venturing4th: Two more pearls - Taggart and Bradley Lakes Loop Trail

Today's hike was one of the best we've taken and included a cascading creek and two more serene lakes at the base of the Tetons. Our favorite kind of trail, a loop, we hiked along the east shore of Taggart Lake and then on to Bradley Lake.

As you might be able to tell from the picture, it was cold - we had our winter jackets on under our windbreakers/rain jackets, winter hats and gloves. You might also be able to see that there were snow squalls up in the mountains.

We crossed cascading Taggart Creek on a two-log bridge. From quite a ways down the trail we could hear the roar of the water which is high this time of year with winter melt-off.

Beautiful Teton hiking trail.

Taggart Lake. Across the lake we had an excellent view up Avalanche Canyon. On the left side of the canyon lies Mount Wister, named for Owen Wister, author of The Virginian, a turn-of-the-century novel set in the Tetons, which made famous the expression, "When you call me that, smile!" The right side of the canyon is dominated by Nez Perce Peak, named in honor of the proud Indian tribe which traveled this part of the Rocky Mountains.

Taggart Lake and the hill we climbed to reach it owes their existence to glacial action which ended just over 10,000-years-ago. A powerful glacier flowed out of Avalanche Canyon and spread onto the valley floor. Over thousands of years it scooped out the hollow now occupied by Taggart Lake and built up the 300 foot moraine which completely encircles the lake. Here we have climbed up another glacial moraine and can view Taggart Lake from above.

Along the trail we passed through a number of aspen groves with their new, chartreuse leaves. Aspens rarely reproduce through seeds, instead they sprout from the roots of other trees. That's why aspens usually grow in clusters and in the fall the leaves of interconnected "clone" trees simultaneously turn to gold.

On the other side of the glacial moraine we climbed to have the overview of Taggart Lake in the picture above, we dropped down to glacier scooped Bradley Lake. Both of these beautiful lakes were named by members of the 1872 Hayden Survey. Frank Bradley and W.R. Taggart were geologists on the expedition.