HOWDY

The production schedule for the summer issue of this magazine has us working on it during the winter. I’m writing this in February, late on an afternoon following a morning of skiing in Grand Teton National Park. The skiing was amazing—the powder so light and deep it came up into my face and, because I couldn’t not smile, into my mouth. It was one of my best ski days so far this winter. But now, sitting at my desk neck-deep in stories about the range of summer adventures to be had in Jackson Hole, rather than plotting my next ski day, I’m obsessing over hiking, sloshies, the rodeo, river floats, and backpacking itineraries—all subjects of stories in this issue of Jackson Hole magazine. I should be dreaming about tomorrow’s potential for fresh tracks down the Hobacks at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (the forecast calls for more snow), but instead I’m imagining a late-July walk up the wildflower-covered slopes of Hoback Peak, which local author and guide Tom Turiano, the subject of “My Jackson Hole Life,” p. 38, included in his indispensable (for any mountain explorer) book Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone.

It’s not just different activities I’m thinking about, but also different wildlife. In “Here, There, In Between,” p. 112, journalist Mike Koshmrl writes about the ungulates that seasonally migrate into and out of the valley, and how their migration routes, although little heralded, are one of the things that makes the Greater Yellow- stone Ecosystem unique in the U.S. Winter’s moose and elk are cool and all, but if you’ve never seen pronghorn tear through the sagebrush flats of the valley floor, well, put that on your list for experiences to try and have this summer.

And sloshies (“Sloshie Season,” p. 156). I get the taste of summer just typing that word. Samantha Simma really took one for the team when she signed on to write a story about these alcoholic Slurpee-like cocktails that are Jackson Hole’s undisputed drink of the summer. Or maybe ice cream sounds better? Check out another story by Simma, “The Taste of Summer,” p. 72.

Away from sweet treats, writer Jim Mahaffie looks at the first ranch in Jackson Hole to raise 100 percent Wagyu beef, “Wyoming Wagyu,” p. 76. In “5 Superb Steaks,” p. 68, we share some of our favorite steaks on restaurant menus across the valley.

But this issue isn’t all about food. Bevin Wallace examines the emotion of joy, why it is important, and how you can bring more of it into your life, “Ode to Joy,” p. 94. Brigid Mander shares some of the best bike rides—mountain, road, and gravel—in the area (“6 Epic Rides,” p. 162). Features delve into the expanded role of tribal relations in area national parks (“Reconnection?,” p. 128) and a group that works to find new owners for and move local homes that would otherwise be demolished, “Shacks on Racks,” p. 142.

As always, I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Jackson Hole magazine as much as I, and the rest of the team, have enjoyed working on it.

— DINA MISHEV @JACKSONHOLEMAG @MYSPIRITANIMALISATREX