Teton Juxtaposition

This photograph pretty much captures the allure the Tetons have for me. They are the most photographed mountains in the world for a reason, and even though every new shot of the range runs the risk of being a cliche, I can't resist.

Katherine and I were on the back end of a new hike for us around Emma Matilda Lake in the northeast section of the park. The great draw of hikes in this section is the relative scarcity of people. The drawback is the abundance of mosquitoes, horseflies, and other bugs too numerous to mention. The first half of this ten and a half mile excursion takes you around the south side of the lake and provides some terrific glimpses of the Snake River, particularly Oxbow Bend, a magnet for kayaks, canoes, and pelicans. It also takes you through some heavily forested areas that oftentimes contain foraging bears and the aforementioned bugs.

After surviving the south side, the trail opens up to the north shore and fields of balsam, delphinium, yarrow, flax, geraniums, and scarlet gilia, all providing a bottom frame for killer panoramas of Mount Moran and the Cathedral Group. The bugs disappear at this juncture and the potential hiding places for irritable bears become few and far between, so you can concentrate on stepping over stones on the trail and looking for the perfect juxtaposition of flowers and mountains. That is the allure: the juxtaposition of ephemeral color next to the solid granite looming in the distance.

If you are ever in the Tetons I heartily recommend this hike. Start in the Jackson Lake Lodge parking lot, find the Emma Matilda/Two Ocean Lake trail head, make sure you have long pants, long sleeves, plenty of bug spray, and proceed with joy. It is listed as moderate because it only has an elevation gain of 400 feet, but be forewarned that it is 400 feet that keeps repeating itself throughout the course of the hike.

As the hike nears its end you can see the parking lot in the distance. Even though the last mile and a half of any hike is always the most difficult, this one is ameliorated by the comforting knowledge that the Heron Bar with its huckleberry margaritas awaits. They do wonders for easing the itch of countless mosquito bites.