucket list trip you might start planning.

So where did the idea of this birthday hike come from?

10 years ago, for my 40th birthday, I decided to celebrate by hiking at least 40 miles in Utah and CO.  

We hiked all over Arches National Park

And to Hallett Peak in the Rocky Mountains.  As you look through my website you will see several pictures from that trip.

That trip was so much fun we got the idea to hike for every “big” birthday.  Pretty good motivation to stay active when your goal is to hike 80 miles for your 80th and 90 miles for your 90th, right?

This year’s celebration included the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole WY, the wilderness area named for the famous Jedediah Smith, and, of course, Yellowstone.

By the end of the trip - in the final clip - my sleep loss is very apparent.  And that just means lots of travel lessons I will share with you in the next video.

I share a lot of the scenery and inspiration in video I took for you while on the hikes. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!

Let’s get started.

If your goal is simply to see the Tetons, just fly in to Jackson Hole and then hop a plane back home.  As soon as you step foot on the tarmac and turn around, there they are.

On the drive to our condo, we stopped by the Silver Dollar Saloon.  A friend had asked me to take a picture of an elk for her.  The only way I could guarantee that was taking a picture of my elk tip salad.  Fortunately, in the video you’ll see I caught footage of an elk calling.

Our first hike I experienced a life lesson on perspective.

There are at least 12 lakes in the Tetons.  We hiked to see Phelps Lake, with our focus toward the lake. 

When we turned around the rock face and canyon caught us by surprise.  It was there all along, but we didn’t see it.

So, in life, what am I seeing only one side of?  What do you need a new perspective on?

Our next hike was an oops hike.  Otherwise known as we got lost.  Which, next video I have more lessons to prevent that for you.

The first couple of days I planned easy hikes so we could get adjusted to altitude.  The hike was beautiful, despite being lost.  After passing part of this lake (later found out it’s called Jenny Lake) we headed up some steep switch backs. 

Out of breath, I kept saying “If this is an easy hike, I’m not looking forward to the strenuous ones.”

Fortunately a park ranger crossed our path and said we were headed to Inspiration Point, and passed where we needed to be a couple of miles ago.  We turned and went back down the mountain.  

That afternoon was a short hike to Leigh Lake, because we wanted to get in before the predicted storm hit.

Be aware in the mountains.  The day before we flew in, sunny skies were the forecast.  Within a couple of days the prediction changed to a snow storm. And it definitely snowed.  Enough our hiking plans got rearranged, but we still got to hike.

The morning after the snow storm we let it melt off the roads, and then headed to another lake - Taggart Lake in the afternoon.

Since the trails were so icy, we drove the next day to Yellowstone.

Following the Yellowstone adventure was our hardest hike. We trekked to Amphitheater Lake, a subalpine lake formed in granite.  The trail there is steep and we didn’t have trekking poles to help with the ice, but the views getting there are as stunning as the lake itself.

Then the next day we got to summit Taylor Mountain with Diane, our guide from Teton Backcountry Guides. We learned history and nature we would never have known without her expertise. When you hike or ski in Jackson Hole, contact them. https://tetonbackcountryguides.com/

As a quick example, Diane pointed out Indian Paintbrush, the state flower of Wyoming. For eight hours she taught us about the area.

She also explained how they ski this mountain side - once there is 3 feet of snow. “When the coneflowers are covered, we know it is safe to ski.” I was intrigued to learn how avalanches get started - even though I have no desire to ski.

The next morning we got up super early and drove to watch the sunrise over the Tetons.  We saw one of the funniest scenes.  A bison jump a fence! Did you know Bison - these huge animals - can do a 6 foot standing jump?

One of our last hikes was to Grand View Point, where you hike to a summit overlooking lakes on both sides.

Make sure to watch next week’s video as I share with you the hiking, and travel , and life lessons.