My Experience of Grand Teton
 Forthcoming from DeeAnn Pederson
The Nature of Grand Teton
By Bradford Glass
"For purple mountain majesties … above the fruited plain." These words must have been written for this place. For here in the town of Jackson, on this "plain" referred to as a valley, Jackson Hole stands at an altitude of over 6000 feet. And seemingly on top of you, the majestic range of the Tetons rises another 7000 feet (well over a mile), pushing its ragged, stone spires to the heavens, with the imposing Grand Teton in the center at an altitude of 13,770 feet.
The Tetons are the youngest range in the Rocky Mountain chain, which explains their rugged appearance. With less time to be sculpted by nature’s forces of water and wind, they retain much of their youthful appearance. Having been pushed to their loft height starting only 9 million years ago, the Tetons are still in motion. 250 to 400 million years ago, the "mountains" of New England far surpassed the Tetons; perhaps 400 million years from now, the Tetons will have the same soft, "seasoned" appearance. For now, however, this natural wonder speaks to the power of the earth’s geologic forces.
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"Fire in the Hole"
"Sheer Solitude" |
Established in 1929, Grand Teton National Park protects an area only one-seventh the size of neighboring Yellowstone, but the beauty is indeed "grand." The park region was expanded by Congress in 1950, to include the valley of Jackson Hole. One lake after another laces through the base of the Teton Range, and at the park’s center is the 17-mile long Jackson Lake. The Snake River courses from its eastern shore, through Oxbow Bend, and meanders south along the valley floor on its journey to Idaho. At Oxbow Bend, one of nature’s classic and most photographed scenes offers a foreground of the Snake River, aspen trees lining its banks, and the stark relief of Tetons behind.
The 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge, created in 1912, borders the southeastern edge of Grand Teton National Park. During late fall and early winter, migrating elk journey toward their winter home. By January, the elk population of this refuge typically ranges between 7.500 and 12,000.
Nature moves quickly here, with seasons often appearing to change within days. One day the sun’s strength seems to melt the last of winter’s snow in the meadows, giving way to spring blossoms; summer explodes all too briefly; shorter days splash aspen leaves with the golden colors of autumn, harbinger of the approach of winter, which once again blankets the landscape with snow. Fauna and flora, abundant in the valley and mountains, synchronizes its cycles to match the seasons.
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