Buck Mountain casts its wide shadow onto Jackson Hole.

I’ve developed a sort of routine for my annual Fall Grand Teton National Park trips:

1. Watch the sunrise
2. Do something
3. Watch the sunset

Lately I’ve spent the majority of the day exploring new parts of Jackson Hole, and on this particular afternoon headed over to the Taggart Lake trailhead to plot my next move.  One thing led to another and by the time I knew it, had committed myself to hiking to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes, a 13.8 mile hike with 2900 ft of elevation gain.  With snowpack the last mile and strong winds my ascent was greatly hampered, which was a problem because sunset was now fast approaching and I had to be on the other side of the park to shoot it.  I only spent about 10 minutes to relax at Surprise Lake and snack on a Cliff Bar before barreling down the mountain.  Seven miles and two burning calves later I was back at my car and quickly drove to the Teton Point Overlook.

Once there I was again welcomed with some of the strongest winds I’ve ever seen in the park, requiring me to hold my tripod as I was shooting just to make sure it didn’t lift off the ground.  After scouting this shot from two days prior, I knew there was a chance the sun could dip directly behind Buck Mountain, providing incredible side-light to the myriad of cottonwood on the valley floor.  Sunset did not disappoint, and despite the wind and dynamic range I managed a pretty focused shot.  It was a perfect end to an exhausting day.