Grand Teton Glaciers
Let it snow…
For many, glaciers have long had an almost mythic appeal and lifegiving sense (and for many around the world that depend freshwater melt from glaciers, this is very literal).
Glaciers form as snow fall exceeds snow melt for centuries. It compresses itself, thus eliminating air bubbles and becoming the beautiful blue color that we love. On the surface, glaciers are snow white or have a dirtier look as they scoop up rock and soil on their slow journey down the mountain (ever heard of glacial pace?).
Depending on the elevation, the Teton peaks can get 400+ inches of snow (that’s more than 33 feet or 10 meters!), giving good opportunity for glaciers to form. According to the Grand Teton NP website, there are 11 glaciers in Grand Teton NP. If you can see snow on the mountains during the late summer months, you are most likely seeing a glacier. Among the most prominent glaciers in the park is the Middle Teton Glacier. It's situated on the East side of the mountains, in between the Grand Teton and the Middle Teton peaks. This makes it easily seen from many areas in the park.
Unfortunately, like many glaciers in the world, the Grand Teton NP glaciers are disappearing and are projected to be gone within decades or centuries, depending on the current size and placement of the glacier and temperature and precipitation trends. Many glaciologists around the world are working to convey this message, and along with other scientists, they search for solutions to stabilize global temperatures.
Though the community of Jackson Hole, Wyoming is unlikely to face the severe consequences of flooding or water scarcity that other regions of the world face from melting glaciers, ecosystems would likely be negatively affected and moraine (glacial) lakes, such as the gorgeous Delta Lake underneath the Grand Teton, could disappear.
Skiers aren’t the only ones who should get excited when it snows.
And since we have no place to go…
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
On behalf of us at Flat Creek, we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah; Whatever or however you celebrate this time of year, we hope it’s good one.
Dillon grew up near Jackson Hole, being taken by his family to nearby national parks so often he took it for granted. It took the rigors of life to teach him how good he had it, and he now spends as much time in the mountains as possible.
