Turnaround point on Paintbrush Canyon. I wasn't able to get as high as Holly Lake (about 8500 feet?), because the snow was thick and slushy, and because there was significant treefall. I didn't think I'd need the Yak Trax shoe ice/snow grippers today, so I was hiking with just the boots and one hiking pole. But the temp was in the 70s, and it felt extremely hot. The snowpack, however, was slushy on the top, and hard frozen a few inches deeper, because the previous day's slush would refreeze overnight. So, when walking in this snow, I squished through the top layer, soaking boots and socks, and then slip on the frozen underlayer. It was exhausting. That might have been doable for a while longer, but there was so much treefall, due to heavy snows this winter, that it seemed every 5 mintues I was navigating up and over some logjam or other. This one wasn't so bad, but seemed like a good breakpoint - and a dry place to sit! 

On Rendezvous Mountain. 

I took the old aerial tram in Teton Village up to the top of Rendezvous Mountain to try and hike down Garnet (aka Granite, a misnomer for the basalt formation) Canyon. The snows were pretty thick down to about 8,000 feet. I was starting my hike at 10,400 feet. The first 50 feet or so were snow-free. I was able to follow the trail via familiarity and map use for about 2 miles, but it was increasingly difficult, because the trail moves along the North side of the mountain, which melts slower than better exposures. I was post-holing up to my butt. I also had my new Leki trekking poles (read "canes"), and Yak Trax attached to my hiking shoes. The only things I really needed were snowshoes and a gps unit, because I was having difficulty determining the trail location, because all ground surfaces were so beautifully white. There were also a number of snow corniches, or overhangs, that I didn't want to try. So, after reaching an open area in which I wasn't sure of the next direction, I turned back. I took this shot when I decided to turn back, turning to look at my foot steps. Another reason I didn't continue: no other footsteps to confirm trail location. This section was nice and firm, but I really need the shoe grips and the poles to get back up the 2 miles or so that I'd begun hiking down. That was the most difficult hiking I've ever done. After I got back up to the top, I encountered the afternoon paragliders.
 

Checking the lines. I was asking the guys lots of questions - about the weight of the packs, wind direction, what landings are like, how long they can stay afloat, steering difficulty, etc., and this one suggested I try jumping with them in tandem. They all offer tandem jumps in the mornings when the Westward breeze is practically guaranteed. I did that the next day, but since I would be taking a tram up a mountain and jumping off it strapped onto someone, I didn't bring my pack or camera. With my luck, I would have done something clutzy with my new camera.

Getting the chute ready. 

Here the guys have decided the wind is good so they're suiting up to protect from cold elevation air when soaring. 

After completing my attempt to hike Garnet Canyon, I encountered some afternoon paragliders. They strap into a parachute-like seating contraption, make sure the breeze is coming in from the East (normally only in the mornings, but sometimes there are rare afternoon treats), run, and take a leap off the mountain to soar down to the valley below. This can take a few hours in good wind conditions.

This is one of my favorite shots of upper Death Canyon. Because the rock faces are so sheer in here, forming a sharp v-shape rather than a standard glacially-carved u-shape, snow doesn't accumulate as heavily along the rock faces and melts off quickly. In the summer, this canyon can feel like hiking in an oven, with heat radiating nearly horizontally off of each side of the canyon walls.

Flowers along lower Death Canyon trail. 

This was the trailhead at Death Canyon. I have never, ever, been the only person on a trailhead in the Tetons. This was my trusty little rental car - was supposed to be an economy Kia Rio, but I got instead a Toyota Corolla sport edition - complete with sunroof! 

Death Canyon terminus. I just couldn't get any further in this icy snowy mix. Each step would find me sinking up above the knees in snow, take time to pull legs out, and continue. I finally just got tired! This is called post-holing, because the holes that your legs leave after being extracted look like fencepost holes. 

Shot of weather and spring tree renewal with lime green aspen leaves. 

Sky scrapers. 

This was weird - for some reason, this little brown thing caught my eye because of a tiny movement. I thought maybe it was a fledgling bird, so I got closer for a better look. Turns out, it was a bag of catepillers (or worms?), and one of them was doing some sort of signalling work - its bottom half was hugging the rest of the mass of worms, but its top half was extended at a 90 degree angle from them, and was precicely moving back and forth, like a tiny wave.  

Really lower Death Canyon. I think this is a Hosta plant - I have some in my landscaping at home.