Day 8 started with all of us going in our own directions. This was a different trip in that we were 4 adults traveling together. It was fun to plan a half day where we weren't together. We all came back together after lunch to plan for our BIG evening!
Carleigh wanted a solo hiking day. She couldn't go far because Don had the car and she was very excited to explore the trails around Teton Village. She took the Gondola up 3000 feet and did a few trails up at the top of the mountain and talked with lots of interesting people and had lunch by herself at the top.
Katie chose to take a Yoga class at the top of the mountain..."Yoga on the Deck." So she took the gondola up to the top of the mountain and had a fun yoga class at 3000 feet. She also made some new friends and enjoyed a waffle breakfast after the class.
Don headed out for his 5:00 am animal watching/sunrise chasing adventure and returned around lunch time.
I enjoyed the quiet time in Teton Village. I slept in, got coffee and a pastry and just savored the moment. I enjoyed people watching and just relaxing with no expectations from anyone.
Here are some more from Katie's Yoga with a view...
Carleigh was definitely appreciating the solo hiking...
Katie, Don and I came back together after lunch and headed into town to one of the visitor centers and explored for a while.
Carleigh made her way back and found another hot tub near the indoor swimming pool.
We all were anticipating 5:00 pm - that was when the gondola was free to ride up to the top. We decided a while ago to do one of the big hikes on the mountain. Rather than do the hike UP the mountain, we decided to take the gondola up and hike the trail DOWN the mountain. We were hiking the Wildflower Trail in Teton Village down the mountain. It's a very popular hike in Teton Village and is about 4 miles each way. Many of the races here use this trail and the runners run up the mountain and then back down again. I talked to a few people about the trail and they said it was very doable, especially going down with gravity in our favor. So we were off...on the gondola by 5:15ish and at the top of the mountain by 5:30 pm. We were going to hike the four miles down and then have dinner after.
Here is the trail map of Teton Village. We are doing the light blue trail, right in the middle of the map. It is measured at 4 miles and an elevation gain of 2900 feet from the base of the mountain.
Here is a zoomed in copy of the trail and I've highlighted it in green. The red line through the middle is the gondola that we rode to the top and then we hiked down...lots of switchbacks and traversing the mountain.
The view before we started, from the top. If you squint, you can see the buildings at the very bottom of the mountain. That is where we will finish!
Carleigh and I moved ahead and finished before Don and Katie to go get take out dinner that we had preordered. We had noticed the award pedestal (probably for skiing events) alongside of one of the hotels. We joked about standing on the podium after finishing the hike. Unfortunately, Carleigh (1st place), and I (2nd place) weren't available for the picture. Though Katie took full advantage of claiming 3rd place for our hike!
Day 9 was our last full day of vacation. We wanted to do another new activity. We've been rafting before, but we have never canoed or kayaked.
So...off we went to Jenny Lake to hopefully get a canoe and kayak for some time on the water.
Carleigh was interested in kayaking by herself, so off she went!
The three of us were a little sore from the down the mountain hike the night before, so we opted for a 3 person canoe.
We spent about 1 1/2 hours on the lake and explored. It was beautiful!!
Afterwards we walked around for a bit and then headed to our next adventure!
Don and Carleigh wanted to show us the Two Ocean Hike that they had done a few days ago. We found the hike and as Don had promised Katie, we hike in for about 10 minutes and then reversed and went back to the car.
The hike had so many pretty wildflowers and the Aspen trees were beautiful!
We knew were down to the wire with our vacation when we were trying to accomplish all of the last minute things that we haven't done yet. Next on the list was a visit to Snow King Resort in Jackson to ride the Cowboy Coaster. It's a roller coaster down the mountain! Katie was very interested in doing that, and Carleigh decided to do it also. Don and I sat this one out. :)
They enjoyed the ride and then we were off to dinner. We wanted to try the Jackson Brewery and lucked into a reservation. It was a fun place!
 |
| another huckleberry drink |
After dinner, we walked around the town and finished our final shopping and browsing. We then headed back to the lodge. It was time to pack up 10 days worth of adventures and memories. Tomorrow we head back to Virginia!
Day 10 was our day to return to Virginia. Our flight wasn't until 3:00 pm, so we had the morning to relax. Don enjoyed his last early morning with nature and the animals. The girls and I enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and just soaking it all in for one last time.
The Jackson Airport really is one of a kind place. Where else can you have an airport meal with a view of the Teton Mountains?
I love how small the airport is and how you have to walk out to the plane and clime the stairs into the plane. One last view of the mountains as we board.
Our first vacation post-pandemic has ended and it was a success in so many ways. Our first big vacation as 4 adults and we really enjoyed each others' company. It was fun! Lots of laughing and fun stories, and lots of memories made!
It was so nice to get away from the past year and a half and have adventures as a family of four! We all have a few weeks of summer left and some more fun to come. Carleigh headed back to Fredericksburg to finish working her summer camp job. Katie returned to Crumbl Cookies for the rest of her summer and I am filling my last two weeks of summer with as many projects and fun as I can. Don has lots of summer left, so he is taking it nice and slow.
Even if summer is slowing down a bit for the Rahns, the fun isn't!
Stay Tuned for:
The Return of Lobster Day!
Yep, that's right...Lobster Day is returning!
It's been a few years...and as you know, it's always
SELDOM A DULL MOMENT WITH THE RAHNS!
