Taggart Lake - Teton National Park

On the last full day we were there we decided to do a hike called Taggart Lake. Taggart Lake is one I've done before, but last time I did it I was on snowshoes.

As I mentioned before, James is an amazing hiker and really fun to hike with. He goes fast, stops are short and he has lots to notice and talk about. Juliet is sometimes great, other times a terror. This time was the later.

She wanted to be carried and then spent the entire hike in crying to go back to the cabin. Not fun for anybody, but especially E who had to carry the large, heavy, fussy mess.

Plus, the cloud cover was really low and so the day was kind of sticky humid and there wasn't a view of the mountains. We kept hoping the clouds would clear, but mostly they were blanked in a thick gray cloak.

Still, we were determined to have fun. It was our last vacation day, after all.

 Finally upon arriving we were met with our prize. A beautiful crystal clear mountain lake.

And just then the sun broke threw the clouds and the clouds shifted just enough to see some of the peaks beyond.

 Mesmerizing.

James wanted in. I feel like half of our vacation photos are of one or both of my kids in their undies. But it's all good, swimming in undies is a right of passage for kids.

The water was like glass, and the reflections were just perfect.

So perfect.

Soon Juliet took her shoes off and followed suit, balancing on the one large rock out on the lake. They steadied themselves by holding hands, and one little ray of light light them both up for a moment.

Soon she'd had lunch and stripped down to her undies as well. All grumps were forgotten. This girl loves water, and cold water never bothers her, and suddenly she was as happy as can be.

And brave enough to lie down in the chilly lake!

I am never one to miss a lake experience, so I joined them.

I have more photos of myself in undies at different lakes and rivers, so seeing this makes me happy. Kids should be allowed to be kids.

Balancing on a submerged log.

And splashing rocks. Always splashing rocks. And look! Sun!

After a long time of playing and eating and throwing rocks we got dressed and said goodbye to beautiful Taggart Lake.

Luckily we were able to sneak in a family photo before we left. Expect to see this one again, I love it.

And as we hiked out two AMAZING things happened. The clouds started to shift and stir and we were finally able to see some more of the mountains beyond.

AND Juliet had figured she'd had enough fussing and decided once again that hiking was fun, and happily and cheerfully hiked the entire way down (over 1.5 miles) without help. 

The clouds continued to clear and the view just kept getting better.

Soon Juliet decided that she needed to collect a bouquet. We told her wildflowers were off limits, but she found a few already picked on the ground and she picked a couple more while we weren't looking.

A girl with a handful of wildflowers, in the middle of the most beautiful mountains the world has to offer, there's nothing better.

Taggart Lake, even with the rocky start, was the perfect ending to our trip. 

-We are coming to an end of my vacation posts, after this one I think I'll just do one more, with some miscellaneous photos that didn't fit into other posts. Tetons, we love you.