Les Trois Tetons

Looking across Jackson Lake at the Tetons

Leaving Bryce Canyon with promises of returning to spend more time at this magical place, we continued to Salt Lake City where we picked up my sister Kathy and nephew Zak.   Kathy and Zak live in Virginia and had not seen much of the west.  So we were taking them on a whirlwind tour of the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Devil's Tower.

We drove through gorgeous Utah country flanked by the Central Rockies.  Many of these mountains were still cloaked in snow.  The first of June saw our arrival in spectacular Grand Tetons National Park.  The name "Tetons" is attributed to French fur-trappers who called the mountains "les trois tetons" or "three breasts."  The Tetons are majestic, beautiful yet imposing.  When we visited, the craggy peaks and spires were still snow-covered.  Several glaciers cling to ancient ice-scoured mountain-sides.  Melting snow became waterfalls that fell thousands of feet to the valley below.  Seeing the jagged alpine terrain reflected in deep, glacial-carved lakes is breathtaking and inspiring.  There is a quiet serenity about the park, a feeling that you are surrounded by wilderness beckoning to be explored.  I sat on the shore of Lake Jackson for a long time simply marveling in nature's glory, and imaging myself alone atop one of the Teton summits hearing only wind and water.

The movement to protect this special place began in the early 1900's and was fraught with controversy and political discord.  A portion of the Teton range and eight lakes became a national park in 1929.  However, it wasn't until 1950 that President Truman signed a bill creating the park as we now know it.  Thanks to the foresight and tenacious effort of people like John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (who also figured prominently in the creation of Acadia National Park in Maine), and early National Park Service director and superintendent Stephen Mather and Horace Albright, this pristine, wild area of superlatives was protected from development.

Grand Tetons National Park is awash in history, culture, and nature.  The mountains and valleys are the result of numerous geologic processes including uplift, glaciation, and erosion.  Native people--including members of the Shoshone, Bannock, Nez Perce, and Gros Ventre tribes--called the area home.  Fur trappers, prospectors, and ranchers made a living from local natural resources.  And today, hikers, bikers, campers, and tourists visit to renew their spirit in a land rich in recreational opportunities.