Grant Tetons and Sunday

Yesterday we explored the Grand Teton National Park, just south of Yellowstone. We were able to see glaciers and enjoy a short hike around a glacial lake.

Check out this lake, with nearly-solid layers of ice covering the entire thing.

The drive was lovely and the mountains were so beautiful. They have a very raw kind of beauty that I find so appealing. I kept pulling over just so I could gape and catch my breath as the glorious vistas overcame me. What a heavenly place!

We enjoyed learning about the Tetons and the local wild population, and earning more Junior Ranger patches before heading back to Yellowstone to do more hiking around colorful geothermal pools.

 We also caught a few more Ranger programs before heading towards our campground. The children have been so enthusiastic about these programs and always beg to stay for the next program.

Joseph's attention span is pretty short, so he eagerly participates for about five minutes before getting bored. I stick with him and we do such riveting things as following ants or lining up rocks on a log or finding ground squirrel holes and looking for tracks.

Today was Sunday again, so we cleaned up and attended church in town. The meeting was very lovely, then we came back to explore the woods and stream around our tent. We are on the edge of a National Forest, so the woods are very lovely and wild.

We picked flowers and played in the stream. Sarah helped the boys make paper boats, which they launched for races in the stream. We explored deer trails through the woods until they came to a dead end, balanced on logs to cross the water, collected pretty rocks from the stream bed, and clambered over fallen trees to see what was hiding on the other side. It was a very fun, very exploratory afternoon together.

Later we played card games in the tent while waiting out another rain storm. Now the children are all happily coloring together while the air grows cool outside.

Last night was bitterly cold, with temperatures as low as 33 degrees. Our tent is no protection against the cold since it's a hot-weather model made for lots of ventilation. The entire roof is a large window screen, offering no warmth. When I talk on the phone with Nathan at night, my face and hands go numb with the cold (everyone else is sleeping burrowed under blankets).

We have purchased a couple of wool blankets, but we are still waking in the night shivering. I have everyone sleep with a buddy so they can double-up the layers of blankets and share body heat. It's all fun and games until someone rolls over in their sleep and takes the blankets with them. Someone always wakes up very cold in the wee hours of the night, even if their blankets haven't been inadvertently stolen.

Today I dug out a spare tarp from our supply bin, and we tied it over the tent to serve as a wind break and hopefully help hold in a bit of the heat tonight. The wind seems to wick away our warmth pretty effectively through all the ventilation gaps. Here's crossed fingers for a warmer night.