♪♪♪ Walkin' West is sponsored by Chicken Ranch Casino in historic Jamestown, California, home to the great outdoors of the mother lode and its scenic landscape.

Chicken Ranch Casino, proudly owned by Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California.

Walkin' West is brought to you in part by visit El Dorado, Visit Tuolumne and visit Madera County Visitors Bureaus.

Discover the history of the gold rush, pristine mountain lakes, and the waterfalls of Yosemite all here in the heart of California's gold country.

I'm Steve Weldon and boy do I love adventure!

Whether it's a good long hike, climbing a big old rock or checking out that secret swimming hole, I'm raring to go!

Join me as we hike from the crest of the Rockies to the beautiful Pacific coast right here on Walkin' West.

MUSIC Hi I'm Steve Weldon.

Welcome to Walkin' West.

And I gotta tell you, we are in a beautiful part of the United States.

Where?

The Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming and the wow factor here Laughter It is off the charts!

If I seem pretty excited, I guess it's because when we drove up here from Jackson Hole this morning, we saw wildlife galore.

We're gonna take a good long hike today.

We're gonna have a lot of fun.

We're gonna meet Ranger Sarah, who we're gonna be with today.

And we are gonna go off on the hike of a lifetime at Grand Teton National Park.

Welcome to Walkin' West Let's get started.

We're here at the Jenny Lake Visitors Center.

We're about to go on this epic hike today.

And the Jenny Lake Visitor Center is just one of many visitor centers that they have here.

And if you want to get information on where to hike in the park, where to take a boat ride, this is the place to go.

And as a matter of fact, we're about to take off on our hike and I see our folks from the park.

How you doing CJ?

Hey, good morning, Steve.

Doing great.

Good to be here.

Thanks for having me.

I'm excited.

What do you do here at the park?

I'm a public affairs specialist for Grand Teton.

Okay.

And you're the main reason we're here.

And we want to thank you so very much.

And Julia, how are you doing?

Wonderful.

Great to see you.

Good to see you.

What do you do here at the park?

I do digital media and interpretation.

Okay, so you're like a campfire speaker as well.

Exactly.

Campfire speaker, wildlife safety lead hikes, all the above.

That's a great job.

I love it.

Well, thank you guys so much for having me.

And I see our All star guide.

She is coming in right now.

Ranger.

Sarah, how are you?

So Steve, good to see you.

Nice to see you.

And so wonderful to go on this hike today with you.

It's a little bit NiPy.

Oh it is.

It'll warm up though.

I bet it will.

Okay, now you gotta tell us where we're gonna go today on our hike.

Yes.

We're gonna hike here at Jenny Lake and our destination is Cascade Canyon.

Okay.

I've read a lot about Cascade Canyon.

Yep.

It's awesome.

And the flora and the fauna is supposed to be beyond compare.

Absolutely.

Now on this hike, now do we take the ferry across the lake?

Yep.

We're gonna take a shortcut.

We're gonna take the boat across the lake and then climb up into the canyon and enjoy the views.

Okay.

And about how long would the roundtrip hike be?

Probably about eight miles for us today.

About eight miles.

Just a second.

I need to get those knees going.

Okay.

I think I'm ready for the trip.

Good work.

Yeah, I packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Excellent.

And I think we're gonna have a blast.

Me too.

Lots of fun at Grand Teton National Park.

Are you ready to go?

I'm ready to go.

Let's get it kid!

Let's go!

MUSIC The Jenny Lake Ferry runs from mid-May to the end of September every year and shortens the hike into many destinations in a park by about two miles.

This lake was formed when glaciers flowed down canyons and carved out depressions on the valley floor.

Today, water fills these depressions forming lakes.

Jenny Lake is about 250 feet deep in some places, and it's clear as a bell.

We're here.

I can't wait.

This is gonna be a great hike.

What a wonderful trip on this ferry.

Guides Jared & Brad did a wonderful job getting us here this morning.

And we're gonna take off on a great, great hike.

Here we go!

MUSIC What a perfect fall day to hike the Tetons.

Isn't this great?

Laughter MUSIC We got off the ferry and we're here at Jenny Lake and we're about to take this incredible hike and this is like a Hollywood movie set.

This is absolutely gorgeous, Sarah.

It is, isn't it?

Now where are we off to first?

First we're gonna go to Hidden Falls and then Inspiration Point and then Cascade Canyon.

Sounds great.

I'm ready to go.

Good.

First though, we have to talk about bear safety.

What kind of bear do we have here?

We've got two kinds here in Grand Teton.

We've got black bears and we've got grizzly bears.

You got grizzly bears.

Grizzly bears.

I thought that was an Alaskan thing.

We got them here in Wyoming too.

So we need to do a few things to make sure we're safe out here hiking.

So the first thing we wanna do is make sure we don't surprise a bear.

And the best way not to surprise a bear is to talk, which I think you're good at.

Oh, I'm very good at at talking.

I can yell too if I need to.

Yes, you'll be great.

And then also hike in groups, which we're doing.

Okay, good.

The other thing we do is we carry bear spray for safety.

So if we see a bear, we just wanna give it lots and lots of space.

Let it do its thing.

And when it's safe for us to pass by, we can.

MUSIC I think I've figured out why ranger Sarah and her co-workers smile so darn much.

This beautiful park is their office!

What a wonderful way to make a living.

MUSIC When you're able to enjoy rushing water, beautiful jagged peaks and lush forest, you gotta thank those before us who preserve this slice of heaven for all of us to enjoy.

MUSIC Boy, I love my job Walkin' West.

You gotta love it when you gotta backdrop like this at Grand Teton National Park.

And Sarah, where are we right now?

We're at Hidden Falls.

Hidden Falls.

About how high is this waterfall?

Just about a hundred feet tall.

A hundred feet tall.

And it is screaming.

It's roaring.

I can only imagine how it must be flowing like in late spring, early summer.

Yep.

If we were here in spring, we couldn't even hear each other standing here.

Now is this glacial runoff or snow melt?

Most of the water here is snow melt and we get about 450 inches of snow up in the mountains most winters.

Wow!

That's about 40 feet.

This park is just something else.

Yep.

There's a lot to do here.

Biking, you name it, we've got it.

And what's next?

Next w''re gonna go up to inspiration point.

I'm inspired.

MUSIC Just a short hike from the Jenny Lake Shuttle, Inspiration Point is a popular destination for those who want to experience Mother Nature in just a few hours.

MUSIC This incredible mountain scenery will flat out take your breath away.

This is absolutely beautiful Sarah, where are we right now?

We're at Inspiration Point.

We've made it!

Laughter It ought to be Inspiration Point, which it is, and I'm inspired, no doubt about that.

Oh my gosh, this is incredible.

And these trails, they're a little bit rocky and, you gotta watch your step.

But how, many years ago did these trail builders make these?

They're amazing.

Yeah.

Most of these trails up here were originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

So in the thirties.

People have been coming up here for a long time enjoying this view.

This is just a wonderful hike.

So if you get up here to Northwest Wyoming, you know, I know you want to go to Yellowstone and you gotta go to the Tetons.

It is beautiful.

And we're just beginning this hike on walking West on the Cascade Canyon Trail.

You ready to go ahead and get after it?

Ready to go!

Allright, girl.

MUSIC Boy, I love all the smiles of the people I meet on the trail.

Hey, how you guys doing?

Great for 89.

Pardon me?

Great for being 89 years old.

Great for being 89 years old?

Right, Yes.

Oh my gosh!

And you walked, okay now we're at Inspiration Point.

So you walked all the way up that big incline, up over all those rocks.

Right.

And you're 89 years young.

That's right.

I'm proud of you.

What do you attribute that to?

Not smoking, drinking.

No smoking, no drinking, just plenty of hiking?

That's right.

Hiking and walking.

Great.

What's your name?

Edward.

Hi Edward.

What's your name ma'am?

Lynette.

Lynette.

And you guys look like a beautiful couple.

Thank you.

And are you married?

No.

No, but we're engaged.

You're engaged.

Oh, well, terrific.

Well, congratulations.

So this is kind of an engagement hike.

That's right.

There you go.

There you go.

Well, the Grand Tetons is a great place to be.

Now, where are you guys from?

Oceanside, California.

Oceanside, California.

Is this your first time to the Grand Tetons?

No.

Okay.

Yeah, first time up here though.

Okay.

And it's not my first time and not my last by long shot.

Not me either.

Okay.

So can we meet again on your hundredth birthday?

Yes, we can.

Let's do it.

Okay, let's do it.

You guys have a wonderful day and keep that wonderful glow on your face.

Okay.

Hey, you're a great inspiration and we're at Inspiration Point, so let's get it!

Let's do it!

Thank you guys.

Bye-Bye.

MUSIC You gotta love it, when you meet folks like Edward and Lynette, still loving life and living large.

They're living proof of how good the great outdoors really is for the mind, the body and the soul.

This is pristine with a capital P. And would you look at those falls?

Wow!

Well, we're about two to two and a half miles up our hike on a Cascade Canyon trail.

This is the hike of a lifetime.

And there's so much history that abounds in this park, and I understand that it goes back, man first was here 9000 to 11,000 years ago.

Yeah, we think 11,000 years ago.

Wow!

The first people came through here and the first tribes who came through were nomadic.

Okay.

So really just spent time here spring through fall when we've got all of this great vegetation wildlife to come through.

And then of course, once winter comes, we get a lot of snow.

So the tribes didn't really stay here year round, so they would head down to the valley Yep.

And then come back up when it warmed up in the snow melt.

Yeah.

And we still have tribal connections to the park now, so we have over 20 associated tribes with the park.

Wow.

And they're still very connected to this place.

And I understand that from there, you had European settlers that came over when I guess in the early 1800s.

Yeah.

European settlers came over.

There were some expeditions that came through.

And then the big thing that kept people coming back here was fur trapping.

In particular the French came out to fur trap.

Okay.

And they actually gave the Tetons their name.

Okay.

They called it “Les Trois Teton.

” I like that.

Pretty good.

Fur trapping gave way to settling and homesteading.

And dude ranching eventually really developed the valley.

And some local folks who lived here got worried about all that development.

So a group of locals got together about a hundred years ago and talked about a plan to preserve the valley.

And they knew they needed a wealthy donor who could come and purchase all the private land.

They invited Horace Albright from Yellowstone down to be part of the plan.

Okay.

He recruited John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Okay.

Well, he had deep pockets.

Deep pockets.

Purchased a lot of the land in the valley and eventually donated it to become the national park.

MUSIC This is a female moose, or a “cow ” moose as they're called.

They're one of the largest land mammals in North America.

And we're getting a great look at this young lady.

This park is teaming with wildlife from pronghorn to coyotes to ground squirrels and a whole lot more.

And I think I'm gonna keep a little distance between me and this good looking little black bear.

Well, we're here in the middle smack dab in the middle at the bottom of the Cascade Canyon Trail.

And we're here at a beautiful creek.

What's the name of this creek Sarah?

Cascade Creek.

Cascade Creek.

Well, it cascades right by us and I just love it.

This is a great place to take a break.

Ahh, I'm glad you love it.

But Steve, I think this is where we should turn around.

Oh no!

Why do we have to turn around?

If we wanna get back to the boat at four o'clock!

Ooh, don't wanna miss the boat.

Well, the good news is we got two more beautiful days right here.

Grand Teton National Park on Walkin' West.

MUSIC Well we just finished a dream hike ride here at Grand Teton National Park and we're here at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center.

We just did nine miles and I had a blast, Sarah.

Me too.

That was a really good day.

Well, I had so much fun.

I want to go another night!

Whew, I bet you could.

You can do it.

You gonna go with me?

I'll stay here.

Oh dog gone it!

Anyway, I've got so many people to thank.

I wanna thank you so much for all the information, all the history you gave us.

I wanna thank C.J.

Adams.

I want to thank Julia Bonney.

They were wonderful.

Everybody helped us along the way.

My brother Clark, of course Mark, the best cameraman on the planet.

And I want to thank Jenny Lake store, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Jenny Lake Ferry.

And the sad part is, our day is over with you, but the good part is we're gonna do it again tomorrow, that's right!

We're gonna hike and we're gonna do String Lake and several other lakes and we're gonna see more wildlife and I just can't wait.

It'll be a good day.

And thanks for all your kindness and in the whole nine mile hike I found one piece of litter.

And you know what that means?

These folks are doing their job.

And I loved it when I heard a hiker say, Hey you guys, thanks for all your hard work and you're doing a great job.

That makes me feel good because you deserve every kudo you get.

That was really nice of them.

It definitely warms our hearts, I think.

Well, you deserve it and you wear your heart on your sleeve and it shows so we'll say goodbye for today and we'll say hello again in the morning right here at Grand Teton National Park Walkin' West.

MUSIC We had a great night's sleep last night and I am rip snorting and ready to go on another hike today.Yeah I got those old shoes on and the kneecaps are working and I'm gonna get after it.

String Lake is 3.7 miles.

It's a loop around the lake.

This lake is only about 10 feet deep and it was formed by a flooded stream by Marines at Jenny Lake on this side and Lee Lake on the other.

So it's very attractive to paddle boarders and swimmers because of the depth of the lake.

It's a lot warmer to swim in and we're gonna have a beautiful hike, so we better get started right here at String Lake on Walkin' West.

MUSIC Boy, I love morning hikes when the sun is shining just right and you see that reflection of the mountains and the tall pines in the lake.

Just gorgeous!

MUSIC I think Id better take in just one more good look.

Wow!

Would you look at that!

MUSIC Walking along the String trail today, I've met this family and I heard a little bit of a Texas twang and I thought, you know what, I think I want to talk to these people.

So let's meet 'em right now.

Hey, how you guys doing?

I'm good.

How are you?

I'm doing great Now where are y'all from?

From the Dallas area.

From the Dallas area.

Okay.

I'm from Corpus Christi.

So that means Dallas is closer to Canada, I guess A little bit.

Little bit closer.

Yeah.

You're up there in the Northern part.

Yeah.

Anyway, so what brings you to this area?

Just family vacation.

Just looking for hopefully to get away from the heat, but of course.

Okay.

Now have you ever been to the Tetons before?

No.

First time.

First time.

Never been here before.

Okay.

And what do you think?

Oh, it's beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

We don't see anything like this in Texas.

Oh, that's for sure!

And the mountains.

Oh my gosh.

Love the mountains.

I mean the mountains are great.

How they reflect on the lake, it's just beautiful.

All right, how about you guys?

That's been fantastic.

Same thing.

It's been beautiful.

It's having fun.

Absolutely.

Well that's wonderful.

And you're all part of the same family?

Same family.

We're okay.

Boyfriend girlfriend or Yes, boyfriend girlfriend.

Been about a year.

Yeah, been about a year.

Yes.

Okay.

About time to tie the knot.

Trying to, it's been tough with her.

You wanna pop the question?

Not right now.

I think that'd be too much for her.

Oh, come on.

Be a sport.

I would try if I had the right.

Mom and dad, you, give your blessings?

Yes so far.

Because if not this interview just ended!

I need to go back to the car, Go home.

Laughter Ok, I'm gonna talk man and wife?

Yes, absolutely.

Oh, I'm right.

Okay.

They made it legit mom and dad!

Yes, yes.

Okay, great.

We're still the newlyweds.

So we got married on December 31st, 24.

Oh, wonderful.

And you're loving the park?

Oh yeah it's fantastic.

This is our terrain.

We love mountains and stuff.

This is all our vacations, so.

And what is your favorite thing you've seen so far on your trip?

Probably the T.A.

Moulton barn over there, where at sunrise you could see the barn with the Tetons in the background is incredible.

Well, you're a wonderful family, all of you.

I want to thank you all very much for coming and you will make a cute married couple.

Thank you.

Someday.

Appreciate and thank you mom and dad.

You bet.

You bet.

Thank you.

Yeah, thanks for being on Walkin' West.

Yeah, of course.

MUSIC Life is good!

These ducks you see are called Common Mergansers.

They're among the largest ducks in America.

One Merganzer will eat about a pound and a half of fish a day, and that's about a third of their body weight.

Would you look at those Mergansers go!

This is a beaver lodge that beavers have built for a dwelling.

And boy, do they build 'em right.

They have to.

They get over 10 feet of snow a year.

Pretty darn cool.

Well, obviously I'm no arborist, but it's time for our tree lesson.

Now I learned from the best yesterday, Ranger Sarah, when we did the Cascade Canyon Trail.

How do I identify these different kinds of conifers?

Now, this one for instance, she said these two, these needles tend to grow together.

She said, if you can take one needle and extend it downward, the other one go up that makes an L that stands for Lodge Pole.

This is a Lodge Pole Pine.

She said now if you grab, do a handshake with one of the conifers and you feel spikes, then that's a Spruce.

And if it feels friendly, that's a Fur.

So let's see what we get here.

Hey, that feels friendly.

This is a Fur.

Your tree lesson with old Steve right here on Walkin' West.

MUSIC Well, we've gotten off the trail to uncover some great history here at Grand Teton National Park.

And we're just north of the south entrance and we are at the historic Menor ferry district.

A guy named Bill Menor moved here around 1892 and in 1894 right here on the Snake River, he decided I want to help people cross this river.

Of course I'm gonna charge him a little bit for it, but he built this ferry.

Now this is a replica of the ferry he built around 1894.

And he would charge 50 cents for a team of horses and a rider and for just a horseback rider, about 25 cents and pedestrians were absolutely free.

Bill Menor's Ferry system really looked simple, but it was really genius.

It's a simple platform set up on the two pontoons we talked about.

And it's a cable system that keeps the ferry from going downstream, but lets it move sideways.

And by turning the pilot wheel, the rope is tightened and points the pontoons toward the opposite bank.

And the pressure of the current against the pontoons pushes the ferry straight across the river.

We're on the mighty Snake River and this thing is famous for rafting and rafting all the way down from Yellowstone all the way towards Jackson Hole.

And further.

MUSIC I am standing here in front of the Chapel of Transfiguration.

It's an Episcopal chapel built in the year of 1925.

They worship back then here and they worship here today.

And when I take you inside and you see the view from that altar, it's gonna be a mind altering experience.

MUSIC We're now at Mormon Row where Latter Day Saints from the Salt Lake City area migrated to in the 1890s.

Around 27 homesteads were built.

Now these folks were hardworking farmers.

The barn here that you see is the famous Moulton barn, which took around 30 years to complete.

Beginning in 1913.

It's a landmark for Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons MUSIC Wow!

Look at the Grand Teton.

MUSIC That's a beauty.

This is the Murie Ranch house where Olas and Marty Murie lived.

There were conservationists who moved to the area in 1927.

They studied the elk population in the area as well as other animals in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

After Olas passed in 1963, Marty continued her work to protect animals in the wild, and for her tireless efforts, Marty received the Audubon medal and the prestigious John Muir Award.

In 1998, president Clinton awarded Marty with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Margaret Marty Murie died at the age of 101.

The whole world Thanks you Marty, for your incredible spirit and dedication to protect the precious wildlife.

Not just here, but all across America.

MUSIC We're here on Antelope Flat Road at Grand Teton National Park and we're here in the Teton Valley.

It's our third and final day here.

And we were in search of wildlife and we hit pay dirt.

As a matter of fact, we've got all these bison behind me right now.

And just a few minutes ago when we pulled up, they were right by the road.

We stayed in the vehicle because we wanted to be respectful, we wanted to be quiet.

And we gotta remember, this is their space.

They live here,we don't.

I'm really liking the fact that the cars here have stopped to allow these critters to walk around freely.

These beautiful creatures can get up to over 2000 pounds!

I love that calf with her mama.

Let's just watch our four-legged buds roam around for a second or two.

MUSIC We're at Taggart Lake, we're gonna do the Taggart Lake Loop.

Now this is about a 3.9 mile hike and not too strenuous.

It's about a 500 foot elevation gain.

Ain't no hill for a climber.

It's a great trail.

Lots of scenery and a beautiful lake.

Let's get started.

MUSIC Boy, those Aspens are pretty.

Fall is in the air.

MUSIC Well we walked the leisurely 1.5 miles down here to Taggart Lake and beauty at its best.

This is magical.

Look at this, how tranquil it is.

Beautiful shiny lake.

You just can't beat it with a stick.

Just one more reason to take another great hike at Grand Teton National Park.

MUSIC Well, when you've had as much fun as we have on this three and a half day hike, the worst part of the whole thing is saying goodbye.

That's for sure.

Because Grand Teton is a very, very special place.

And I wanna thank all the people who made this possible.

As a matter of fact, I want to thank Sarah, our all star guide.

I wanna thank Julia, I wanna thank C.J.

and I want to thank Valerie all with Grand Teton National Park.

And I really want to thank my brother Clark for a wonderful time.

You came all the way up from Texas to help me on this shoot and I think we had a great time.

And I wanna know, what was your favorite thing along the hike?

Well, I'm not sure I had a favorite.

I enjoyed the whole thing.

I mean, I loved your passion.

I loved Mark's level of craft.

I loved all the energy and it was hard work and I even enjoyed that!

Well good.

And the people we met while hiking, they were so friendly and so nice.

Oh yeah, I be, it's a wonderful place.

I mean, the scenery was fantastic.

We saw incredible wildlife.

So no, it's been a great time and I thank you for having me and I wanna thank your wife for letting you make the trip.

Well she was glad to get rid of me.

Laughter My wife feels the same way.

And I want to thank our superior cameraman, Mr. Mark Brant always does a wonderful job.

Makes me even look a lot better than I should.

And I want to thank you for tuning us in this week.

As a matter of fact, we're gonna do it again right here on Walkin' West.

SINGING: Well, I was looking for a place to hike where I can do some roaming.

My wife said, how about the Tetons?

You know the ones up in Wyoming?

Well, I thought I'd be nice and take her advice, which I'm darn glad I did.

Cuz when I saw them peaks, my knees got weak and I dang near flipped my lid.

I had a ball hiking with you all, Ranger Sarah and my brother Clark, and I'll never forget that incredible hike in Grand Teton National Park.

Yeah we saw best when we walked west to Grand Teton National Park.

That's all!

POP!

MUSIC MUSIC Walkin' West is sponsored by Chicken Ranch Casino in historic Jamestown, California, home to the great outdoors of the mother lode and its scenic landscape.

Chicken Ranch Casino, proudly owned by Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California.

Walkin' West is brought to you in part by visit El Dorado, Visit Tuolumne and visit Madera County Visitors Bureaus.

Discover the history of the gold rush, pristine mountain lakes, and the waterfalls of Yosemite all here in the heart of California's gold country.

♪♪♪