Lotti, the Tetons, and Me

A few weeks ago, my daughter, Lotti, and I went to the Tetons! I promised a photo essay, and here it is!

Our adventure began in Idaho Falls, where my brother lives. This is only a couple of hours away, so we camped out at his house. My son, Owen, was coming with us, but he woke up very ill. He was in such pain, we thought he was having an appendicitis, so we rushed him to the hospital. As it turns out, he wasn't. Without going any further to embarass him, just make sure your kids eat their fruit!

So it was only Lotti and I. We drove over the pass late morning and arrived just after lunch. We decided to go to Jenny Lake, a longtime favorite spot for me. It was fun to just hang out with Lotti and let her lead. She took me all kinds of places I wouldn't have gone, and I got some fun photos I would not otherwise have gotten. Below are a few from Jenny Lake.



We started along the trail on the south end of the lake, but Lotti is not one to stick to the trail! She led me right down a steep embankment, and we discovered these dead logs, which we had fun exploring.



Here, Lotti lost no time in finding this interesting bundle of roots.




I enjoyed this abstract image by shooting the mountain's reflection in the lake.



Here is another abstract shot, but with some logs in the background to "ground" it.


This is about the time my camera's batteries ran out. I was stupid not to recharge the camera just before a photo journey to one of the most beautiful places on the planet! We continued right along the lake's edge, finding treasures such as lovely stones, snail shells and driftwood, and taking joy in each other's company.

We camped that night by sleeping in the minivan. We pulled the seats out of the back and set out some pads. We enjoyed reading for a while, then went to sleep. When it got cold, which it did about three times that night, I would turn on the car and let it run for 15 minutes or so, warming us up.

In the morning, we awoke to fog, which I always love shooting in. We rose early so we could see some wildlife. We wanted to see some bears or some other grand creature.
On the way to our next hiking trail, the String Lakes area, we did find some elk. We see a lot of these in our area where we live, but they never fail to look majestic.


In this shot, I pointed the camera right into the sun, which created this strange golden glow and image effects.


Here is a view with more standard lighting with the sun just outside of the camera's range.

When we got the String Lakes, we were met with this scene.


I enjoyed how the early morning sun reflected off the trunks of this small grove of trees.


The String Lakes are a series of small lakes hooked together by small bits of river. It is a really lovely area to explore.

Log jams like this are not uncommon in this area. I enjoyed the random lines they created.


It was about this time that Lotti found an interesting branch that looked like an alligator. You can see the mouth and eye right above her left hand.



As we hiked along, we found a tree that was full of lichens growing all over it.



Here was something exciting. See the claw marks from a bear in this photo? This tree was covered in them. This set was about seven feet off the ground and was probably made a couple of years ago.



We both enjoyed contemplating this boulder and its gorgeous reflection.



Here's a shot of Lotti with one of the String Lakes and Mt. Moran in the background.



We just had to stop and take photos of this busy chipmunk! He was cute! Lotti took this photo.


Here is a closer view.



As we left, we stopped to look back at the amazing scene before us.



Here, we stop one last time for a final shot of Lotti and of my right eye.

What a fun trip! Lotti wants to go back soon, and I'm sure we will. Owen really wants to go after Lotti talked about the trip so much. The park is only a few hours away, and in the West, anything six hours or less is considered "close" even today.

If you ever make it to this area, give me a call! I'd love to tag along!