The Teton mountain range is unlike any other that I have ever seen. An impenetrable wall rising from the Wyoming floor, its peaks tower 3,000 feet above the Snake River Valley. They are unique in that there are no real foothills to speak of. It’s a sight that immediately reminds me of the Hudson River School Rocky Mountain paintings. One of those painters, Thomas Moran, is the namesake of one of these magnificent Teton peaks – Mount Moran.
Standing in a clearing, nearly 60 miles to the east of it, is when I realized just how magnificent Mount Moran truly is. On a trail high above Turpin Meadow, I could see across the landscape, across the tops of the millions of pine trees. Mount Moran stands in the center of my view, guarding the northern flank of the range. It was so far away, yet the perspective I had on it was created a sense of awe and reverence.
It was the middle of summer, but the famous Skillet Glacier, which dominates the mountain’s eastern slope, reflected the warm sunlight like a diamond in the distance. I gave thought to the difference between where I was standing and uninhabitable slope of the snow-covered ice field. I was thankful for the smell of the wildflowers, the warm sun, and the gentle breeze.