Several years ago, my wife and I were taking a walk, and I asked her if she could go somewhere on a trip, where would it be? Her first thought was Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, so I started planning to visit. Yellowstone is very close to Grand Teton NP, and I also added a couple of days there.

We enjoyed both parks very much but did not have as much time in the Tetons as we would have liked. So in 2020, as part of revising our travel plans due to Covid, we made a trip across the Dakotas to Wyoming again and booked a lodge in Grand Teton NP for a week to give us plenty of time and to allow for weather.

That summer was another one for significant wildfires in the western US, and heavy smoke was a severe problem for visibility. We got lucky that just before arriving at our lodge, the rainstorm had cleared the air, and visibility stayed good for several days. An excellent spot that I wanted to return to was Jenny Lake, which has a fantastic view of the Teton Range. I also had not been there at sunrise before.

I went out early the first morning and drove down the one-lane road along the lake's eastern shore. It took me a little hunting to find the location that I had liked so much nine years before. When I found the spot, I was doubly pleased to see the light wind. The early calmness and first light on the mountains made for a wonderful shot across the lake.