DANS LES MONTAGNES.

With no pressing obligations this morning, I was able to sleep in. When we were wide awake, we went down to Jackson. We stopped at a bagel place downtown that looked promising. The espresso was awful, and nothing was satisfactory about it. This should be expected, considering that it is a bagel place first and foremost. On a positive note, my bagel was rather enjoyable. After some morning energy, we returned to the acclaimed Jenny Lake.

The parking lot was packed, and it took several loops to find proper parking. As I attempted to parallel park, the vehicle occupying the spot in front pulled forward giving us more room. This car had Nebraska plates, fellow midwesterners. We thanked the couple and joked about the Iowa and Nebraska rivalry. Kaitlynn and I packed our bags with the necessary supplies and located the trail. Just like the parking lot, it was loaded with tourists. This track is the most trekked trail in Teton. As we hiked, we found ourselves behind the couple that we parked next to. After successfully chatting about various topics, I asked if we could hike with them. 

You see, bear spray is strongly recommended when hiking these tremendous trails, and we did not have any. This couple was prepared for a bear encounter. The pamphlets suggest traveling in groups of three or more anyways. Without hesitation, they agreed to combine our parties into one cohesive unit. As someone who hates mooching, I offered up my photography skills for the duration of the hike. It is wonderful to get new subjects to photograph. Together, we hiked around Jenny Lake to the official trailhead. It was time to climb. After some considerable elevation gain, we arrived at Inspiration Point. This viewpoint was unbelievable. 

The lake looked so serene as the wind guided the waves. We trekked further into the mountains. It was full of foliage and rugged rock formations. While wandering through cascade canyon for several miles, we reached the fork. This was our turnaround point. We shared hummus and zucchini with our new friends, and they contributed some pretzels. It was a lavish little lunch aside a free-flowing waterfall. 

After our meal, we started to retrace our route. We came upon a crowd of curious hikers near Inspiration Point. Finally, my dreams became a reality. Everyone was observing a black bear rummaging through the greenery. The booklets say that you should remain three hundred feet away, but this brave bear was fifteen feet off the trail. I found safety behind a tree about seven feet away from this cute creature. The bear did not mind my presence, and I was tempted to give him a pet. Knowing that this would not be wise, I settled for a few snaps of the camera. Satisfied with my first bear encounter, we resumed the expedition. 

It was not too long before we finished the hike. We walked roughly fourteen miles, and it took us several hours. Add some two thousand feet of elevation climb, and it was quite the workout. Off the trail, I decided to take a little dip in Jenny Lake. Kaitlynn was determined to seize several fries from the water. After she caught about ten of these baby fish, we made our way to Jackson. It was teeming with tourists, which seems to be the norm here. After walking around for some time, we secured a table out in the main square. This particular restaurant was remarkably overpriced, and we settled on a blue cheese fry basket and a peanut butter milkshake. We made our way to Albertson's to get an affordable dinner and restock several supplies. The campsite was our next destination. Tiredness consumed us, so we ate sushi and drank wine in the tent. Slumber was summoned successfully.