Grand Teton National Park in the Winter

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

Great is Thy Faithfulness

By: Thomas Chisholm
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not:
As thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

I've struggled to adequately frame this past weekend, so let me start at 4:30 Saturday morning. The forecast at Grand Teton National Park was "-3 degrees, mostly cloudy, 30% chance of snow" and the picture was a snow flake. After a quick phone call to a fellow early-rising-adventurer, we decided to go for it and risk a 2 hour drive and a full day of cross country skiing without seeing the Tetons.
The astounding sunrise view that met us as we crested Teton Pass! Notice the clouds? Don't forget that pictures never do sunrises or sunsets justice.
Driving into the park as the sun began to splash across the mountains. Starting at the Taggart Lake Trailhead, Ryan and Kirsten headed West slowshoeing while Shayna and I cross country skied parallel to the Teton range going North. Our plan was to meet back at the car about 12:30 (haha).
Yes, this was our view the entire time!!! How amazing is our God, to have created such beauty for my enjoyment? As the sun rose and the day continued on, it was as if God was continuously painting on the canvas and we were so excited to witness it. I couldn't help but repeat, "mostly cloudy, 30% chance of snow".
You know it's cold when your eyelashes frost over and snow crystals form on your cheeks, sideburns, hat and neck warmer.
Gulp. Wow - and only 3 other skiers around to even witness it (whom we quickly ditched to enjoy skiing in solitude).
In our efforts to find Jenny Lake, we happened upon this scene...
...and I couldn't figure out which view I liked best...
...so you're about to get all of them.
It was so peaceful and serene as the sun gleamed through the steam rising off the river.
Frosted trees and snow covered bridges...
...and Grand Teton reflecting off the water!
The boy in me wanted to jump from rock to rock, but hardly dared to disturb the scene. Granted, it would have been entertaining in skies.
A lone creature had hopped across the bridge. I wonder if they appreciated the view?
Mount Owen on the North end of the range.
Wow
To think that only Shayna and I had the privilege of witnessing this morning scene. It was well worth breaking a little trail for this!
Just a few more...
..."I don't think I have this view yet"...
...and now I have it twice!
Oh - there they are. But who was tilting Grand Teton? After a little more trekking through the woods, we came upon...
...Jenny Lake! The boat tours aren't offered in the winter so we decided to cross on our own, heading straight towards the base of Grand.
The distance was definitely deceiving but the mountain was calling for us. Don't worry Mom, the snow was only slushy in a few spots.
Shayna breaking trail while I goof off with the camera.
Looking back.
I'd like to think that I was the angel ...ahem, no comments please.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (i.e. car), Ryan and Kirsten are wondering what's taking us so long. Being so enthralled with the view and great skiing, we had completely forgot about our planned meeting time. But, after a quick phone call that went something like this, "...we're at least 5 miles away, decided on a whim to cross the lake, and now we're going to sit at the base of Grand Teton and eat lunch, so maybe you'd like to take the car and go into town (Jackson, WY), cause we're going to be awhile..." "Oh, and we're also busy doing handstands."...
...and naming Lakes. But you know what the Bible says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit...
...before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18
On the way back, we meandered through the woods on some beautiful trails, passing through pine trees full of snow and of course, an amazing panoramic view to our right
Clicking on them should enlarge the picture.
This is probably what we looked like most of the time - just staring at the Tetons as we passed by.
She made me pose.
God's handiwork.
Yes, we skied past all of them!
More scenic pictures...
...in black and white.

In case you forgot, I'm sure you've since remembered that the Teton's are my favorite mountains. But more enjoyable then the mountains, longer lasting then their beauty, is the unchanging faithfulness of God, the Creator of the universe, and the One who loves and cares for you and me, hearing each breath we take. Great is Thy faithfulness. His mercies are new every morning! I love you, Lord!

I'll Be Home For Christmas

We are already 10 days into the new year and you are probably concerned for my well being since there haven't been any new posts. I appreciate your concern (even though I know it's only for the lack of pictures), but I'm sure you'll understand the delay. After all, this post spans decades! So without any further delay...
Christmas, home, family, friends, snow, skies, snowshoes, airplanes... and no work! Could the week be any better?!?
What a fine looking bunch...
...and by fine looking, I mean...
Top: Joe, Mom, Josh
Bottom: Joy (wins the prize for funniest funny expression), Charity, Faith
As a tradition, I try to get a small, random gift for everyone. Knowing nobody would appreciate a genuine raw Idaho potato, a coworker recommended these Idaho Spud candy bars, "...everyone's favorite since 1901". In a rush to pack and fly out, it was easy enough to grab a box at Walmart and head home. Turns out, Idahoians better stick to real potatoes as only one of the 24 I brought home got eaten! Yes, they were that bad.
Here's that good looking crew again with Dad at Joy's house - a stark contrast to last Christmas when we tore out a few ceilings and made a grand mess of her house just for fun!
You can only hold the pose so long before somebody makes a funny!

I really miss the piano always playing in the background... maybe I should have practiced when I was taking lessons!
I'm not convinced we're old enough to be having high school reunions, but Amy organized one anyways.

One beautiful scene...

...and one pitiful scene while XC-skiing near Sandy Creek. Joy tried to sympathize by saying I probably wasn't used to the skies. Unfortunately, I was hardly even moving and just wiped out without an excuse.
Breaking trail is worth the extra work when you get to enjoy the scenery.

Joy practices for the...
...synchronized headstands! Now, while the blood drains from our heads...

A sampling of Grandma's handiwork.
Every time you visit Grandma, there's always new quilt patterns and pieces adorning everything!
What's this?

4 friends XC-skiing on New Year's Eve.

What's this?

Joe right after he took a picture of 4 "friends" XC-skiing New Year's Eve. Dylan seemed to take exception to his picture being taken and subsequently tackled me.
Unfortunately for Dylan, I got the last laugh.
After a great night of skiing in near perfect conditions...

...the girls thought it would be hilarious to push the guys out of the picture. And, it was.
I love how Charity is the only one with both arms raised.

Uh-oh, did the camera just catch Dylan cheating? (I'm sure he wasn't.)

Mar's famous last words: "I am NOT going to fall today." ...this couldn't have been more then a few minutes into our morning ski.
Dylan, Mar, Joy and I stayed over in Rockwood in anticipation of some more great skiing conditions. Unfortunately, it warmed up and the snow was much slower. Of course, that didn't take away from the adventure.

Dylan successfully rounds "Wipeout Corner" at the bottom of a long hill. You can see his tracks in the foreground from the night before when he took out a few saplings at a high rate of speed.
But things quickly got out of hand...

but I have to give him credit because it is difficult to know what to do when your left foot goes right and your right foot goes left!
Looks like he figured it out.

Look Mom - No hands!
That just looks painful... painfully funny. I won't post the whole progression of pictures, but it provided for some good entertainment as he had to fall again before he could get his legs twisted back around.

Mar thought this setting would be perfect for a group picture. Have you ever tried to stand on a ball?
While attempting to get on the log, Dylan manages to get one ski under the log...

...Mar goes down trying to help and Joy can't save her...
...Dylan doesn't last long (while Mar laughs)...

...now they're both down (while Joy watches in laughter)...
...and now if you look close, you'll see Dylan's left ski under the log! Good thing he's got long legs!

But alas, we found success!
Careful Joy!

Back at home, it was time to try out the new snowshoes at Thatcher Park.
A pretty view of the creek.

Amy practices her headstand...
...before I join in.

It was a great vacation, despite the extended trip back to Idaho. Not pictured were grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and those from Church that I had the privilege to spend time with over the break. But now I must scurry along and get working on a post from this weekend!