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SUMMER 2016
THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE turns
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Jackson Hole 60
Summer 2016
Page
A swimmer readies to cross Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park en route to summiting the Grand Teton, seen in the background.
Features 60
Mountain Madness
In Jackson Hole, a ‘Picnic’ involves 67 miles of biking, swimming, hiking, and climbing. A bike ride Around the Block is 109 miles.
BY BRIGID MANDER
72
Park Players
Mother Nature made Grand Teton National Park, but it’s a team effort—with the 100-year-old National Park Service playing quarterback—that keeps the park looking its best.
BY DINA MISHEV
JOHN DOUGLASS
P H O T O G A L L E RY
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86
Ansel Adams A selection of the photographer’s images of Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANSEL ADAMS
Going to the Birds
Some of the valley’s smallest animals are its most interesting.
BY WHITNEY ROYSTER
ON THE COVER: Jackson-based Jeff Diener shot this image of a backpacker walking on a ridgeline between Table Mountain and the South Fork of Cascade Canyon just after sunset. The Grand Teton is in the background. “I love [this image] because that amazingly dramatic lighting was a total surprise,” Diener says. “Five minutes prior to this moment, we’d lost the sun because of a giant thunderhead on the western horizon. Then, just before the sun set, the clouds parted enough to light up the Grand for a few minutes.” jeffdiener.com
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
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Best of JH JH Living 18
26
TETONSCAPES Diary of a Dudine, Bike Pathways, Kelly Store, Bowling
ON THE JOB
36 Straight Shooter
120 Reel Estate Brad Pitt made fly-fishing sexy, Jackson Hole instructors make it real. BY JOOHEE MUROMCEW
BODY & SOUL
126 East Meets West
It’s not all exotic adventures and locations for a professional photographer.
Open up to the possibilities of alternative healing.
BY DINA MISHEV
BY JULIE FUSTANIO KLING
BUSINESS
40 Dude, It’s a Hard Business Dude ranching has been a mainstay of the valley’s economy for a century. BY BRIGID MANDER
DESIGN
46 Dining Out With the right design, you can enjoy outdoor spaces year-round. BY MOLLY ABSOLON
LOOKING BACK
94 Sign of the Times
The views from the valley’s roads weren’t always picturesque. BY MARK HUFFMAN
OUTDOORS DAVID STUBBS
114 Solitude on a Summit
BY FREDERICK REIMERS
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
BY MAGGIE THEODORA
Some of our favorite summer stuff
Babs Case, Bob McLaurin, Bethanie Hart
10
We do encourage exploration by foot, but know cars are faster.
PIQUED Q&A
114
107 Drive By
Mount Moran isn’t as iconic as the Grand, but it is in many ways a better adventure.
30 Meet the Locals
Page
GETTING OUT
98 Where the Wild Things Are Jackson Hole is one of the world’s great places to study wildlife. BY JULIE FUSTANIO KLING
NIGHTLIFE
132 Staging the Perfect Picnic BY LILA EDYTHE
DINING
136 Mucho Mexican Mexican restaurants dominate Jackson Hole’s dining scene. BY MARK HUFFMAN
ART SCENE
146 Plein as Day When Mother Nature is your model, plein air is your passion. BY JEANNETTE BONER
AS THE HOLE DEEPENS
156 Yellowstone Grand Prix BY TIM SANDLIN
158 JACKSON HOLE MAPPED 160 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
NEAL HENDERSON
Page
WHETHER BUYING OR SELLING, TOM EVANS REAL ESTATE IS AT YOUR SERVICE.
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Greetings from the Editor THIS AUGUST MARKS the one hundreth anniversary of the legislation that created the National Park Service. Until the NPS was formed, the military managed and ran national parks, and the idea of protecting the parks’ resources was very different than it is today. For example, in Yellowstone, dreamers tossed all manner of things into geysers and thermal features. When rangers cleaned the park’s Morning Glory thermal pool in the 1950s—after its source had become so clogged that algae covered the pool—they found $86.27 in pennies and $8.10 in other change, as well as seventy-six handkerchiefs and logs, bottles, tin cans, towels, socks, shirts, and underwear. In last winter’s issue of this magazine (still available at Teton Media Works across from Kmart in West Jackson) journalist Todd Wilkinson took a look at the first one hundred years of the NPS and gave us a glimpse into what its future might look like. This summer we focus on Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and how it’s celebrating the birthday of its governing organization (“Park Players,” p. 72). We also offer up ideas on how you might celebrate on your own. Surprisingly, our suggestions include activities outside of GTNP. Even though I had no idea of
the park’s existence when I moved here nineteen years ago, I quickly fell in love with it and now spend part of most weekends exploring it. One of the perks of editing Jackson Hole magazine is assigning myself the articles I am interested in most. Giving myself the task of the GTNP story was a no-brainer. While interviewing park staff, I was shocked when one told me, “You can be somewhere else in this valley and have an incredible Teton experience. You don’t necessarily have to be in the heart of the action.” GTNP staff telling me to go somewhere other than the park? Yup. Read the story to find out why. In “Mountain Madness,” p. 60, writer Brigid Mander looks at the unique local brand of fitness. Anywhere else, a ride “around the block” is a short saunter around the neighborhood. For Jacksonites, the “block” is one-hundred-plus miles, and includes two mountain passes. Given our predilection for pushing our physical limits, it’s no surprise Jackson Hole is home to a robust community of alternative healers. Julie Fustanio Kling tried everything from a far-infrared BioMat to Healing Touch while researching “East Meets West,” p. 126. It’s not just locals that overdo it here. With so much to see and do in a limited time, visitors often find themselves rushing from activity to event to hike to float to dinner. As someone who rides around the block regularly, I’m in no position to tell you to take it easy while you’re here. I do hope you at least take some time to relax with this issue of Jackson Hole magazine. @DINAMISHEV
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
magazine
Jackson Hole
Summer 2016 // jacksonholemagazine.com
What do you do to cool off in summer?
PUBLISHER
Kevin Olson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Adam Meyer
Float the Snake River in a drift boat and frequently pull off to take a dip.
Cannonball into Rimrock Lake.
EDITOR
Dina Mishev ART DIRECTOR
Hold cold beer in left hand. Immerse body up to neck in alpine lake of choice. Drink. Grab a paddleboard or inner tube and a cold beer and float the Snake from South Park to Astoria.
Leap off the Phelps Lake jumping rock ... after much hesitation. First, get really hot— preferably with a trail run—and then find my favorite Creek swimming hole” on Flat and submerge.
Colleen Valenstein PHOTO EDITOR
Bradly J. Boner COPY EDITOR
Take a dip in Amphitheater Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
Pamela Periconi CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Molly Absolon Jeannette Boner Lila Edythe Ben Graham Mark Huffman Rebecca Huntington Julie Fustanio Kling Brigid Mander Caroline Markowitz Joohee Muromcew Frederick Reimers Whitney Royster Tim Sandlin Maggie Theodora Rachel Walker CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Price Chambers Ryan Dorgan Travis J. Garner Tristan Greszko Taylor Luneau Joe Riis David Stubbs
Float Fish Creek. Jump off a paddleboard into Jackson Lake. Wander around the Snake River by the South Park feedgrounds. It’s often just you and the pelicans there.
Jeff Diener John Douglass David Gonzales Neal Henderson Alexandra Mihale Thomas Stanton Ashley Wilkerson
ADVERTISING SALES
Deidre Norman
Paddleboard at Slide Lake.
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT COORDINATOR
Oliver O’Connor AD DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Lydia Redzich Sarah Grengg Natalie Connell DISTRIBUTION
Kyra Griffin Hank Smith Russell Thompson Jeff Young Georgi McCarthy OFFICE MANAGER
Kathleen Godines
© 2016 Jackson Hole magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this production may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited editorial contributions. Manuscripts or other material to be returned must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope adequate to return the material. Jackson Hole magazine is published semiannually. Send subscription requests to: Jackson Hole magazine, P.O. Box 7445, Jackson, Wyoming 83002. (307) 732-5900. Email: dina@jhmagazine.com. Visit jacksonholemagazine.com. SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
13
Contributors
Whitney Royster (“Going to the Birds,” p. 86) moved to the valley in 1993 because mountains helped ease her anxiety in the world. She waited tables and shoveled snow off roofs before leaving the valley to earn a graduate degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1999. Her interest in natural resource writing led her back to the area as the environmental reporter for the Jackson Hole News and then the Casper StarTribune. When she is not waist-deep in a midlife crisis, Whitney works as a freelance writer.
PETER SCHMID DESIGNS
Brigid Mander is a skier and writer based in Jackson, yet she retains a strong affinity for her Long Island, New York, origins. While Brigid wishes it could be winter eight months of the year, she manages to have a good time during the mountain summers by downhill biking, road cycling, and, most recently, rollerblading on the pathways system. “Mountain Madness,” p. 60, is her first feature for Jackson Hole magazine. Brigid’s work also appears in The Ski Journal and Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
Photographer Ryan Dorgan (“Mucho Mexican,” p. 136) is a staff photographer for the Jackson Hole News&Guide. He started his photography career at newspapers in Vermont and his home state of Indiana. Most recently he was a photographer for Wyoming’s Casper Star-Tribune. In his free time Dorgan wanders the state with an atlas and camera. His images have also appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Outdoor Life, and National Geographic.
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scapes
history
Diary of a
Dudine
Valley tourism one hundred years ago, as written by a tourist of the time BY MARK HUFFMAN MOST JACKSON HOLE vacationers never get far from a paved road. But Edith Baily took her trip to the Hole before there were any paved roads to get away from. A century ago this summer, Baily, the twenty-one-yearold daughter from a good Philadelphia family, took a cowboy vacation and rode the high country east of Jackson hunting elk—she and five Jackson men. As Baily later recounted in a typewritten memoir, Diary of a ‘Dudine,’ she traveled with Cal Carrington, the Hole’s most famous cowboy at the time and dude wrangler. She described herself as “a girl in a khaki hunting suit with big military pockets, knee length skirt, knickerbocker stockings, and high laced moccasin boots with her left leg slung over a gun in a scabbard.” She also called herself “an extraordinarily fortunate girl on the cayuse at the head of this cavalcade.” In today’s Jackson Hole of five-star resorts and high-speed lifts, of regular jet service, spas, 170 restaurants, and all the rest of it, it’s difficult to imagine the valley and its tourism business in 1916. Then the first white settlement was only a bit more than twenty years old; the first U.S. census of Jackson, in 1920, put the population of the new town at 307. Tourism was mostly hunting and faux cowboying. PRETENDING TO LIVE the cowboy life was rough by modern standards. On Sept. 12, 1916, dudine Baily, near the end of her threemonth stay in the valley, and her companions 18
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
wrong shots, managed to get the elk she was determined to bag. EDITH BAILY WAS married within two years, and moved with her husband, Magruder Dent, a World War I flier, to Greenwich, Connecticut, where they became part of the Social Register scene. They had two sons and two daughters. The sons, when still in their early twenties, commanded ships in the Pacific during World War II. One, Frederick Dent, served two years as Secretary of Commerce under President Nixon and two years as U.S. Trade Representative for President Ford. Edith Dent bred and raced horses— she had about sixty over the years—and in 1964, her Mr. Moonlight was seventh in the Kentucky Derby. Magruder Dent III, Edith’s grandson, isn’t surprised to hear about her foray into the Jackson Hole backcountry. Her reputation among her family was as “headstrong— definitely a force to be reckoned with,” the University of Virginia administrator says. “She was someone who did what she wanted to do. She did not really let anyone get in her way. If she was going to do something, she was going to do it.” Her family isn’t sure if Edith ever made it back to Jackson Hole. She died in 1987, at the age of ninety-three. JH
Edith Baily, right, in Jackson Hole in 1916. With Baily is Stanley Woodward, who, as a joke, traded clothes with her. Woodward went on to become the U.S. ambassador to Canada from 1950 to 1953.
JACKSON HOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Teton
set out from the Bar BC, founded in 1912 as the area’s second dude ranch. The party rode Menor’s Ferry across the Snake River at Moose, then headed east past Blacktail Butte to Kelly, where they stopped for lunch. The settlement “boasted a store, church, and school for the nearby ranchers.” From there they headed for Sheep Mountain, better known today as the Sleeping Indian. Edith showed her stuff when she had a mishap right off. “In passing between two large rocks, Jay Jay, my horse, tripped, lost his balance and fell heavily to the left, crushing the calf of my leg against the rock.” Back in the saddle after ten minutes, “My leg pained horribly and I felt sick and faint and, had not custom blessed the weary traveller with a horn on his saddle, I doubt if I could have sat the horse.” As Jay Jay stumbled up the rocky slope, Edith was spooked when four horses behind her slipped over a steep slope and crashed downward. But she knew she had to be tough. “My nerve was thoroughly shattered by now and I almost burst into tears,” she wrote. “But crying is a pastime one does not indulge in when ‘paling it’ with five men.” With her companions taking potshots at coyotes and hawks, Edith spent nine hours in the saddle before she settled down for the night. In ensuing days she finally, after many
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Jenny Lake
Grand Teton elev: 13,775’
scapes
Jenny Lake Visitors Center
elev: 12,804’
recreation
South Teton elev: 12,514’
NORTH PATHWAY From the Jackson Hole/Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center on N. Cache, pedal through the National Elk Refuge to Moose and Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. The ride from town to Jenny Lake and back is about thirty-eight miles.
Ride This Way Jackson Hole’s pathways are awesome.
To Yellowstone National Park
Bradley Lake
Taggart Lake Taggart Lake Trailhead
Shadow Mountain
Grand Teton National Park
26
Kelly
89
on ils -W se oo M
. Rd
Airport
Sn ake Riv er
Aerial Tram
s ro G
WILSON TO TETON VILLAGE The seven-mile pathway linking these two areas is the flattest in the valley.
re nt Ve
. Rd
Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Flat Creek
r ive eR ntr Ve os Gr
South Boundary to GTNP
The Aspens
National Elk Refuge
Teton Pass elev: 8,431’
Stilson
22
Mt. Elly
elev: 9,279’
R Park Emily’s Pond
To Idaho
Wilson
Spri ng G ulch Rd.
National Museum of Wildlife Art
22
Trail Creek Trailhead
Jackson
South Park Loop Rd.
Snake Ri ver
RUSS GARAMAN PATHWAY There are benches and a park along this pathway paralleling Flat Creek in West Jackson.
Road
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
Teton Village
ek Fall Cre
20
Gros Ventre Campground Southwest Entrance to GTNP
k ee Cr
THE VALLEY’S FIRST pathway, a fourmile section connecting central Jackson to the school campuses and surrounding neighborhoods, opened in 1996. Years later, a pathway between Wilson and Teton Village was completed, as was a segment linking Jackson to GTNP. With a total of roughly $30 million invested in valley pathways to date, the network now enables cyclists and pedestrians to travel from town to GTNP without having to share space with a car. They can also travel from Wilson to Teton Village. Last summer was a big one for riders and walkers: West Broadway was reconstructed
191
sh Fi
LONG BEFORE JACKSON Hole was the tourist destination it is today, it was cowboy country, the land of wide boulevards (all the better for cattle drives) and pickup trucks, with nary a bicycle to be found. But these days, most of the saddles you see around town are attached to a bike frame rather than atop a horse. This is no wonder—with fortyfive miles of pathways in Teton County and an additional fifteen miles in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), it’s never been easier to explore this slice of paradise by bike. “I ride as much as I can throughout the year because, frankly, it can be quicker to get places on a bike, it’s invigorating, and it’s beautiful,” says Brian Schilling, pathways and trails coordinator at the Town of Jackson and Teton County. His point is valid: How often do you see bicycle traffic at a standstill around Town Square? (The answer: never.) Schilling believes anyone can ride a bike around Jackson, regardless of age or experience. This is largely thanks to the decades of work by the Teton County Pathways Department, established in 1994. Though Jackson Hole’s pathways weren’t the first in the state, today they are among Wyoming’s largest and most interconnected alternative transportation system.
Rd.
Moose Junction
Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center
ake sL elp Ph
BY RACHEL WALKER
Moose
e Flats Antelop
Snow King elev: 7,780’
CACHE BIKEWAY This route travels east Jackson Peak to west and snakes along the flanks of Snow King. It is an efficient, less-traveled option to cross town and reach Bridger-Teton popular trailheads National Forest in Cache Creek.
Wilson Canyon
SOUTH PATHWAY Rolling hills past ranches protected under conservation easements make this five-mile stretch alongside U.S. 191 wonderfully agrarian.
with protected bike lanes and bigger sidewalks, downtown got five bike “corrals,” and, after ten years of planning and construction, the pathway from Jackson to Wilson along Highway 22 opened; it includes an award-winning pedestrians/cyclists-only bridge across the Snake River. JACKSON’S PATHWAYS HAVE earned the community a Gold Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists. Beyond formal accolades are other signs of success, namely a steady increase in pathway users. Data from moving counters and cameras
Game Creek
Snak e Riv er
26
89 estimate significant gains—from five to Munger Mountain 189 eight users every two hours, to upwards of 191 fifty to one hundred on the pathway from town to GTNP. This spring officials installed several permanent counters to collect more Hoback Junction user information. But ToSchilling, who rides Pinedale To Alpine his bike to work nearly every day, says one needs only to hit the pathway to see the uptick in users. Discover the valley’s pathways for yourself with a map published by Friends of Pathways and available throughout town at various bike shops, the library, town hall, restaurants, and the visitor center, or download it at friendsofpathways.org. JH
FRIENDS OF PATHWAYS
Teton
Cascade Canyon Trail
Middle Teton
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Teton scapes
community
A Cafe Like No Other
WHEN SUMMER CAMPERS step inside the Kelly on the Gros Ventre (KGV) store, a mile up the road from the Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), they’re greeted by a blizzard of decorations. A model of a red tram hovers above the deli counter. Chalk drawings of skiers dot menu boards, and a shrine to Jackson ski legend Doug Coombs takes up one wall. The latter features a highly coveted poster of Coombs, who died skiing in La Grave, France, in 2006, from the movie Aspen Extreme, in which he was a stunt double. But the atmosphere is anything but chilly. Forty-something owners Al and Heather
HERE, FIREWOOD IS sold “by the hug,” with payment accepted on the honor system, explains Al, demonstrating with an air hug that reveals his tattoos of skiers and snowflakes. The couple keep the store open seven days a week in summer, but they close most days in the winter so they can ski. One of their favorite shop signs gives a running countdown of how many days until ski season starts. They love the startled looks from first-timers digesting KGV’s wintry decor on a hot summer day. They also like to catch customers off guard with the quality of their coffee and sandwiches. A friend owns Denver’s Kaladi Coffee and fresh-roasts beans for KGV. The espresso machine, custom built in Florence, Italy, produces a “naked extraction,” which allows all of the oils from the beans to land in the cup. Sandwiches are build-yourown, with just the right mix of ingredients—three or four breads, meats, and cheeses— to offer variety without overwhelming you with choices. You can get a veggie sandwich with sprouts, tomato, avocado, and cheese, or a bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sammie served on whole-grain ciabatta. Al and Heather take pride in layering meat, veggies, and cheese for maximum “flavor profile” and “crunch.” Although their roast beef, turkey, and veggie sandwiches have inspired rave reviews on mobile apps like Yelp, the Hunters pride themselves on remaining digitally disconnected. In fact, they do not have laminated menu cards so that customers must have a human interaction to get a sandwich. Reminding visitors that they’re in a national park is a sign warning of a very different type of interaction: “Caution! Stay inside store if bison in parking area.” JH
Are the valley’s best sandwiches and espresso hiding in Kelly? BY REBECCA HUNTINGTON
BRADLY J. BONER
Mark Newcomb, though not a yurt dweller, frequently stops in KGV for Americanos, which he says beat any served in Jackson, thirteen miles away and a comparative metropolis next to Kelly. It only takes tourists one visit to feel like they’re part of the club, says Heather, who
The Kelly on the Gros Ventre store in the small hamlet of Kelly in Grand Teton National Park offers lunch with a view of the Teton Range towering over Antelope Flats.
Hunter are always ready to catch up on the finer points of football or the talk of the town. KGV is in GTNP, but it’s also in Kelly, an enclave of private property within the national park with a year-round population of about 140. Chat up Al and Heather over a “Yurtian,” a regular coffee amped up with an espresso shot. Yurtian (it rhymes with Martian) honors Kelly’s community of yurts—round tents adapted from Mongolian gers. Kelly resident 22
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has extra affection for customers coming from the Gros Ventre Campground. Forty-two years ago her parents honeymooned there. Many years later during a return visit, they saw the KGV property for sale and bought it. In addition to the store, it came with a home and the land the post office leases. Heather’s parents got the adjacent home, but left store ops to Al and Heather, who also live in Kelly. The two have been running it since 2010.
In summer, KGV is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. 307/732-9837
Christie’s International Real Estate GLOBAL AFFILIATE OF THE YEAR 2011 | 2014
Teton scapes
entertainment
Boutique Bowling After a fifteen-year absence, Jackson Hole gets a new bowling alley.
Hole Bowl opened this spring.
SINCE THE TURN of the millennium, valley residents have been getting their bowling fix in the basement of the Jackson Elks Lodge on Broadway Avenue. The four-lane alley there is dingy but has a retro charm—neon lights flicker, there’s a closet-size smoking room, and bowlers keep score manually. The other option is in Idaho Falls, ninety miles from Jackson. But this spring former registered nurse Jessica Graham MacGregor unveiled Hole Bowl, a ten-lane bowling alley she believes fills a void in a valley dominated by outdoor sports. She’s also banking on grabbing hold of a new fad that could help reverse the tide of dwindling interest in bowling across the country. (Statistics compiled by The Washington Post show the number of bowling centers in the U.S. declined from about 6,000 in 1986 to about 4,000 in 2014.) “The new trend is boutique bowling,” MacGregor says. “It’s smaller-venue— lounge, cocktails, better food.” Summed 24
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up, she describes the difference as “artisan pizza versus corndogs.” Hole Bowl epitomizes that difference, MacGregor says. In addition to ten bowling lanes, there’s a bar, restaurant, and laneside food service, which includes pizza, burgers, and more. Besides bowling, there’s also foosball, cornhole, TVs, ping pong tables, shuffleboard, and full-size pool tables. And there are black lights. “The whole point is it’s kid-friendly, family friendly ... until the appropriate time,” she says. MACGREGOR DECIDED TO dive into bowling on a cold January afternoon four years ago. Temperatures dipped as low as 20 degrees below zero, which isn’t unusual in Jackson Hole. MacGregor and her husband were at a loss on how to entertain their three young children. Again, nothing unusual. How the MacGregors solved the problem of keeping their kids busy is unique, though: open a bowling alley.
RYAN DORGAN
BY BEN GRAHAM
MacGregor grew up in the Midwest, where bowling was a staple. “I was raised in a small town in southern Indiana; it’s kind of what you did,” she says. “We even bowled in gym class.” On the topic of her own ability to knock down strikes, MacGregor is confident but tight-lipped. “I can hold my own, let’s just say that,” she says. In the Elks’ Broadway basement, there are many bowlers who can hold their own. On any given night, you can find balls rolling and league players eating burgers on paper plates. “We love doing this,” says bowler Jay Ankeny as classic rock—“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” by The Band—blares from the basement’s speakers. Groups of men, young and old, sit at tables, their eyes glued to the handwritten scores projected onto the wall. This league’s season is thirty weeks long. It’s the same group of people every week, every year. “It’s the camaraderie we have down here,” Ankeny says. His team is the Car Bomb Kings, and twice a week they face off against squads with names like Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. There used to be another bowling option in the valley, Jackson Bowl. T.J. “Jimmy” Anderson opened it in 1985. Anderson ran it for a while, then other investors took over, and then those investors sold it to someone else. Eventually, the alley was converted into haphazard storage space. Then, in a 2001 welding accident, it burned to the ground. Many of the Elks regulars first met there. MacGregor wonders whether the oldtimers and dedicated league players are interested in her new alley. Elks regulars say they are unsure. Most admitted they’d poke their heads in to see what all the fuss is about, but that doesn’t mean they’ll change from their favorite spot. After all, that would require them to lug their custom-drilled bowling balls across town. Hole Bowl definitely plans on league play, which starts this fall. The alleys were constructed to the specifications of the Professional Bowlers Association. That means once the PBA certifies it, Hole Bowl can host the PBA Wyoming championships. JH Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday; 307/699-8889; holebowljh.com
Woodside Estate 6,800 SQUARE FEET • 6 BEDROOMS • 7 BATHROOMS • PRICE UPON REQUEST
For more information contact Chris Grant WOODSIDEESTATEJH.COM • 307/413-3814 • CHRIS.GRANT@JHSIR.COM
PROPERTIESJACKSONHOLE.COM JACKSON HOLE’S BEST PROPERTY SEARCH WEBSITE
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1/ STAY COOL YETI coolers, which we long ago swore eternal devotion to for their grizzly-proof, stay-colder-than-anything-elsewe’ve-ever-tried, and extremely durable coolers, have done the impossible: impressed us even more. YETI’s newish Hopper series—available in 20-liter and 30-liter sizes— is the brand’s first foray into soft-sided. Hoppers are also fully leakproof (we tested this claim pretty hard), punctureresistant, and have tie-down points for mounting on a kayak or canoe. Including an anti-microbial lining—that’s just YETI showing off. From $299, available at Big R Ranch & Home, 1220 Meadowlark Ln., yeticoolers.com
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2/ BE A JERK Even if Field Trip Jerky didn’t make flavors like roasted sesame, honey spice, crushed chilies, and cracked pepper, you’d want it as your snack: It is free of nitrates, nitrites, gluten, MSG, artificial preservatives, and corn syrup. What’s it full of? Flavor, ingredients you can pronounce, and protein. From $6.50, fieldtripjerky.com
3/ SWEET (SMELLING) FEET Our flip flops stink. So do our footbeds. Badly. It’s no wonder— we live in flops most of the summer, and when we’re not wearing them, we’re sweating all over the footbeds in our hiking and running shoes. The smell used to embarrass us, then we grudgingly accepted it. No longer. Nikwax, long known for its cleaners for specialty technical fabrics and materials like down, GORE-TEX, and Schoeller, has a Sandal Wash. Use the deodorizing cleanser on all your nonwaterproof footwear— running shoes, hikers, sandals, insoles, and footbeds—and then thank us. From $6.99, available at valley outdoor stores, nikwax.com
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4/ ENERGY-GIVING GUMMIES
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Instead of making orange-flavored sports drinks and gummies, Boulder-based Skratch Labs, founded by sports scientist and former pro cycling coach Allen Lim, makes drinks and gummies with real oranges. And raspberries. What should users of traditional sport-food brands like GU, PowerBar, and Clif expect when they try Skratch stuff? Less bloating and syrupy sweetness, faster recovery—drink mixes have more sodium and electrolytes—and a simpler, cleaner taste. There’s nothing artificial in any of Skratch’s products, which were used by Tour de France riders before Lim officially launched Skratch. Did we mention Skratch’s cookie mix? Seriously. From $1.95, available at Skinny Skis, The Hub Bicycles, Wilson Backcountry Sports, and Jackson Hole Sports, skratchlabs.com
5/ HYDRATE ANYWHERE
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It looks like a Star Wars character that got loose in a box of Crayola crayons, but the new Hydaway water bottle is no fantasy. Both the 12- and 21-ounce models collapse to a disc thin enough to fit into a back pocket. BPA-free and dishwasher safe, the bottles—and we’ve tested these claims exhaustively—are totally watertight and also tasteand odor-free. And they come in fun colors like bluesteel, tangerine, chili, moss, and grape. Of course carry handles are carabiner-friendly. From $15, hydawaybottle.com
Doug Herrick
307-413-8899 dherrick@jhrealestate.com Associate Broker / Owner 34 years of Jackson Hole real estate experience... Residential, Commercial, Ranch Development
Jack Stout
307-413-7118 (c) 307-733-4339 (o) Jackstout1@gmail.com www.bhhsjacksonhole.com Associate Broker/Owner Licensed in Wyoming since 1992
Creating value, from the start to the end and beyond
JH Living
6/ THE WINES OF SUMMER Because Rendezvous Bistro isn’t content to have one of the best cocktail menus in town, the restaurant has become the country’s exclusive importer of Don Cosimo wines. Owner Gavin Fine selected four wines, all from the 2014 vintage and all made from grapes grown in vineyards near Corleone, Sicily. The sole red wine of the group—a Nero d’Avola—is wonderfully fruit-forward and jammy, but, this time of year, we can’t help but love the whites best: Grillo (fresh with apple, peach, and watermelon flavors) and Catarratto (honeysuckle and lavender aromas with flavors of pear, pineapple, and a touch of citrus). There’s also a sparkling version of the Grillo. The wines are available in the bottle shops at Bin22 and Bodega. From $9.50/glass, 380 S. Broadway, 307/739-1100
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7/ IT’S GOOD TO HAVE GILLS
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Before Rhode Island School of Design-trained Cam Brensinger founded NEMO Equipment, he worked with a team at MIT funded by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts to design spacesuit technology for human exploration of Mars. Brensinger brings the same consideration of design and performance to NEMO’s products—tents, sleeping bags, pads, pillows, and camping blankets. Most genius is NEMO’s Sonic series of down sleeping bags. Winner of the 2015 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award, Sonic bags have stretchy baffles around the knees for side sleepers. Sonic would have us with that feature alone, but it’s the bag’s Thermo Gills that are most impressive and useful. Zip open the “gills” and you can cool the internal temperature of the bag by as much as 20 degrees—without letting drafts in. $529, available at JD High Country Outfitters and Teton Mountaineering, nemoequipment.com
8/ MEET YOUR NEW ADVENTURE PARTNER We’ll do almost whatever it takes to not have to check a bag when traveling. Since discovering Eagle Creek’s Adventure Upright 22 Carry-On, it’s gotten easier. The 41-liter (it expands to 45 liters) luggage is lightweight and has wheels that roll over everything, two-way lockable zippers, pockets for organization, and interior compression wings. Of course it comes with Eagle Creek’s famous No Matter What Warranty. $269, order through JD High Country Outfitters or Skinny Skis, eaglecreek.com
9/ BACKCOUNTRY GOURMET
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On the Food Network show Iron Chef, Jennifer Scism beat superstar chef Mario Batali. Her restaurant, Annisa, is in Greenwich Village, but you don’t have to go to New York to enjoy her fare. Hike the Teton Crest Trail, backpack in the Wind Rivers, or camp at Leigh Lake with Scism’s favorite recipes. The chef’s new company, Good To-Go, offers dehydrated meals that are fresh and delicious. Our favs? The herbed mushroom risotto with basil pesto and the Thai curry. The latter is a spicy yellow coconut curry with broccoli and cauliflower that is served with jasmine rice. No reservations necessary. From $6.75, goodto-go.com
kYle Polzin
glenn dean
tim sHinaBarger
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JoHn coleman
Jim norton
The Legacy gaLLery Specializng
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B o z e m a n • J a c k s o n H o l e • s c o t t s da l e To v i e w a d d i t i o n a l w o r k s, p l e a s e v i s i t w w w. l e g a c y g a l l e r y. c o m
B o z e m a n , mt • J ac k s o n H o l e , WY • S c o t t S da l e , az 4977 • 75 nortH cacHe • Jackson, WYoming 83001 • 307 733-2353 W W W . l e g a c Y g a l l e rY . c o m
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BRADLY J. BONER
Babs Case BABS CASE’S HAZEL eyes twinkle as she describes what dance means to her: It is abstract poetry in motion, a visual language filled with metaphors, she says. Since Case came to Dancers’ Workshop (DW) as artistic director in 1998, the nonprofit has grown to teaching five hundred students (from sixty), and now also includes adult fitness and master classes. In her time here, Case, sixty-one, started the state’s sole dance company, Contemporary Dance Wyoming (CDW), brought the New York City Ballet to Jackson Hole—twice—and has won numerous awards for her choreography. Case most enjoys giving other dancers the opportunity to teach and choreograph. She gives every DW staff member a copy of the book This is Water, a commencement speech about compassion by David Foster Wallace that opens with a story about an older fish swimming. Two younger fish pass by, and the older fish says, “Morning, boys, how’s the water?” and the younger fish ask, “What the hell is water?” 30
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Q: When did you start dancing? A: I started when I was three. I think it was my mother’s decision. I’ve always been very attracted to the athletic aspect of dance. I was a hurdler in high school. Q: What brought you to Jackson? A: I came here with my husband at the time, Bob Berky. We came for a summer and decided to stay and create a life. Q: Had you been to Jackson, or even Wyoming, before? A: No. The first time I came here I was
like, “Where are the trees?” Now I think Wyoming is so beautiful from a sculptural perspective. I drive all over the state teaching residencies, my camera right beside me. I take pictures of the clouds, the skies, and the hills.
Jackson Wyoming Real Estate
Q: What do you do when you’re not dancing? A: I am also a visual artist. If dance is a visual language and impermanent, it’s the permanence of visual art that draws me to it. I paint and collage. When I toured with dance companies, instead of writing in a journal, I created small collages. Q: You choreograph, too; is this something all dancers do, or is it a different skillset? A: Some dancers don’t like to choreograph. They like to be the instrument rather than the player. It is a different skillset, because you have to have the ability to draw out of someone what you want.
live where you love
Q: Has the choreographer in you superseded the dancer? A: Yes. It’s not that I don’t like performing, because I do. I am more invested in the process. When I took on CDW, the amount of time it took administratively cornered me into making a choice. And also I am getting older. Q: What informs your choreography? A: Being human. Life. What I’m personally questioning or examining. Q: Can you give an example? A: The Meal [an original CDW piece] was performed with three tables. The idea behind it was that we should be as fulfilled at the end of our life as we are at the end of a meal. Life is a meal. Q: Are dancers in Jackson different than those you’ve worked with elsewhere? A: I think most dancers work hard. They have endless energy. One time my mom, who is an artist, came to visit. She said to me, “This is a place of extremes.” People here are extreme, and it matches the landscape. I think that that really expresses how this place affects people, dancer or not. INTERVIEW BY JULIE FUSTANIO KLING
JacksonListings.com WilsonListings.com TetonVillageListings.com Broker/Owner
Representing Buyers and Sellers in Jackson Hole since 1989 Teri@TeriMcCarthy.com 307.690.6906
www.JacksonWyomingRealEstate.com SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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BRADLY J. BONER
Bob McLaurin BOB MCLAURIN FIRST came to Jackson Hole as a “deadbeat rock climber” in the 1970s. The North Carolina native climbed the Grand Teton with friends. They hiked to the Lower Saddle, camped, and then woke at 4 a.m. the next morning to head for the 13,775-foot summit. They made it, but didn’t make it back to their car at the Lupine Meadows trailhead until 2 a.m. the following day. “It was slow, but we got it done,” he says. McLaurin, now sixty-three, still climbs the Grand Teton, usually over Labor Day weekend and with five or six of his coworkers at the Town of Jackson. “We call it a teambuilding effort,” he says. McLaurin has been Jackson’s town manager since 2003, and was also the town manager between 1990 and 1993. From 1985 to 1990 he was Jackson’s town planner. During his decade break from Jackson, McLaurin served as town manager of Vail, Colorado. He took a pay cut to return to Jackson. “Vail offered me more money to stay,” says McLaurin, who took up paragliding about six years ago. “But Jackson Hole is the greatest place on the planet. No paycheck could compete with that.” 32
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Q: What about Jackson today is the same as it was in 1985? A: Not a lot, but there are still some oldtime locals, and in many respects it is still a small town where you know everybody. Q: Was there one change that got Jackson’s economic evolution going? A: The leadership in the ’70s and ’80s made some very deliberate decisions that put us on the course to where we are economically today. Q: What’s been your favorite change? A: Snowmaking and grooming and high-speed quads.
Q: How has the economy changed? A: It used to be entirely tourism, but today it has two parts: tourism and lifestyle. This is a very desirable place to live and as more jobs allow you to live anywhere, people are choosing Jackson.
HOMES INSPIRED BY
living.
CONSIDER THESE EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITIES....
Q: How did you get into town planning/managing? A: Back East, I had been a planner. I worked for a city manager who really inspired me and made me want to be a city manager. He was a great leader. At that point in time, he saw more in me than I saw in myself. Q: Does he know how you’ve risen in the profession? A: Yes, we’re still in touch. He’s proud of me. Q: What are you proudest of having done so far as town manager? A: The Town of Jackson organization. It is an outstanding organization comprised of people that love this community and try to do the right things by the people who live here and visit here.
Creme de la Creme Main home: 4,693 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. Guest home: 1,047 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. 19.26 acres. $5,275,000. MLS # 15-2635.
Q: Anything physical? A: The parking structure [on Millward Street]. Everybody laughed at us when we started building it. Now it seems to be pretty popular. Q: What’s our biggest problem? A: The scarcity of housing and cost of land. This has always been a hard place to live. When Johnny Karns and Nick Wilson came [in the late 1800s], it was a hard place to live, but it was a different kind of hardship.
Teal Hollow Main home: 8,198 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. Guest home: 1,462 square feet, 1 bedroom, 1.5 baths. 38.4 acres. $16,800,000. MLS # 16-424.
Q: Where do you live? A: East Jackson. I love living in town. We bought our house in 1987. Q: What about taking up paragliding in your fifties? A: It is exhilarating, and you don’t have to hike six hours up to the Lower Saddle to do it. Q: Favorite aerial view? A: I love flying off Snow King and over town, but my favorite place is Curtis Canyon in the late afternoon—the sun going down behind the Tetons, it’s just spectacular.
SPACKMANS & ASSOCIATES
Teton County’s #1 Real EstateTeam WWW.SPACKMANSINJH.COM (307) 739-8156 SPACKMANS@JHSIR.COM
INTERVIEW BY DINA MISHEV
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RYAN DORGAN
Bethanie Hart BETHANIE HART, EIGHTEEN this July, has learned the art and science of outdoor adventure from her parents. Her mom, Shannon, teaches art at Jackson Hole Middle School. Her dad, Garrick, is a climbing guide for Exum Mountain Guides and teaches physics at Jackson Hole High School, where he runs the mountaineering club. It’s no surprise Bethanie is as comfortable conversing about climbing cams as she is color and “quantum locking.” (Don’t ask.) In 2015 Bethanie won a $1,000 art scholarship from the Ringholz Foundation for her painting. In 2013 she climbed ten Teton peaks in three days. She’s been hip-checking since fifth grade, playing ice hockey with the boys until Jackson had a girls’ team. While Bethanie plays defense, her twin sister, Addy, whom she describes as “a mirror—we are opposites but complement each other,” is the team’s goalie. When we interviewed Bethanie, she was still waiting to hear her options after high school graduation. Her first choice was to take a gap year, and spend it working on a service project. 34
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Q: Are many of your friends considering a gap year? A: No. College is the easier next stepping stone. It gets you the freedom without the crazy adult stuff. If I take a year off, I’ll have some of that crazy adult stuff to figure out. Q: How old were you when you started climbing? A: At three I’d sit at the base, tied in, just watching the scene and crying a lot. Q: Do you actually remember that? A: I definitely have an early memory of my brother [Madden, now fifteen] getting put in a haul bag and dad carrying
him up a climb. I also remember rolling around the base of climbs and complaining that I wanted to go home. Q: When did you stop complaining about climbing? A: I don’t remember exactly, but when I was twelve, being an Exum guide was my big dream. When I was fourteen, I did the Grand Traverse with my dad. Q: The Grand Traverse is no joke: ten peaks in one go. A: I know. I was pretty wrecked at the end of it. My dad dragged me up the last mountain. I wanted to quit, but he was like, “There’s only this one left.” We did it over three days/two nights. Most people do it in two days, but I was fourteen, so that wasn’t going to happen.
Yellowstone national park Multi-Day winter tours
Q: What is it about climbing that appeals to you? A: I think Grand Teton [National Park] is one of the most magnificent places I’ve been ever. Climbing melds walking around the park’s canyons and being on its peaks. I do love the adrenaline and physical work that comes from climbing. Q: Do other things make you feel the way nature does? A: Art—painting and drawing and journaling. Q: What do you paint? A: Last year it was abstract. But I quickly burnt out. Junior year I had the pressure of AP Portfolios. This year I’m just exploring and playing. Q: What’s your style? A: It’s like impressionistic, but very loose, with lots of line quality and very spontaneous. It is not confined. Q: What’s the last thing you drew? A: In my journal I was trying to work on my ears, so I drew like twenty ears in there. Q: And how does hockey fit in? A: Some of my favorite people in the world are on my team. Our first year, when I was in seventh grade, we lost every game but one, and that one we barely tied. Last year we got second [place] at state. To see improvement like that in that amount of time is cool.
Day tours by snowmobile and snowcoach 1.888.734.8898 WWW.SCENIC-SAFARIS.COM Permittee of the NPS & USFS. EOP.
INTERVIEW BY REBECCA HUNTINGTON
SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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JH Living
on the job
Straight Shooter It’s not all exotic adventures and locations for a professional photographer. Still, Jackson-based Jeff Diener says it’s a dream job. BY DINA MISHEV PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF DIENER
IT ISN’T RAINING when Jeff Diener and two friends start their hike up Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park. The rain—pounding and accompanied by claps of thunder sent down by Thor himself—starts as the trio enters the canyon’s north fork. Their packs protected by rain covers, the three keep going, water dripping off their visors and running down the backs of their shirts. The plan is to get one of the first-come/first-served 36
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campsites in the north The Grand Teton looms fork, set up camp, and behind a hiker high in then walk the final few the range. Jeff Diener snapped this shot for miles to Lake Solitude to MontBell Japan. enjoy the sunset. It’s still raining when they find a campsite and two tents are quickly set up. One of the hikers crawls into a tent and naps. In the other tent, Diener unpacks the gear stored in the driest, most
protected part of his backpack. Backpacking gear is increasingly expensive, but, still, Diener’s camera equipment—a Nikon D750 camera and four different Nikon lenses—likely cost more than the combined gear of every backpacker in both forks of Cascade Canyon. Diener is a professional photographer hoping to get sunset shots of his two friends—doubling as models today— hiking around the shore of Lake Solitude as it reflects the Cathedral Group. Diener wants to get this image at sunset because, from previous backpacking trips to the lake, he knows that it is the time of day when the mountains’ reflection on the lake is most dramatic. At sunset, Lake Solitude, and the granite walls surrounding it, is lit orange and pink. If it’s not raining. The rain stops just in time, and the trio races the one and a half miles from their campsite to the lake. At the western end of the lake, just below where the trail begins its almost 2,000-foot climb up to Paintbrush Divide, Diener gives the couple a few simple instructions and begins snapping away. Eight months later one of the images he took that evening is the cover of Backpacker magazine. Diener’s images have been published in magazines like Powder, SKI, Skiing, Bike, Backpacker, Outside, and National Geographic Adventure. Corporate clients include Patagonia, Title Nine, Stio, Cloudveil, MontBell Japan, and Royal Robbins. The Wyoming Office of Tourism has bought images from him. Last summer it was a Jeff Diener photo that graced the cover of the printed schedules for Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (START). There are dozens of photographers in Jackson Hole, but only a handful who actually make a living at it. Diener is one of those lucky few. “THE LINE BETWEEN life and work has always been pretty fuzzy for me, and I guess I like it that way,” he says. “When I started shooting professionally, I focused on the ski and snowboard market because that’s what I was spending most of my time doing. I moved to Jackson to be a ski bum, not a photographer.” For the first few years of his photography career, Diener paid his bills with An image Diener took of hikers at Lake Solitude was the cover of the June 2015 issue of Backpacker.
Photos taken by Jackson-based Diener have been published in Skiing, Bike, Powder, and Outside.
money earned from driving a taxi. “I’d drive a taxi at night and take photos and ski during the day,” he says. “It was a big deal once I could quit my night job and make a supportable wage as a photographer.” That transition came around 2001. In the fifteen-plus years that Diener has been making his living exclusively as a photographer, he has widened his subject matter. He shoots a “wide range of adventure sports and active lifestyle catalog images that span all seasons,” he says. In the week I interview him, Diener is shooting stock photos—he’s always looking to add to his collection of images—doing shots of MontBell gear in the field and planning for an upcoming assignment in Europe for Backcountry
magazine. “Of course the number one misconception about my job is that I’m always on adventures and cool photo shoots. I probably spend 70 to 80 percent of my time managing clients, marketing, planning shoots, editing, and delivering photos,” he says. “There’s so much work I do inside before I go anywhere.” “GOOGLE EARTH IS freaking amazing,” Diener says as we chat about his Backcountry assignment. The magazine hired him to shoot a skiing hut tour around Mont Blanc. Diener just got the trip itinerary from the guide. Now that he knows where he, and the group he’s shooting, will be on what days, he pulls up Google Earth on his computer. “The first step is getting the general lay of the land,” he says. Then he delves into more details. “I’ll see when the sunrise and sunset will be when we’re at each hut. You can also put yourself in a specific spot—say a hut we’re staying at on a ridgeline below Mont Blanc—and see a map of the arc of the sun and where it will be hitting at any given time. Where is the sun going to rise at each hut? You can see where the shadows are going to be, too. You can get all of that. I’m a planner, so I really need this to visualize.” By the time Diener boards a plane to Europe, he will have an idea of where he needs to be at what times to get some of the shots he wants. “I’m most attracted to soulful shots, the ones that create the most dramatic image possible,” he says. “I like an epic SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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mountain backdrop and gorgeous light. I also try to use creative angles—lying on the ground, putting the lens down in the grass or snow. I’ve got a twelve-foot stepladder that I’ve carried to some pretty ridiculous places.” Last fall Diener used the stepladder during a Stio shoot in an aspen grove on Munger Mountain, in the national forest south of Wilson. “With the ladder, I got an angle where I basically felt like I was up in the trees. Doing whatever you can to change it up, that adds interest to shots,” he says. Back to the Backcountry assignment, Diener will be carrying about thirty pounds of camera equipment, in addition to his ski gear. “Generally it’s thirtyfive to forty pounds, but for multiday backpacking or ski-touring trips, I’ll whittle it down. But I have a hard time leaving any lenses behind, just because I don’t want to sacrifice an opportunity,” he says. The Mont Blanc trip is five days.
This stock photo was taken at “The Wave” on a November trip to the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness in Arizona. Diener was traveling alone, so he served as his own model.
ON A FIVE-day magazine assignment Diener expects to shoot between 8,000 and 10,000 photos. Even though the trip is in late winter, because the story will not be published until winter 2016/17 he won’t have to get the photo editor at Backcountry the images until August. When it does come time for him to sort through these images, which will most likely happen in June, Diener says, “It takes juggling my schedule a bit to fit such a time-intensive project.” He says he tackles these huge editing projects “with insane late nights. I’ll work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., take a couple of hours off for dinner and a run or a hike, and then clock back in at 8 or 9 p.m. and work until 4 a.m. The most productive time is the late night—there are no distrac-
tions. Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., I can’t be totally efficient editing because I’m dealing with other daily ‘ASAP’ needs that come in from clients.” Diener uses the Adobe program Lightroom to manage and edit photos. As he does a first look at his images, he’ll star the ones he likes (Lightroom allows users to tag photos with one to five stars). “It is pretty exciting when you get the images loaded into the software and start geeking out on the best shots,” he says. “It’s like Christmas. I try to be good about being efficient with my editing time, but it is pretty exciting, going through the initial edit. It’s easy to get distracted. When you’re shooting, you do know when you get a great image, but with digital, the photo isn’t complete
until it has been processed on a computer, so it’s not really until this step that I know how good things look.” It will take Diener about four or five days and late nights to whittle “the beast” down to about 1,000 shots. This is the selection that he will use Lightroom to edit and that he will then send on to Backcountry. “Any images I send to a client will be pretty well dialed in,” he says. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist.” On its side, Backcountry will be waiting for the text to come in from the writer. “Often it’s not until they see the text that they can really nail images down,” he says. “Once they do, they might come to me and ask for sixty selects from the bigger batch that they want as high-res [resolution] files.” Look for Diener’s images in Title Nine catalogs and on its website, Runner’s World, the Stio store in downtown Jackson, and, if you happen to be in Europe, ads for financial services in France and for pharmaceuticals in Great Britain. His Alps images will be in the October or November 2016 issue of Backcountry. Diener’s photographs can also be found as fine-art prints and greeting cards, and have been included in textbooks and corporate calendars. jeffdiener.com JH This was shot in a standing burn area near Jackson with Adam Smith, whom Diener calls his “superhuman friend.” Stio, a local clothing company, used the image last spring.
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
JH Living
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business
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
Dude, It’s a Hard Business Dude ranching has been a mainstay of the valley’s economy since the 1920s, but it has never been easy.
NEAL HENDERSON
BY BRIGID MANDER
WHEN LORING WOODMAN decided to sell the historic Darwin Ranch, one of the most remote guest ranches in the area, located deep in the Gros Ventre Mountains between Jackson and Bondurant, it wasn’t an easy task to find the right buyer for the land, barns, and cabins. Woodman put the isolated 160-acre inholding in the Bridger-Teton National Forest abutting the Gros Ventre Wilderness—with no cell service—on the market for $8.5 million, and hoped for the best. When Woodman bought the Darwin in 1964, it was merely a pioneers’ outpost. He reHorses at the R Lazy S stored the main house and five historic cabins, are let out to pasture in the shadow of the which had fallen into disrepair, into comfortable Teton Range at the but spare guest lodging, as well as a few outend of the day. buildings, and ran it as a summer guest ranch for the next fifty years. The ranch sold in 2014 to San Francisco-based Paul Klingenstein and Kathy Bole, who operate it much the same as Woodman did, down to retaining the staff that have worked there for decades. The Darwin met with a very lucky outcome. Today it is most often developers buying dude ranches. Raising cattle isn’t as profitable as it once was, and ranching in any capacity is hard physical labor. On top of that, in areas like Jackson where real estate prices are sky-high, the temptation to sell for top dollar to developers, as opposed to more conservation-minded buyers, can be tough to resist.
SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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wilderness that the Darwin provides. “We were first drawn to the remarkable beauty of the place, and its remoteness, and then to the idea of preserving and stewarding the property. Loring had devoted so many years to building the business that it felt wrong to us to buy it and not at least try to keep it going as a guest ranch,” Bole says. “The [Darwin] has its roots in the Old West, as a hunting camp and a homestead, and that way
Joe Ferguson, a wrangler at the Gros Ventre River Ranch, looks across the valley to the Tetons at the end of a summer day.
of life carries over almost by necessity [because of the remoteness and difficulty of access]. But we are not particularly nostalgic for a past way of life, and don’t try to re-create that experience for our guests.” The Darwin has one landline— there is no cell service until about twenty or so miles down the road—and limited Internet service in the main house. Its draw remains the outdoors, where guests spend their days on horseback, fishing, or traipsing in the mountains. At night, dinners are served at big, communal tables, and evening entertainment usually consists of whiskey and conversation around the main-house fireplace.
many of them on land they or their parents homesteaded, were happy to oblige, for a fee. They added cabins and began to advertise, and the dude ranch was born. Dude ranches “are a uniquely western, uniquely American phenomenon,” says Katherine Wonson, director of the Western Center for Historic Preservation at the National Park Service. “People would leave their busy lives and jobs back East, come out, and pay to pretend to be ranchers for a month or two. And that was what travel to Jackson Hole was, historically.” Today there are approximately 350 dude ranches in the western U.S. and Canada. About forty of these are in Wyoming, according to Colleen Hodson, executive director of the Dude Ranchers’ Association. There are about a dozen guest ranches in and around Jackson today—from the Darwin to the rustic-butmodern Goosewing Ranch; the luxurious Lost Creek; the horse-heavy Gros Ventre River Ranch; and Flat Creek Ranch, which is even more popular with anglers than aspiring cowboys for its location on a lake beneath Sleeping Indian. It is a tough business, though, and those who are in it do it for love of the culture. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” Hodson says. Kelly and Nancy Stirn own and operate the R Lazy S Ranch on the Snake River near Teton Village. Kelly Stirn admits it’s a tough job. “We don’t run cattle anymore. It’s enough work with our herd of about seventy horses and forty guests [maximum] a week for sixteen weeks during the summer,” he says. The business is healthy, and makes enough money to operate and cover repairs and upkeep, but that’s about it, Stirn says. Additionally, any ranch that operates with a grazing permit on public land has to deal with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on renewals and other land-use issues. Traditionally, ranch permits were for one hundred years, but those are becoming few and far between, sending ranches into fights for survival with governNEAL HENDERSON
Already the owners of a working agricultural ranch (run by a ranch manager) in Cody, Wyoming, Bole and Klingenstein have a strong interest in sustainable farming, conservation, and environmental issues. And they had the ability to purchase and operate the Darwin. “We view the ranch as part of a wild ecosystem, and try to enhance this relationship by building wildlife-friendly fences, controlling grazing to main-
tain healthy pastures, generating our power from the creek, and in general trying to minimize our footprint,” Bole says. “We have been implementing these practices at the ranch in Cody, and supply the Darwin kitchen with our grassfed beef and lamb, pastured pork, and garden produce; we supplement with produce from Teton and Sublette County farmers whenever possible, and make an effort to buy from local producers. We are careful of our impact on the land, both physical and visual, to preserve this sense of wildness.” Although they didn’t have to keep the ranch open to the public, Bole and Klingenstein realized the unique and valuable opportunity to experience the 42
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
THE HEYDAY OF Jackson Hole dude ranches was the 1920s. Easterners wanted to see the natural wonders of the West and live, at least for a month or two, the adventurous life of a cowboy. Ranchers,
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ALEXANDRA MIHALE
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
ALEXANDRA MIHALE
ment agencies, Hodson says. The Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park has been in continuous operation for ninety years, ever since it opened in the fall of 1926. Unique in its location inside a national park, the ranch and its history made national news in 2011 when the Turner family, now in their fifth generation on the ranch, brought a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service. Since the founding of GTNP, Triangle X has been allowed to operate as a concession (private business) within the park. But a 1998 fed- Horses at the Triangle X Ranch, a historic dude ranch in Grand Teton National Park, wait to be saddled eral law stated that every ten years for the day’s ride. The ranch celebrates its ninetieth anniversary this year. the Turners had to compete against other concessionaires to contin- options,” says Amy Worster, general ting stronger year over year,” she says. ue to run their ranch. If another party manager of the Goosewing Ranch, a rewon the bid, the Turners would lose the mote former homestead in the Gros NOT ALL GUESTS look for a resort-y right to their ranch. The family alleged it Ventre River Valley north of Jackson that ranch. The Triangle X, and also the R had the right to continue to operate un- has been a dude ranch since the 1960s. Lazy S, continues to offer a traditional der its original agreement from the early The Goosewing is no longer a work- dude ranch experience. Stirn believes that twentieth century. Although some com- ing cattle ranch. “Our business model the ranches are a special place for a cerplicated historic and economic factors now is a resort ranch,” Worster says. tain kind of person. “Dude ranches used remain, the family won its bid to keep “Our guests still want to escape daily life to require a letter of recommendation,” the Triangle X for the time being. and reconnect with family, but now we he says. “People used to come for weeks give them the opportunity for a lot of on end and stay together on the ranch, so WHILE THE TRIANGLE X remains micro-adventures in addition to horse- if you got the wrong kind of person in fairly traditional—although not nearly back riding. We’ve gone from a very rus- there, things could be miserable.” as isolated as the Darwin—other valley tic property to something that can comThe Darwin’s Bole says: “If [guests] dude ranches have evolved with the pete with high-end, big resorts. But we bring their present-day thinking to the times and changing preferences of some still have a maximum of thirty-five experience, there’s a chance that the entypes of guests. “Guests today don’t al- guests at a time.” gagement will become a lasting one. We ways just want the traditional dude Despite the Goosewing’s isolation continue to value hard work, thrift, and ranch experience of years ago. They ex- and lack of cell service, business is living simply off the land. We have a pect a little more in terms of recreation booming. Worster reports that as of chance to introduce people to truly December 2015, the ranch was already wild places, and we would rather they taking reservations for the 2017 summer engage with the mountains in a way Triangle X guests have a cookout after their season. “The industry seems to be get- that doesn’t ask them to be something ride to the Snake River. other than themselves.” The R Lazy S adhered to the letters-of-recommendation policy for years. The practice only fell off over the last decade. Stirn says today a phone conversation with potential new guests is sufficient for both parties to decide if the ranch is the right vacation. For the families it is right for, the R Lazy S is really right. Many guests come back year after year, bringing kids and grandkids, passing the tradition through generations and, hopefully, keeping the businesses going. JH
EVER WONDER HOW ONE PLACE can hold infinite possibilities?
Photo by CodyDownard.com
Wild & Scenic Rafting Experience the Snake River on an inflatable raft providing unparalleled opportunity for wildlife viewing and sightseeing in the park.
Lake Cruises Explore the waters of Jackson Lake on a narrated scenic lake cruise with optional island cookout.
Horseback Riding Explore the landscape in Grand Teton National Park on a guided horseback trip or wagon ride with breakfast and dinner cookouts.
Fly Fishing Your private fishing guide will lead you to some of the best spots on the lake and rivers.
307-543-3100 www.gtlc.com
Part of something bigger An authorized concessioner of the National Park Service
design
MATTHEW MILLMAN
JH Living
Dining Out With the right design, you can enjoy outdoor spaces year-round. BY MOLLY ABSOLON
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
SOMETIMES EVEN A pane of glass is too much separation. One of the main reasons people choose to live in Jackson Hole is its spectacular scenery. Even if they never climb a mountain, they want to see the peaks, hear the wind, watch the wildlife, and feel the sun on their skin. And everyone needs to eat. Outdoor spaces like decks, patios, and porches can satisfy these needs and wants—if they are designed properly. After all, for much of the year the valley is buried in snow and temperatures are well below freezing. The rest of the year there are bugs and scorching sun. “With the right orientation, it can be zero or below zero, and you can still sit outside and be comfortable,” says Tom Ward, one of the principals at Jackson’s Ward + Blake Architects, which won 2013 Firm of the Year from the American Institute of Architects Western Mountain The screened-in porch at the Region that includes Arizona, home of Jackson architect John Carney is oriented to capture Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, the setting sun and create a and Wyoming. “The experience chang- cozy, intimate space for reading, cooking, and entertaining. es with the season.”
P ho t og r a ph er : Ma t t h ew M i ll ma n
I nspir e d b y Pl a c e
jackson,wy scottsdale,az
clbarchitects.com
WARD + BLAKE ARCHITECTS
The dining area at this home, designed by Tom Ward, near Teton Village is one of the architect’s favorites. The water in the sluiceway comes from a nearby natural warm spring and stays ice-free in the winter.
One of Ward’s favorite outdoor dining areas of his design is at a Teton Village house. The home is tucked into an aspen glade. These trees both protect the home’s deck from the wind and also allow just the right amount of light to filter in. On clear, still winter days the afternoon sun warms the space regardless of the ambient temperature. In the sum-
mer the trees offer protection, diffusing the light so you can enjoy the deck without being burned. To add ambiance, a reflecting pond feeds a small sluiceway that runs alongside the deck where a table for ten sits ready for entertaining. The water comes from a natural warm spring and stays ice-free year-round so residents can hear
its gentle gurgle even when the rest of the world is locked in snow. Of course there’s a fire pit. Large “Fred Flintstone” chairs carved from an old spruce trunk encircle it, creating a cozy place to hang out and listen to the sounds of the forest that surround the house. Or the sounds of neighbors: Ward says you can hear the creak of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Aerial Tram’s cables in winter. In the fall it’s the echo of elk bugling that fills the air. TEMPERATURES AREN’T THE only challenge to making an outdoor space comfortable. Come summer, bugs— flies, mosquitoes, and/or wasps—can transform a relaxing evening on the patio into a frenzy of swatting, itching, and fidgeting. John Carney of Carney Logan Burke Architects grew up on the East Coast, where screened-in porches were an integral part of the houses he lived in. Such porches provided respite from the
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
| (307) 733-0274 | WWW.STOCKTONANDSHIRK.COM
Photo David Marlow
M I L L E R
A R C H I T E C T S ,
L T D
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SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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ROGER WADE
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
Ward combined a fire pit with water at this home near Teton Village.
opposite direction. The location of their outdoor cooking space is convenient—it opens off a great room that includes the kitchen, as well as living and dining areas—but that’s where things stop being simple. The family had a 10,000-pound wood-burning pizza oven, imported from Italy, installed in the home. The oven came to the United States on a cargo ship, and was then packed into a U-Haul and driven to Jackson Hole, where it now stands on the Meis’ slate patio, facing north toward the Tetons. You’d think that would have been the inconvenient part, but no: The Meis have to import hard wood into the valley because the local pine doesn’t burn hot enough, and, when they want to cook, they have to start the fire hours before they sit down to eat. But it is worth it. “I always wanted a wood-burning pizza oven in my backyard,” says Dan Mei, who, with his brothers, owns an award-winning Italian restaurant chain in Phoenix called Nello’s. “It’s just like one of the community ovens a lot of villages in Italy used to have. Those ovens never got cold. The temperature determined what people cooked.” The Meis use the oven for more than pizza. Last Christmas they shoveled a path through the snow from the house to the oven, stoked a fire for thirty-six hours to bring it up to the right tempera-
PRICE CHAMBERS
bugs, but still allowed you to feel, hear, and see the outdoors. When Carney designed his own house near the end of Fish Creek Road in Wilson, he included a classic screened porch like the ones he enjoyed as a child. His home, which was completed in 2014, is surrounded by woods and feels like a treehouse. The porch is oriented carefully in order to capture the setting sun and create a cozy, intimate space for reading, cooking, and entertaining, all of which Carney and his wife enjoy. Because the porch is protected from the elements, Carney was able to fill the space with antiques from his family’s ranch, blurring the lines between indoor and out even more. An antique table seats twelve, and an upholstered chaise provides a comfortable spot to relax with a book. A door connects the porch to the inside kitchen, making it easy to bring meals outside. Or Carney can just use the large, stainless steel barbecue that’s outside. “A screened porch is a way to mitigate nature,” Carney says. “We love being able to come out here and be protected. We don’t have to shovel. We have a heater. We probably eat 85 percent of our meals out here.” Carney says that for him, the convenience of having a protected space that can be used yearround means that it is used year-round. “It’s a different experience from an outdoor fire pit,” he says. “And it’s more integrated into our home than a nice barbecue on a deck. Now that I have this, I’m mystified why we haven’t done more.” If Carney’s screened porch represents ease and convenience, the Mei family, whose home is in a subdivision north of town and features an unobstructed view of the Grand Teton, went in the
Dan Mei prepares a pizza on the porch of his home north of Jackson. The family’s pizza oven was imported from Italy by a friend of the Arizona restaurateur.
ture, and then roasted a suckling pig for their holiday meal. Mei’s daughter, Jen, an architect and interior designer who works for Carney Logan Burke, says this outdoor living space is pretty simple. It’s all about utility and the view. “The materials are designed to weather,” she says. “The corrugated steel we used on the siding gets a patina. The concrete doesn’t take any maintenance. The driver is the very traditional wood-burning pizza oven,” which probably has the best views of any pizza oven in the country. FIRE AND WATER are part of what brings power to another Ward + Blake outdoor eating space. The Green Knoll house, on Fall Creek Road, is a lowprofile structure built into a hillside with an exterior palette of stone, metal, and glass. On the ground floor sliding glass doors open to turn an indoor swimming pool into an outdoor one. On the deck beyond the pool there is a large barbecue surrounded by granite
PAUL WARCHOL
The outdoor spaces at the Green Knoll residence were designed for entertaining both adults and kids.
countertops and tables for eating, plus a Jacuzzi. It’s an outdoor living space ideal for adult entertainment. For the kids the design team came up with the idea of an outdoor marshmallow-roasting pit. “We’d done fire pits before, but never one specifically for marshmallows,” Ward says. The family loves it
and uses the space all year round. Ward says: “Sun, water, fire, wildlife—these are essential, primal elements that we have in abundance in Jackson. It doesn’t really matter what we do as architects. Mother Nature provides 95 percent of what makes practicing architecture here so cool.” JH
THE CAKEBREAD RANCH This 300 acre European flavored retreat is being offered fully furnished on nearly 4.5 miles of Salt River enjoying panoramic views of surrounding mountain ranges and meadows. Amenities include a luxury estate with a 5000 sf garage for collections, elegant Day Lodge, substantial organic garden, a complete 60+ head Wagyu cattle operation and some of the best enhanced fly fishing the west has to offer. $40,000,000.00
PAMELA RENNER BROKER ASSOCIATE
Listing and selling premier Jackson Hole properties M: 307-690-5530 | O: 307-739-8025 | 185 W. Broadway, Jackson Hole, WY 83001 SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
51
Special Interest Feature
Peak Properties THE FACTOR THAT makes the Jackson Hole real estate market so unusual is the relative scarcity of private land. Ninety-seven percent of Teton County, Wyoming, is publicly owned—either national park, national forest, or wildlife refuge. This computes to just 75,000 privately held acres in a county spanning 2.5 million acres. The guaranteed open spaces and unobstructed views these surrounding public lands afford make the remaining private land a real treasure. Add the abundance of recreational opportunities found in and around the valley, and the quality of life one can enjoy in Jackson Hole is simply unbeatable. Moreover, many of the properties featured here are secluded, scenic retreats located in the midst of prime wildlife habitat. Most existing and prospective property owners in Jackson Hole cherish this notion, and serve—or will serve—as stewards of nature. One cannot put a dollar value on waking to the Teton skyline, skiing home for lunch, or listening to a trout stream gurgling through the backyard. In Jackson Hole, “living with nature” is not a fleeting, vicarious experience a person has while watching TV. Here it’s a fact of life, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
MCALISTER RANCH LIVINGSTON, MONTANA
661 acres
4
bedrooms
2
baths
3,995,000 dollars
— MLS#
52
McAlister Ranch is a stunning 661 acre ranch for sale located in the coveted Paradise Valley, 20 minutes south of Livingston, Montana. This authentic ranch serves as an exceptional recreational retreat for the horse enthusiast, hunter, hiker, or cross-country skier. The 661+/- deeded acres extend to Gallatin National Forest adjacent to thousands of acres of Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness that extends all the way to Yellowstone National Park. Charming farm house, indoor and outdoor arenas, historic barn, outbuildings, and approximately 80 irrigated acres.
SPECTACULAR LOG HOME
5,846
square feet
5
bedrooms
4
Located in River Meadows, this spectacular log home is surrounded by conservation land with unobstructed views of the Grand Teton and Snake River. With a great floor plan—including 5,846 square feet, 5 bedrooms, and 4.5 baths—this home will be sure to impress. Proximity to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, national parks and national forests provides the ultimate location to enjoy all that Jackson has to offer.
baths
5,695,000
Raich Montana Properties LLC Tracy Raich - (406) 223-8418 tracyraich@wispwest.net - tracyraich.com
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
dollars
15-2352 MLS#
Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates, LLC Sean Clark - (307) 690-8716 seanclark@jhrea.com - jhrea.com
QUINTESSENTIAL MOUNTAIN RETREAT
2,854
square feet
3
bedrooms
3
This property really does have it all: Beautiful log main house on 5.5 acres, adorable one bedroom, one bath log guest house and a cute log building with indoor, heated endless swimming pool. Stunning south-easterly views of the Snake River and Munger Mountain. Adjacent to USFS and Crescent H open space. Creek frontage and hiking and biking trails at your door step. This is truly “the’’ property to enjoy all Jackson Hole has to offer.
baths
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Jane Carhart - (307) 739-8026 jane.carhart@jhsir.com - jhsir.com
15-2087 MLS#
TEAL HOLLOW
4
bedrooms
Imagine an elegant, secluded English-style manor and historic outbuildings nestled in cottonwoods with protected Snake River access where your only neighbors are meadows, river runs, bugling elk, moose and bald eagles. Imagine Teal Hollow.
5
MLS#
3.5
dollars
15-1804 MLS#
Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates Rebekkah Kelley - (307) 413-5294 rebekkahkelley@jhrea.com - budgerealestate.com
.7
acres
—
bedrooms
Lot 96 overlooks Fish Creek with outstanding views of the Tram and Rendezvous Mountain to the west. Owner/ members will enjoy all the amenities of Shooting Star, including its world-class spa and fitness facilities, tension edge lap pool, Jacuzzis, fine dining, tennis courts, Tom Fazio golf course, and on-call shuttle service to and from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
—
baths
16,800,000
16-424
3
bedrooms
LOT 96 IN SHOOTING STAR
baths
dollars
square feet
Located just outside Grand Teton National Park, this brand new home offers upper level living to take advantage of the Teton views. The home overlooks a 22 acre undeveloped parcel and national park land, eventually leading to the Gros Ventre River. On .17 acres the home offers a beautiful custom kitchen, two living areas, an office, a large covered deck to the south, an open deck to the north, and a bright and open floor plan.
869,000
dollars
square feet
2,374
baths
2,295,000
8,198
NEW HOME AT THE FOOT OF THE TETONS
2,550,000
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Spackmans & Associates - (307) 739-8156 spackmans@jhsir.com - spackmansinjh.com
dollars
— MLS#
TCCG Real Estate (The Clear Creek Group LLC) John L. Resor - (307) 739-1908 jresor@shootingstarjh.com - shootingstarjh.com SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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ALTA, WYOMING - 3 ACRES, NO CCRS
2,240
square feet
4
bedrooms
3.5
Enjoy south and west facing sunshine and views from this charming 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath farmhouse with two living areas, each with a wood burning stove. Beautiful oak hardwood floors in living, dining, and kitchen. Large family room with built-in bookshelves and desk. Oversized 2-car attached garage plus large covered carport or work area. 3 acres with no CC&Rs and no HOA fees. Listing agent is related to seller.
— MLS#
square feet
5
bedrooms
2
This downtown Gill Addition property offers two separate oversized corner homesites on .42 acres. The cozy 4 bedroom main home fronts Broadway and may be rezoned commercial by the Town of Jackson in the near future, but currently allows a home office use. A one-bedroom guest home off the main driveway would be a great mother-inlaw or could provide rental income. A buyer may also live in the main home while building on the north side.
MLS#
54
3
dollars
16-357 MLS#
3,174
square feet
4
bedrooms
3.5 baths
1,150,000
2,385,000
15-3035
4
bedrooms
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Tom Evans - (307) 739-8149 TomEvansRE@JHSIR.com - TomEvansRealEstate.com
STUNNING TETON VIEW, 4 BEDROOMS, AND WILDLIFE
baths
dollars
square feet
This 4,121 square foot, 4 bedroom, 3 bath home is nestled in a private setting just above Wilson on 1.52 forested acres. Featuring a delightful interior with pleasing colors and reclaimed oak floors, the house offers an open living plan with a spacious bonus room over the garage. Framed by a neatly manicured and sprinkled lawn, the property enjoys a welcome buffer afforded by the 10 acres of common area that surrounds the subdivision.
2,495,000
Jackson Wyoming Real Estate Teri McCarthy - (307) 690-6906 wyoteri@gmail.com - JacksonWyomingRealEstate.com
385 EAST BROADWAY
3,237
4,121
baths
baths
UPON REQUEST dollars
TUCKED IN THE TREES ABOVE WILSON
Prugh Real Estate, LLC Greg Prugh - (307) 413-2468 g@prugh.com - prugh.com
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
dollars
15-1729 MLS#
Bordering the elk migration corridor north of Town, this spacious single level home has an easy floor plan and is comprised of 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms; great room with maple hardwood floors; tongue and groove vaulted ceilings; wood burning stove and den with a gas stove. Featuring multiple decks for outside enjoyment and a generous garage with a separate enclosed shop or office. Well positioned on 2.5 acres,the property is site prepared for horses with irrigation-water rights, seeded irrigated pasture and new fencing.
Diane Nodell Real Estate Inc Diane Nodell - (307) 690-0303 diane@dianenodell.com - dianenodell.com
STREAMSIDE IN JOHN DODGE
3,635
square feet
4
bedrooms
4.5
You’ll love listening to the freely flowing creek from every room of this residence, set among 4 acres of lawns and conifers. Enjoy your evenings sitting on the terrace with direct views of the Grand Teton or wandering back to the Snake River for some fishing or a stroll. The 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom home was completely remodeled in 2013 using the highest quality finishes and is complemented by a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom guest house.
baths
15-1860 MLS#
acres
3
bedrooms
3.5 baths
The Rendezvous Ranch is a large 1,200-acre working cattle ranch located in the heart of the Green River Valley with private wade fishing on a 1/4 mile of the New Fork River. The restored improvements include an owner’s home, manager’s home, 2 single-bedroom cabins and horse barn that offer all the charm of the West with modern conveniences. This is an ideal legacy ranch offering Wind River Range views, recreational amenities and a livestock operation.
4,950,000 dollars
13-1405 MLS#
square feet
2
bedrooms
2
This newly constructed home on the Village Road offers 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an office and a 1-car heated garage. Amenities include Caesarstone countertops, fir hardwood floors, cove heating, Pella windows, pellet stove, and AV throughout. Enjoy a beautifully landscaped yard with a new irrigation system, decks and hot tub. Close proximity to Teton Village, Aspens Market and Wilson. Property could also be made into a guest home for future main home development.
950,000
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Mercedes Huff - (307) 690-9000 mercedes.huff@jhsir.com - mercedeshuff.com
RENDEZVOUS RANCH – CORA, WYOMING
1,200
1,080
baths
$5,850,000 dollars
1875 MOOSE-WILSON ROAD
Live Water Properties John Turner - (866) 734-6100 jturner@livewaterproperties.com - livewaterproperties.com
dollars
Prugh Real Estate, LLC Greg Prugh - (307) 413-2468 g@prugh.com - prugh.com
15-3036 MLS#
WOODSIDE ESTATE
6,800
square feet
6
bedrooms
7
baths
UPON REQUEST dollars
— SIR#
Woodside Estate was completed in 2014, and offers up expansive Teton views from every room in the house. With over 6,800 square feet of living space, this 6 bedroom, 7 bathroom home was built with beautiful reclaimed materials and the finest quality finishes available. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are evident in every room. Situated on 5 private acres in Woodside Subdivision, just 10 minutes north of the town of Jackson. This area of the valley has abundant wildlife and some of the most beautiful scenery in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Chris Grant - (307) 413-3814 chris.grant@jhsir.com - propertiesjacksonhole.com SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
55
CONTEMPORARY LOFT IN DOWNTOWN JACKSON HOLE
1,466
square feet
2
bedrooms
2.5
This brand new, luxury condominium in the heart of Jackson Hole is a hassle free residence or investment property. Zoned to allow short-term rentals, its downtown location is two blocks from the Town Square. Quality finishes include hardwood flooring, cove heat, a Sonos TV system, steam shower, A/C and a gourmet kitchen. Two story windows, an exterior deck, a secure building elevator and owner’s storage round out its amenities.
baths
1,375,000 dollars
N/A MLS#
square feet
3
bedrooms
Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates LintonBingle Associate Brokers Carol Linton - (307) 732-7518 LintonBingle@jhrea.com - LintonBingle.com
Beautifully maintained contemporary home located on 3.98 acres. Residence offers 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, wonderful natural light in an open living/dining/kitchen area, luxury master bedroom and bath, spacious family/ entertainment room, plentiful storage areas, attached oversized garage, separate guest house and more.
3
MLS#
56
3
bedrooms
3
1,400,000 dollars
— MLS#
Rare Properties of Jackson Hole LLC Rick Armstrong - (307) 413-4359 rick@rarejh.com - rarejh.com
6,314
square feet
4
bedrooms
5
The craftsmanship, the western design and the log construction make this 6,300 square foot lodge feel historic. Four bedrooms, 5 baths, a great room, gourmet kitchen, game room, river rock fireplaces and wrap around porches all well located on 7+ acres rich in native vegetation, streams and ponds, and abundant wildlife. The massive barn with horse stalls and workshop and 3 car garage provide room for your recreational toys.
baths
1,795,000
15-755
square feet
Stunning Teton views and seasonal stream, this property has it all. The custom home is adjacent to open space on three sides. The home itself is 2,669 square feet featuring 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a huge bonus room. Built with the highest quality of construction and craftsmanship, with cathedral ceilings, slate and hickory hardwood floors. The alder wood kitchen boasts high-end built-in appliances and granite countertops. Agent owned.
SOLITUDE LOG LODGE
baths
dollars
2,669
baths
POLO RANCHES
3,008
DRAMATIC TETON VIEWS
4,495,000
Brokers of Jackson Hole Real Estate Timothy C. Mayo - (307) 690-4339 tcmayo@aol.com - bhhsjacksonhole.com
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
dollars
14-1646 MLS#
Brokers of Jackson Hole Real Estate Timothy C. Mayo - (307) 690-4339 tcmayo@aol.com - bhhsjacksonhole.com
TETON WONDERLAND
4,850
square feet
4
bedrooms
5
baths
Touch the Tetons from this beautiful home situated on 3.5 acres inside the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park, all while enjoying luxury living as an added bonus. After a day of exploring the wonders of the parks or fishing the nearby creek, retreat back home. Complete with an open gourmet kitchen, perfect entertaining spaces, and quality finishes such as custom milled woodwork, hardwood flooring, granite counters, and thoughtful lighting throughout.
14-1695 MLS#
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Ed Liebzeit - (307) 413-1618 Ed.Liebzeit@jhsir.com - EdInJackson.com
HOME AND 15 ACRES BORDERING NATIONAL FOREST
2,900
square feet
3
bedrooms
3
Tucked away in the coveted foothills of the Big Hole Range, “Henderson Creek Lodge’’ sits on over 15 acres bordering national forest. Located only minutes from downtown Victor, Idaho, this tremendous property offers both privacy and convenience. The main house, built into the hillside, offers elevated views over the pine trees into the canyon below. A detached spacious garage offers guest quarters above.
baths
15-2639 MLS#
square feet
4
bedrooms
Located just 3 miles from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, this extremely well-built 4 bedroom, 3,352 square foot house is the perfect ski vacation home or residence. Separate guest apartment, Grand Teton views, oversized garage, and separate outbuildings complement this wonderful Jackson Hole property.
5
baths
dollars
15-909 MLS#
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Brokers of Jackson Hole Real Estate Jack Stout - (307) 413-7118 jack@bhhsjacksonhole.com - bhhsjacksonhole.com
STOTT’S SLEEPY HOLLOW RANCH - TETONIA, IDAHO
647 acres
—
bedrooms
—
baths
695,000 dollars
3,352
1,995,000
2,495,000 dollars
PERFECT FAMILY SKI HOME
Historic Stott’s Sleepy Hollow Ranch is an operating ranch with a stunning setting and diverse terrain. Approximately 470 acres of high yield tillable quality soil and 180 acres of pasture. Nine grain bins, hay silo, large hay shed, multiple equipment buildings, corral, loading chute, and automated stock feed system. Bitch Creek, the North Fork of the Teton River is an outstanding trout fishery that runs 1.25 miles through the north acreage with “Swanner Creek” through south pasture lands.
14,000,000
Teton Valley Realty Tayson Rockefeller - (208) 709-1333 tayson@tetonvalleyrealty.com - tetonvalleyrealty.com
dollars
14-2693 MLS#
Teton Valley Realty Mark Rockefeller - (208) 351-1411 mark@tetonvalleyrealty.com - tetonvalleyrealty.com SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
57
CHIC TETON PINES ESTATE
4,071
square feet
4
bedrooms
This Teton Range view estate home on two combined lots has a seasonal stream and a birds-eye view of the 16th green at Teton Pines Country Club. Completely updated in the last year, the home has four bedrooms, four and a half baths and is offered fully furnished.
4.5
MLS#
square feet
3
bedrooms
3.5 baths
Located in the East Cabins at Shooting Star, this JLF designed home features cathedral ceilings, reclaimed wood, a gourmet kitchen, and a master wing. Owner/ members will enjoy all the amenities of Shooting Star, including its world-class spa and fitness facilities, tension edge lap pool, Jacuzzis, fine dining, tennis courts, Tom Fazio golf course, and on-call shuttle service to and from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
— MLS#
58
dollars
16-371 MLS#
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Pamela Renner - (307) 690-5530 pamela.renner@jhsir.com - pamelarenner.com
DESIRABLE EAST JACKSON
2,970
square feet
4
bedrooms
This home has been beautifully remodeled from top to bottom. New cabinets, quartz countertops, brushed steel backsplash, paint, hardwood flooring, carpeting, and tile. Convenient in town living, close to the hospital and along the bus line. Nice fenced backyard with hot tub, deck, and views of Snow King.
4
baths
4,500,000 dollars
3
bedrooms
This nearly 300 acre European flavored retreat property is being offered fully furnished on nearly 4.5 miles of Salt River frontage enjoying magnificent panoramic views of surrounding mountain ranges and meadows. Amenities include a luxury estate with a 5,000 square foot garage, elegant Day Lodge meeting center/restaurant/bar (guest house conversion potential), substantial organic garden/ greenhouses, complete 60 plus head Wagyu (Kobe) beef operation, and some of the best enhanced fly fishing the west has to offer.
40,000,000
Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Spackmans & Associates - (307) 739-8109 spackmans@jhsir.com - spackmansinjacksonhole.com
CABIN 2 AT SHOOTING STAR
3,321
square feet
baths
3,750,000
16-36
5,227
4
baths
dollars
THE CAKEBREAD RANCH
1,395,000
TCCG Real Estate (The Clear Creek Group LLC) John L. Resor - (307) 739-1908 jresor@shootingstarjh.com - shootingstarjh.com
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
dollars
15-123 MLS#
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Brokers of Jackson Hole Real Estate Doug Herrick - (307) 413-8899 doug@bhhsjacksonhole.com - bhhsjacksonhole.com
QualiTy ranch, recreaTional & residenTial MonTana ProPerTies
661 ACRE EQUESTRIAN RANCHÂ LIVINGSTON, MONTANA n n n n n n n
Borders National Forest and wilderness Indoor and outdoor riding arenas Wilderness cabin in mountain meadow Natural springs, irrigation rights for 80 acres Historic barn, farm house, outbuildings Barney creek frontage, near the Yellowstone River
Tracy raich Broker | Owner 406.223.8418 WWW.TRACYRAICH.COM LIVINGSTON, MT 59047
Amazing views of the Paradise Valley
LIST PRICE: $3.995 MILLION
Exceptional Service for Buyers & Sellers
TAYLOR LUNEAU
Ryan Burke takes a break on top of the Grand Teton, just one of twenty-two Teton peaks he summited over a four-day span in an adventure he called the “Perception Traverse.” 60
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
Mountain MADNESS
In Jackson Hole, a ‘Picnic’ involves 67 miles of biking, swimming, hiking, and climbing. A bike ride Around the Block is 109 miles. BY BRIGID MANDER
SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
61
the PicnicBIKE, SWIM, HIKE
JOHN DOUGLASS
70 MILES
DAVID STUBBS
ONE SUMMER DAY IN 2011 JACKSON RESIDENT DAVID GONZALES SET OUT FROM THE TOWN SQUARE ON HIS ROAD BIKE. NOTHING UNUSUAL THERE. BUT IT WAS 2:30 A.M., AND GONZALES HAD MORE THAN CYCLING PENCILED INTO HIS DAY. The then-forty-four-year-old writer and mountaineer planned to ride 21 miles to Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. There he’d put on a wetsuit and swim 1.2 miles across Jenny Lake. Across the lake, he would dry off, change into climbing clothes, and hop on the trail to the 13,775-foot summit of the Grand Teton. Gonzales biked and swam without incident. He hiked to the Lower Saddle, which sits at 11,600 feet. There, only 2,000 feet below the sumDavid Gonzales mit of the Grand, he saw bad 62
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
After riding 21 miles from Jackson to Grand Teton National Park, David Gonzales dons a wetsuit and goggles for a sunrise swim across Jenny Lake. After the swim Gonzales summited the Grand Teton, and then did the entire route in reverse.
weather coming in and turned around. In summer 2012 Gonzales tried again. He biked, swam, and summited the Grand. Then he got a ride home. Gonzales himself is a mountaineer, which is a requirement of completing this endeavor. (Climbing the Grand Teton requires technical climbing skills and has several spots where you must be comfortable with the fact that a 2,000-plusfoot fall is only one misstep away). He’s friends with many other mountaineers. Telling one of them about his adventure, the friend pointed out that Gonzales left it unfinished: Mountaineers always return to the start of their route. Several weeks later Gonzales set out to do the round-trip. Twenty-three hours after he left it, he arrived back at the Town Square more elated than exhausted. The round-trip totals nearly 70 miles. Gonzales did the whole thing solo, but did have a friend in a kayak paddling beside him as he
WILDLIFE TOURS
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swam across Jenny Lake. He named the endurance challenge “the Picnic,” because, “It was just a fun, challenging day in the mountains with some really good food for fuel.” Gonzales isn’t exaggerating when he says “good food.” It wasn’t energy bars or synthetic gels he brought, but chicken thighs, bacon, and sandwiches— proper picnic fare. Some people might call the Picnic masochism. A sufferfest. Insanity. It is, perhaps, all three. But it’s also something else, Gonzales says: “You get up in the middle of the night and ride up into the Tetons under the stars, it’s wonderful! You get to a pristine lake; it’s the perfect length for a swim. Then you get out and go up into this jungle gym in the sky—and then you get to turn around and go back again.” It turns out that plenty of Jacksonites agreed with Gonzales, which led to lots of calls and emails asking for Picnic details. Extreme fitness is the norm in Jackson Hole. Hike up Snow King and someone will tell you about the hike to the top of the tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Hike up to the top of the tram and then you’ll hear about Teewinot, a peak in Grand Teton National Park that includes over 5,000 feet of vertical ascent. Do Teewinot and, as you’re celebrating afterwards with a beer or margarita at Dornan’s, you’ll hear about former Exum Tristan Greszko cruises along the pathway in GTNP en route to a swim across Phelps Lake and a climb of Mt. Albright, Static Peak, and Buck Mountain—and back again—in a Picnic dubbed the “Triple Buck.” guides Rolando Garibotti and Alex Lowe, both of whom ran up Teewinot in under an hour (and then went on to Gonzales was caught off guard by how interested people climb nine other mountains in the same day). And then you’ll were in the Picnic, which is alternately called the Grand hear one bartender talking to another bartender about how his Teton Triathlon. No one had ever done anything like it bethird time on the summit of Everest was really his last. Jackson’s fore, but it was clearly an adventure tailor-made for Taco Bell and Daylight Donuts have both gone out of business, Jackson Hole’s extreme athletes. (A side note: One of the but stores selling outdoor gear thrive. hallmarks of Jackson’s brand of fitness is that locals don’t Gonzales, while an accomplished mountaineer, knew being see it as extreme.) the best or fastest wasn’t within reach. For that matter, being the Since 2012 Gonzales has created more Picnics in the best or fastest weren’t ever his goals. “I’m not a great athlete—I’m Tetons, and further afield in Montana and the Pacific a pretty normal guy having fun testing limits,” he says. Since he’d Northwest. His aim is to keep competition and commerbeen in the valley for upwards of fifteen years, by 2011 he had cialism out of it, but he doesn’t mind company. He does it climbed the Tetons’ major peaks (sometimes a couple at once), for the challenge, of course, but, ultimately, it is about havhad done all of the local road rides, and had run many of the valing fun outside with friends and testing his limits. “It’s the ley’s trails. But he hadn’t ever combined them. The idea of a opposite of an official event,” Gonzales says. “It’s about domountain triathlon was born. “I just wanted to see if I could do ing it yourself or with your friends. It’s self-recognition, it,” he says. because who else cares, really, and whatever you define it Despite his personal enthusiasm and Jackson’s idea of fitness, as, it’s your own picnic.”
Around theBIKE 109 Block
DAVID GONZALES
MILES OVER 2 MOUNTAIN PASSES
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
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Around theBIKE 154 Rock
MILES WITH 30-SOME MILES OF DIRT
ished one of these races—Spartans, Tough Mudders, and Warrior Dash—in the United States in 2013, according to Running USA, a track and field advocacy group that has begun tracking these nontraditional running events. That same year only half a million people ran a marathon in the U.S. There are races like the Leadville 100, in Colorado. You’d think the fact that the race starts at 10,151 feet would be challenging enough. But the “100” is in its name for a reason: The race, for both mountain bikers and runners, is one hundred miles. Even more incomprehensible is the Badwater Ultra, a foot race that begins 280 feet below sea level in Death Valley, California, and ends at 8,300 feet on Mt. Whitney. Over the course’s 135 miles, runners ascend 14,600 feet. This race gains in popularity every year.
TRISTAN GRESZKO
IN HINDSIGHT IT shouldn’t be a surprise Jacksonites called Gonzales for info on the Picnic, but that it took so long for something like it to happen. After all, area climbers have been doing traverses linking up the main peaks of the Tetons for years. Both Exum Mountain Guides and Jackson Hole Mountain Guides even offer guided trips of the Cathedral Traverse (Teewinot, Mount Owen, and the Grand) and the Grand Traverse (Teewinot, Mt. Owen, the Grand, Middle, and South Tetons, Ice Cream Cone, Gilkey Tower, Spalding Peak, Cloudveil, and Nez Perce). They are usually done over two to four days, but in August 2000 Garibotti, previously mentioned for his speedy ascent of Teewinot, did After a bike ride to—and swim across—Jenny Lake, Kelly Halpin ascends the trail into Garnet the Grand Traverse in 6 hours and 49 Canyon on her way to the summit of the Grand Teton. Halpin and Greszko would make the minutes. His record still stands, and summit and return trip to Jackson in a brisk 23.5 hours. climbers and mountain runners still talk about it with awe. THE EVOLUTION OF athletics into more challenging Jackson cyclists have Around the Block: a 109-mile ride passing events is certainly not unique to Jackson Hole. Running through Jackson; Victor and Swan Valley in Idaho; Alpine; and races spawned triathlons, which are swim-bike-run events. Hoback Junction. Whether you decide to go clockwise (ride up The first one was held in 1974, in California. Today millions Teton Pass at the end) or counterclockwise (start the ride with the of people annually do triathlons, and it’s an Olympic event. 2,100-foot climb up Teton Pass), know that’s not the only difficult There are numerous varieties of off-road triathlons (all less part. There’s also Pine Creek Pass, between Victor and Swan Valley, extreme than the Picnic). In Hawaii in 1978 fifteen men and, along Palisades Reservoir, more rolling hills than you can lined up for the very first Ironman, in which they were chal- count. “When I moved here, it wasn’t something I thought I would lenged to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and, finally, run a do,” says local photographer and cyclist John Slaughter. “But it’s full marathon of 26.2 miles. In 2016 there are 180 Ironman great, and now I have done it multiple times.” events scheduled in twenty countries around the world. Many cyclists doing this ride are training for LoToJa—the lonMarathons became ultramarathons, requiring runners gest single-day, annual bike race in the country that just happens to to do fifty or one hundred miles. Want to spread your run- end in Teton Village. It starts 206 miles away in Logan, Utah. ning out? The Marathon des Sables is a six-day, 156-mile When it’s time to graduate from Around the Block, there’s race. Because running the equivalent of six marathons in Around the Rock—a 154-mile ride that circles most of the Teton six days isn’t enough, this race is across the Sahara Desert. Range. (The “rock” is the range.) While Around the Block is all on According to Ultrarunning magazine, in 2014 there were paved roads, the Rock ride includes 30-some miles of dirt. Road more than 1,200 ultrarunning races, triple the amount and mountain biker Jill Damman rode Around the Rock “because held in 2004. Most recently, cross-country running courses my coach had me scheduled for a nine-plus-hour ride and what have taken to adding obstacles. Four million people fin- better way than riding around the Tetons?” she says. The day prior 66
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
Greszko scrambles across a ridgeline on Buck Mountain, the final summit in his Triple Buck Picnic.
DAVID GONZALES
is consistently ranked as having the most challenging terrain of any ski resort in North America. But locals still wanted more. The Jackson Hole Air Force (JHAF) is an underthe-radar fraternity of skiers who, in the 1980s and 1990s, ducked ski-area boundary lines to get to even more extreme terrain than the resort’s lifts accessed. In 1999 JHMR made accessing the terrain the JHAF had been illegally skiing for decades legal. It was among the first ski resorts in the country to allow skiers to access neighboring backcountry terrain from its lifts. Join a local as he/she walks the dog or is in need of some exercise before heading to work on a winter day and chances are you’ll find yourself at the top of Teton Pass. Skis (or a snowboard) will be strapped to the outside of a pack on your back. Inside the pack will be avalanche gear. In front of you will be a 1,700-foot climb to the summit of Mount Glory. When you leave the parking lot, it will be dark. The sun rises as you hike. “Originally, as an outsider to dawn patrols and someone who loves to sleep in, the concept sounded ludicrous, but a friend convinced me to try it,” says Danny Béasse, an architect at Carney Logan Burke who gets up at 5:30 a.m. on dawn patrol mornings so he can be in the office at 8. “There is something special about being in the mountains at a time
to Around the Rock, Damman, who won the women’s division of LoToJa in 2010, rode in a 45-mile mountain bike race near Sun Valley, Idaho. “I drove home and woke up the next morning and rode Around the Rock.” Damman does admit, “Considering I was coming off a huge block of training and racing, I was pretty destroyed after completing it.” For skiers Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR)
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Real Estate transactions increased 17%
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It is projected only 417 additional units can be built in the Town of Jackson
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Never Problems! Only Solutions! Joseph, l. (Dec 31, 2015). U.S. Stocks Post Worst Annual Losses Since 2008. WSJ.com : Viehman , D & D. (2015). An Inventory of Jackson Hole: Town of Jackson. Jack-sonholereport.com. : Chritie’s International Real Estate. (2016). Market Report: Overview of the Jackson Hole Real Estate Market 2015 Year End. JHRE.
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
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when everyone else is asleep. Nothing beats summiting a mountain at sunrise and skiing fresh powder back down to the car, all before work. It rejuvenates me and is usually a highlight of my week. I got some weird looks the first time I mentioned it to coworkers, so now I only tell the ones who understand. Otherwise I keep it as my own little secret since it feels like I cheated—like I snuck something into my day that no one else did except for the close friends I skied with.” It is impossible to keep an accurate count of the number of skiers dawn patrolling—yes, it is a verb, too—on Teton Pass, but many mornings, even when
round-trip took 21 hours and was a struggle. These days a round-trip from the Lupine Meadows parking lot to the top of Wyoming’s second-highest peak takes Burke about 3.5 hours. He has finished the Picnic in 11 hours, 28 minutes. Not that Burke cares, but as far as anyone knows, this is the fastest time for it. In summer 2015 he summited twenty-two Teton peaks in four days. Burke named this the “Perception Traverse.” “There’s a domino effect in this town: You start climbing Snow King, then the Middle [Teton], then the Grand. You start bumping into people you thought were superhuman, from
Around theSWIM 6 MILES, Clock
RUN 42, BIKE 109 OVER 6 PASSES
Warmth. Precision. Shared Vision. 275 VERONIC A L ANE JACKSON, WYOMING 307-733-5697 www.berlinarchitects.com
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JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
there is no fresh snow, the parking lot at the top is full by 7 a.m. (The lot has room for approximately sixty cars.) Hiking 1,700 feet up Glory in the dark is child’s play compared to Béasse’s winter weekend adventures, which may include what he calls the “Teton HatTrick.” Béasse, who moved to Jackson in 2001 and describes his pre-Jackson fitness level as “above average,” connected all three local ski resorts, Grand Targhee, JHMR, and Snow King, in a day. He had a friend drop him at Grand Targhee early in the morning, and he skinned up the front side of that resort before it opened. From the top of Targhee, he skied east across the Tetons to the backside of JHMR and then skied up the backside of that resort. “I missed a waffle by thirty minutes,” he jokes, talking about the fresh waffles served until 2 p.m. daily at Corbet’s Cabin at the top of the tram. Béasse skied down to the base of JHMR, where he had previously stashed a bicycle, which he then rode to the base of Snow King Mountain in downtown Jackson. He ended his Hat-Trick by skinning up and then skiing down Snow King. He was skiing for 10.5 hours. Runner and climber Ryan Burke, who is a full-time addictions therapist at Curran-Seeley Foundation, moved to Jackson Hole from Maine ten years ago. His first time climbing the Grand, the
the pages of Outside magazine, in the bar or on Snow King. You realize they are just people, and seeing what they do on a daily basis, you start thinking, ‘Why can’t I do that?’ It just opens your perspective of what people can do, and it becomes normalized.” When Burke wanted a greater challenge than Around the Rock, he invented Around the Clock: swim the 6-ish mile perimeter of Jenny Lake, run 42 miles on the Valley and Teton Crest trails (including going up and down four passes) to the top of Teton Pass, and then ride 109 miles Around the Block, finishing back at the top of Teton Pass. Burke did this in 2014. Including two flat tires near the end of the bike ride, and, because his bike pump broke—resulting in him having to go and get his mountain bike to ride the final 15 miles—the whole thing took 30 hours. “I was exhausted at the end, probably the most tired I had ever been,” Burke says as nonchalantly as if he were talking about a 10k run. “There were several high and low points.” Burke cites the simple thrill of finding new challenges. “There’s a ‘What’s next?’ attitude in this town. It can be dangerous, but it can be progressive. You have to be careful with these things— that you are not doing them for other people. You do them so you can feel good at the end of the day.” JH
Ride to 11,166ft
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Mother Nature made Grand Teton National Park, but it’s a team effort—with the 100-year-old National Park Service playing quarterback—that keeps the park looking its best. BY DINA MISHEV
TRAVIS J. GARNER
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK (GTNP) WAS ESTABLISHED BY CONGRESS IN 1929, BUT IT WAS NOT FOUNDED AS THE NATIONAL PARK WE KNOW TODAY. THE ORIGINAL FOOTPRINT INCLUDED THE TETON RANGE ITSELF AND ONLY SIX GLACIAL LAKES AT THE FOOT OF THE RANGE: JACKSON, LEIGH, JENNY, BRADLEY, TAGGART, AND PHELPS LAKES. ELSEWHERE AROUND THE BASE OF THE RANGE WERE COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES, DUDE RANCHES, AND UNCHECKED DEVELOPMENT. John D. Rockefeller Jr., who previously had been active in Maine’s Acadia National Park—financing, designing, and directing the construction of a network of carriage trails throughout it—first visited the Tetons in 1926. At this time the range was not yet a national park. Rockefeller came to the Tetons with Horace Albright, the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, which Congress founded fifty-four years prior. Although GTNP wasn’t yet established, Albright knew the area under consideration. Rockefeller recognized that it was a larger area than planned that deserved protection, but to enlarge the park was problematic because the land around the base of the range was private property. For this land to be included in the The Teton Crest Trail traverses the southern and park, it would have to be bought and reclaimed. middle sections of the range The same day he toured the Tetons with at an average altitude of Yellowstone’s superintendent, Rockefeller asked 10,000 feet. Albright to compile a list of the properties that would have to be purchased to protect the entire area he envisioned as GTNP. According to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, “By 1933, Rockefeller and his agents, under the name the Snake River Land Company, had purchased over 35,000 privately held valley acres.” This caused great controversy in Jackson Hole, but that is another story (check in with the Jackson Hole Historical Society if you want to know more). It took over a decade, and an executive order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, though, for the U.S. government to accept Rockefeller’s gift of these acres. When Roosevelt did sign the executive order accepting Rockefeller’s donation, the land was not immediately added to GTNP, but made the Jackson Hole National Monument. It wasn’t until 1950 that the monument and the 1929 park were combined to create the GTNP we know today. What better time than the one hundreth anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) to take a look at the national park that is the heart and soul of Jackson Hole? SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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5
WAYS TO CELEBRATE GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK THIS SUMMER
1
SCENIC FLOAT ALONG THE SNAKE RIVER
Guided raft trips start at Deadman’s Bar, about twenty minutes north of Moose. Pushing off into the fast current, you won’t have to wait long to gawk at the Cathedral Group; it’s around the first corner. Scan the cottonwoods along the river for bald eagles. The Snake River through Jackson Hole has one of the country’s densest populations of the once-endangered bird. You might also see common goldeneyes (a duck not spotted too often), osprey, beaver, elk, moose, and sandhill cranes. From $70, 307/733-1800, barkerewing.com
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CAMP BY KAYAK BRADLY J. BONER
If all you do is admire Jackson Lake, one of the deepest and largest highaltitude lakes in the country, from a lookout along its eastern shore, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re an experiA scenic float on the Snake River offers unique views of the Teton Range and opportunities to spot wildlife. enced kayaker, have a more intimate excursion—and a more unique one—by camping on Elk Island, the largest of the fifteen islands in the lake, or TETON CREST TRAIL/ALASKA BASIN on the lake’s wild western shore, both of which are only acGrand Teton National Park has upwards of three huncessible by boat. Motorboats are an option, too. GTNP redred miles of trails. The forty-some miles that are the quires all boats to register for a permit. For nonmotorized craft, Teton Crest Trail are the most iconic. It traverses the the fee is $10 for a 7-day permit and $20 for an annual permit. Death Canyon Shelf, crosses Alaska Basin, and passes Marion, Info: nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/boat.htm. Grand Teton Lodge Sunset, Solitude, and Holly lakes. The trail hovers at an elevaCompany and Signal Mountain Lodge both rent canoes and sea tion of about 10,000 feet, although it does reach nearly 11,000 kayaks. feet in two spots. Backcountry camping permits are $25 at the park and $35 online; camping in the wilderness is free. nps.gov/ SUMMIT TABLE MOUNTAIN grte/planyourvisit/bcres.htm Table Mountain is not itself in Grand Teton National Park, but has some of the best views of the Grand. “You don’t have to be in Grand Teton National Park to enjoy OXBOW BEND AT SUNRISE Grand Teton National Park,” says GTNP acting public affairs It was from the Snake River Overlook, about four miles officer Andrew White. “You can be so many other places nearnorth of Moose, that Ansel Adams took his famous The by and have an incredible Teton experience.” Tetons and the Snake River image in 1942. That spot reAfter climbing 4,100 vertical feet over almost seven miles— mains popular with photographers, but Oxbow Bend, several this is a challenging hike; the round-trip is close to fourteen miles from the park’s Moran entrance, is even more so. Behind miles—you’ll reach a flat, large summit from which you’ll feel a giant bend in the Snake River is massive Mount Moran and like you can touch the Grand Teton. This trailhead starts from its distinctive Skillet Glacier, which, impossibly steep as it the Teton Campground, at the end of Teton Canyon Rd., which is looks, lures extreme skiers. Ensure you get the best reflection off of Ski Hill Rd. in Driggs, Idaho. There is no fee to access this of the mountains on the river by going early in the morning, trailhead or hike. before winds kick up.
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JENNY LAKE
THERE’S REALLY NO other way to say it, so GTNP chief of facility management Chris Finlay doesn’t mince words: “South Jenny Lake is going to be a pretty unpleasant place this summer.” Hidden Falls is closed the whole season due to construction, and equipment occupies one-third of the space in the already-overflowing South Jenny Lake parking lot. But, come back in late summer 2017 and you’ll have the most pleasant Jenny Lake experience a visitor has had in several decades. That is when the “Inspiring Journeys” project, an $18 million-plus, public/private partnership between GTNP and the GTNP Foundation—and its four years of construction—will be finished. The project involves redoing pretty much the entire Jenny Lake area, including everything from bathrooms to the boat dock, front- and backcountry trails, overlooks, and retaining walls. This revamping of Jenny Lake is meant to ensure park visitors will be able to enjoy this special area for the next one hundred years, and also that this special area will be able to survive visitors for the next one hundred years. “We’re hoping for a lifespan of seventyfive to one hundred years for these improvements,” says GTNP landscape architect Matt Hazard.
“We realize this is a huge financial commitment and project, but there is such enormous love for this place—so many people have told me they’ve had life-changing experiences in Grand Teton National Park or at Jenny Lake, or that they think Jenny Lake is the most beautiful place they’ve ever seen,” says GTNP Foundation President Leslie Mattson. The foundation is funding $14 million of the project. “We’ve been very successful [with fundraising] because people love this park and because we have a great project. People can see Jenny Lake needs some help.”
The popular and heavily used trail around Jenny Lake and to Inspiration Point is undergoing a major overhaul, which will be finished in 2017.
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
GETS A MAKEOVER
IT’S GOOD TO HAVE FRIENDS DO YOU WONDER how GTNP managed to hire Bohlin Cywinksi Jackson, the architecture firm behind many Apple retail stores around the world, to design its 22,000-square-foot Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in a time of budget cuts? Meet the GTNP Foundation, a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to fund projects that enhance the park’s cultural, historic, and natural resources. The group was founded in 1997 at the behest of then-superintendent Jack Neckles. “He really wanted to see a new visitor center in the park,” says foundation president Leslie Mattson. The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center opened in 2007.
MEET THE GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
Unofficially, it’s the best-looking and best-designed, most educational, and overall awesome visitor center in any national park in the country. This awesomeness didn’t come cheap, however: It cost a total of $24.8 million, including a $3.2 million high-definition theater and auditorium. The $21.6 million first phase was funded from an $8 million congressional appropriation and $13.6 million in private-sector gifts. The latter came from the foundation. “Former park superintendent Mary Scott told us that without the foundation’s help, they [the park] would have been able to build a glorified bathroom,” Mattson says. “The foundation never wants to take the place of the federal gov-
ernment. Our goal is to leverage public and private money to make the park the best it can be. We’re helped in doing this by having such a strong partnership with the park. We’re truly collaborators.” Foundation projects also include the placement of bear-resistant food storage lockers throughout park campgrounds, grizzly bear research and conservation, and the Youth Conservation Program. Through the latter, which began in 2006, 193 sixteen- to nineteen-year-old students have contributed nearly 67,000 hours of work to improve trail access, protect fragile habitat, and preserve historic sites in the park. To date, the foundation has raised more than $40 million for these and other projects. gtnpf.org SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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ARE WE LOVING OUR PARKS
TO DEATH? Grand Teton National Park had a record year for visitation in 2015; for the first time the park received more than 4.6 million visitors, an 8 percent increase over 2014. It can be difficult to find a parking space, or even space to park your bike, at South Jenny Lake. Lines to take the Jenny Lake boat shuttle to the lake’s western shore can be over an hour long. Permits to camp in the park’s backcountry, necessary for those hiking the Teton Crest Trail or climbing the Grand Teton, among other activities, are challenging to obtain. If you do manage to snag a permit to camp along the route up the Grand, “then the climb is a crowded experience most of the time,” says Anzelmo, who returned to live in Jackson Hole after retiring from the NPS and today serves as a national park advocate and member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. “That diminishes the experience, impacts the fragile alpine terrain, and can add safety concerns.” In 1997 Zion National Park, in southern Utah, established a shuttle sysIn 2007 the $24.8 million Craig tem along Zion Canyon Thomas Discovery Scenic Drive; between and Visitor Center mid-March and October, opened. Like the the only access to this current Jenny Lake restoration project, road is via public shuttle. it was funded with Bryce Canyon National a combination of Park, also in southern public and private Utah, instituted optional dollars. shuttles over a decade ago. You can still drive your own car into the park, but it costs an additional fee. Neither GTNP nor Yellowstone has yet established any driving or visitor limitations, but it might be time for the parks, and the NPS as a whole, to think about bringing these policies, especially visitation, into the twenty-first century. Today it is usual to reserve tickets for movies in advance, just as we do with concerts and sporting events—why not do the same at the most popular national parks, in peak times and at certain locations? “If visitation is not limited at some parks in peak season at its busiest locations, the experiences will be very diminished for visitors,” Anzelmo says. “Of even greater concern is the park resources that people are flocking to see will be so negatively impacted that they could be ruined forever. Increasing visitation for the most popular national parks is simply not sustainable. There needs to be some limits placed on visitor numbers so that the parks will continue to be there for everyone to experience.” BRADLY J. BONER
IT TURNS OUT that GTNP, like most every other national park, is being visited and loved to death. It has a $216 million backlog of maintenance projects. Sadly, Yellowstone’s backlog is multiples of this. Add up the maintenance projects across the 410 areas of the NPS and the backlog is $12 billion, about 175 percent of the state of Wyoming’s annual budget. Last year a
record 305 million people traveled from across the country and around the world to spend time in a national park. To put this figure in perspective, in 2015 more people visited a national park than attended every single Major League Baseball, National Football League, and National Basketball League game, NASCAR race, and Disney theme park ... combined. “At some national parks in peak seasons there are so many visitors trying to see the same special sight or do the same activity at the same time, there is crowding and disappointment by visitors,” says Joan Anzelmo, who moved to Yellowstone National Park in 1980 and subsequently spent a large portion of her adult life living and working in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks before going on to serve as superintendent of Colorado National Monument and also as the NPS’ national spokesperson in Washington, D.C. “There can also be negative impacts to the fragile natural and cultural resources, depending on the specific park.” 76
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Q+A
MATT HAZARD GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
AS SOON AS landscape architect Matt Hazard saw an open position in his field in GTNP, he applied. “If I got it, I was moving to the Tetons without question,” says the thirty-fiveyear-old. Hazard started at the park in June 2010, after several years working at a private firm in California. “The private sector is about the bottom line,” he says. “The NPS is more about protecting the resource—I get more satisfaction out of it.” Shortly after his arrival in Jackson Hole, Hazard was presented with arguably one of the most intimidating landscape architecture projects in the whole NPS: a revamping of the entire Jenny Lake area. Jenny Lake, in the southern part of GTNP, is the single most visited spot in the park. About 1.9 million of the park’s 4.6 million-plus annual visitors stop at South Jenny Lake. Minor repairs had been done to its frontcountry and backcountry trails in the last several decades, but, “The resource was really suffering,” Hazard says. So Hazard was put in charge of the team responsible for the renewal, which has been under construction since summer 2013 and is slated to be finished in summer 2017. We pulled Hazard out of his office—a construction trailer in the South Jenny Lake parking lot—to tell us about his time in GTNP. BRADLY J. BONER
Q: WHY DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO WORK AT GTNP? A: I came here with my family in the 1990s. I grew up in Mississippi, but my parents always dragged us on family trips out West. I remember hiking down to Phantom Ranch [in the Grand Canyon] when I was eleven. These early trips gave me an appreciation of the landscapes of the West. Q: DID YOU VISIT JENNY LAKE ON THAT TRIP? A: Yup. We hiked around it as a family. Q: WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU HIKED AROUND IT WITH THE EYES OF A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT? A: Wow, this needs a lot of work. I saw we’d really have to touch every linear foot of trail. Also, I got confused on where to start. It was hard to get my bearings. Q: WHEN YOU BEGAN WORK ON THE RENEWAL PLANS, WHAT WERE THE GOALS? A: Curbing erosion, making trails safer, protecting the re78
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source, and making it less confusing for first-time users. We realized there were redundant trails. Q: WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN TO DO THE WHOLE AREA? A: No. We triaged the worst areas, and, working with the trail crew, I came up with a plan of what to fix first. But then the GTNP Foundation came in with very generous support, and we were able to tackle much more than expected. Q: WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT THIS SUMMER? A: Unfortunately, Hidden Falls is going to be closed, but the improvements we’ll be doing there are much needed. Inspiration Point will be open. Q: IS THERE ANOTHER WATERFALL PEOPLE CAN VISIT IN LIEU OF HIDDEN FALLS? A: Several hundred feet from the west shore boat dock, at the spot we now call “confusion junction,” there is a great cascade. Lots of people actually come to that area and think it is Hidden Falls. We had to put up a sign saying that it is not Hidden Falls. Q: OFF-DUTY, WHERE DO YOU GO HIKING? A: Moose Basin, across Jackson Lake, and Upper and Lower Berry canyons. Some of the geological formations up there are unreal. And there are no people. Q: THE TRAILS OVER THERE ARE PRETTY PRIMITIVE. A: I like exploring and the feeling I get when I’m not 100 percent sure of where I am. It makes for an adventuresome trip. Q: BUT SIGNS CAN BE GOOD, RIGHT? A: Yes. We want people to have a good experience and you can’t if you’re wondering where you are. As the renewal is going on, at each intersection there will be a “You Are Here” sign. But when the project is finished, the idea is that trail alignments will be more intuitive, so that we can keep signage to a minimum and there is not as much visual clutter in the backcountry. Q: SINCE WE’RE TALKING MOSTLY ABOUT DIRT TRAILS, WHY IS REDOING JENNY LAKE SO EXPENSIVE? A: When you hike on a trail, you’re not seeing everything that is below. Sometimes it is just dirt, but other times, to prevent or fix erosion, there’s twelve inches of crushed rock underneath your feet. The dry stone walls we’re building require true craftsmen, too. All of the trail crew are dry stone masons. When the project is done, there will be over 1,000 linear feet of dry stone wall that we’ve constructed, and five miles of trail treads serviced. Q: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IN 2017, WHEN THIS PROJECT IS FINISHED? A: The park is taking a look at String Lake. It needs a lot of attention. JH
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photo gallery
Ansel Adams His photos are timeless treasures.
Ansel Adams, circa 1950 In late 1941 Adams was contracted by the U.S. IN THE MID-1900s avid photographers looking for a Department of the Interior to tour America’s national good picture at one of America’s iconic landOpposite: The Tetons and parks and, using his unique vision, produce imagery scapes may have encountered a short, bearded man the Snake River, Grand that would adorn the department’s new headquarfiddling with a large-format camera. If they recogTeton National Park ters in Washington, D.C. The project was suspended nized him as Ansel Adams, they knew they were in the after less than a year due to the escalation of World right place. War II, but not before Adams visited Yellowstone and Adams was not just an exemplary photographer, Grand Teton national parks in the summer of 1942. On that trip he but also a visionary who revolutionized his craft. He coined the term/ created some of the most memorable images of Old Faithful, concept of “visualization.” As it relates to photography, this is where Yellowstone Lake, and the Teton Range. the artist, through exposure and the printing process, creates an exOne of Adams’ signature photographs, The Tetons and the Snake act replication of a scene as viewed in the artist’s eyes and mind. River, is among 116 images hurtling into deep space on Adams understood that everyone sees the world differently, so, in the Voyager spacecraft in order to showcase our planet’s vast diversity theory, photographs made by different artists of the same scene could and represent our values as human beings. Back here on Earth, as we have starkly different results. mark the one hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service this “The whole key lies specifically in seeing [the photograph] in the year, Adams’ photographs serve as timeless reminders of the importance mind’s eye,” he said. “The picture has to be there, clearly and deciof conservation and preservation, and as a celebration of these natural sively, and if you have enough craft, if you’ve done your homework and American treasures. – Bradly J. Boner you’ve practiced, you can then make the photograph that you desire.” 80
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Yellowstone Lake, Mt. Sheridan, Yellowstone National Park
View across the Snake River Valley toward Mount Moran, Grand Teton National Park 82
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Eruption of Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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Top: Roaring Mountain, Yellowstone National Park Bottom: Jupiter Terrace – Fountain Geyser Pool, Yellowstone National Park
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ExplorE
Yellowstone & Grand Teton National parks
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BY WHITNEY ROYSTER BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS STANTON
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Some of the valley’s smallest animals are its most interesting.
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IN JACKSON HOLE, creatures that form gangs and chase invaders live in places many of us overlook. They would eat us, if given the chance. These animals are not glamorous predators like wolves, grizzly bears, and mountain lions. Nor are they the microscopic bacterium and worms that have evolved to live in Yellowstone’s thermal waters. They are birds, and this valley is home to about three hundred species of them.
IT’S NATURAL THAT residents and visitors alike notice the valley’s larger animals first. There are only a handful of places in
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With their egg-laying abilities and feathers, birds are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, and some breeds are capable of amazing things. The Swainson’s hawk migrates up to 14,000 miles, which often takes two months. Peregrine falcons can reach speeds of up to 240 miles per hour. A great gray owl can hear and capture tiny prey beneath two feet of snow. Even the seemingly innocuous robin—male robins, at least—may fight another robin to the death in a bid for territory. That territory could be your backyard. “Birds have evolved to occupy every niche there is on the planet, from Antarctica to deserts, ” says Bert Raynes, who long ago established himself as the valley’s bird guru. He has written seven books on bird and wildlife watching, and writes a related column for the local Jackson Hole News&Guide newspaper. He’s done the latter for more than thirty years.
the world you can see moose, elk, bison, black and grizzly bears, and wolves in the same area. And, as Raynes says, birds are everywhere. For those with the patience and curiosity, Jackson Hole has unique birds as well as high concentrations of common birds to watch. Take magpies—the large black, white, and shimmering-green birds seen and heard (their call sounds like a staccato laugh) around the valley. These birds, which usually grow to have a wingspan of up to twenty-four inches and can live to be six years old, are thought to be among the animal kingdom’s most intelligent creatures (not just among the most intelligent birds). Their brainSUSAN PA TL to-body ratio is similar to that of apes and dolphins. To thwart other birds that would steal their caches of food, magpies often set up fake ones. Susan Patla is one of four nongame biologists for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. For nearly twenty years she has focused on nesting populations of bald eagles and peregrine falcons. Patla has also studied the northern goshawk, Canada lynx, and harlequin duck. Magpies, in particular, fascinate her. “They form gangs so they can invade territories,” she says. These “gangs” are typically SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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made up of young males, and they Jackson Hole is late spring and early have a hierarchy, including an alpha summer. Many species migrate male responsible for chasing away through; some stay for the summer. predators like hawks. Patla says magpies recognize individuals “We are unique because we are in a boreal forest habitat,” within their group, and sometimes gather around one that has Patla says. A boreal forest is coniferous, with rivers and lakes, died. They have been observed having funeral-like rituals. and spreads to Canada just south of the Arctic and down the It’s the observation of behaviors like this in birds that most Rocky Mountains. often captivates bird-watchers. Ben Hahn, who considers himBecause of the vertical rise of the Tetons and Gros Ventres, self a “novice to journeyman” birder, recounts the time he fed the valley is also home to birds that are “elevational migrants,” a black-capped chickadee in his yard from his hand. This bird, like the black rosy finch and even the mountain chickadee common in the valley, has a gray body and distinctive black (similar to the black-capped chickadee but with a stripe of cap and bib. “This chickadee just starts beaking the side of my white near its cap). Elevational migrants live in the same area hand,” Hahn says. He later called Raynes and asked what the year-round, but spend summers high in the mountains and bird was doing: “Bert said, ‘He’s testing to see if you’re edible.’ ” winters down in the valley. The black rosy finch—about six This boldness of character—a inches long with a dark brown back, half-pound bird testing an adult hubreast, and neck, pink on its belly and man as food—is part of what makes wings and gray on its crown—spends bird watching so rewarding for people summers and nests at altitudes above like Hahn. “They can be noble, they 10,000 feet. When the weather turns can be scary, they can be goofy, they harsh in winter, the finch migrates can be very anthropomorphic,” he lower and lives in cracks in rocks in AT YOUR FEEDER: mountain and black-capped says. “I don’t see it as an option not to the valley. It is one of the least-studied chickadees, nuthatches love them. Once you become aware of birds because of the inaccessibility of IN ASPEN TREES: woodpeckers, chickadees, them, it’s impossible to ignore them.” its habitat. (Studies have begun on it house wrens in the Teton Range, though.) BIRDS ARE JUST about everyWatching for the arrival and deIN SAGEBRUSH: sage grouse, Brewer’s sparrows where—from the urban streets of parture of birds puts people in tune Manhattan to the high altitudes of the with the changing of the seasons. Patla BY THE RIVER: American dippers, osprey, eagles Tetons. In his 1995 book, Valley So likes to look for mountain bluebirds, Sweet, Raynes describes birding: “I which stop in to the valley in February, TAGGART LAKE TRAIL: woodpeckers, tree swallows, suppose, for me, it’s a great excuse to on their way from Mexico to their mountain bluebirds be outdoors. It also compels me, alspring/summer homes in the U.S. and ANTELOPE FLATS: raptors like kestrels, hawks, and most literally, to look at other aspects Canada. In late winter you can see falcons of natural history: weather, seasons, them in the bird boxes along the fence trees, shrubs, streams, ponds, elevabetween the National Elk Refuge and GTNP VISITOR CENTER PONDS: common and Barrow’s tions, daily cycles, migration, predaHighway 89/191. In spring she watchgoldeneye ducks, trumpeter swans, mergansers tor/prey relationships, population dyes for yellow and yellow-rumped warnamics. On and on.” blers. The latter—which live on the GROS VENTRE CAMPGROUND: yellow and yellow-rumped Throughout North America, there edges of forests, like up Cache Creek— warblers, black-headed grosbeaks, sparrows are about nine hundred species of have bright yellow just above their tail OXBOW BEND: white pelicans birds. The best time for birders in feathers, on their throats, and under
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This BeeR may not Save the world, but it’s PReSeRvinG a piece of it.
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their wings. stone species of our winged wildlife: Osprey migrate to the valley in trumpeter swans, sage grouse, bald summer from as far away as Mexico eagles, and the great gray owl. The and Central and South America. See latter is one of the biggest members their nests atop telephone poles near of the owl family, with a wingspan the Snake River at the junction of Highways 22 and 190. Along that can reach more than four feet. Its preferred habitat is trees the Snake River’s banks, watch spotted sandpipers bobbing and next to open meadows or bogs, like the areas around the banks walking with their long bills in the tall grasses. The valley’s of the Snake River. Great grays, like most owls, are secretive and hummingbirds—about four species summer here—can live as nocturnal; they hunt at dusk and dawn. far away as Central America in the winter. Many people think the bald eagle, our national symBernie McHugh, who is active in the Jackson bol, is the most exciting bird to spot in the valley. S AYNE R Hole Bird and Nature Club and has served on These birds, on the brink of extinction in the earT wildlife conservation boards, got into bird watchly twentieth century, were put on the endangered ing to spend time with his wife, a botanist. He species list in most of the Lower 48 in 1978. By likes to watch for western tanagers in spring, as the turn of the twenty-first century, though, they are a harbinger of summer. These bright there were upwards of 8,000 nesting pairs (from yellow birds, similar to warblers bea low of about 400). In 2007 they were cause of the color on their bodies, winremoved from the endangered species ter in Mexico and Central America and list. The Snake River corridor is dense show up in the valley sometime in May, with a year-round bald eagle populaa time of year when they stand out in tion. Look for the birds, which can the reawakening landscape. (They are have wingspans up to eight feet, in FOR WILDLIFE AND BIRD-WATCHERS, what you bigger than a warbler, have more yeldead trees along the river. They are disnotice can be valuable information. Nature Mapping Jackson Hole began seven years ago and encourages low on their bodies, and bands of yeltinguishable because of their white “citizen scientists” in the community to report low on their wings. Males have a red heads. There are about seventy nesting what, when, and where they observe wildlife. This head.) Tanagers like the forest, too, and pairs of bald eagles in western information is then collected and shared with are often high in trees and above the Wyoming, mostly along the Snake and wildlife biologists and land managers to make valley floor. They stick around through Green rivers. better land-use decisions to protect wildlife. the summer and usually begin their Golden eagles also live here. They People need to be trained to become a nature trip south in September. prefer open areas, usually nest in rocks, mapper, including how to upload observations to a McHugh grew up as a city kid. “I and don’t have the white head that bald database form. Information gathered includes literally thought all the wildlife was in eagles do. Because they are true huntspecies, location, and observation (sex, age, quantity, and activity). The three-hour training is the Arctic or Africa,” he says. “For me to ers—versus bald eagles, which do more offered about every month. discover birds was a way for me to be scavenging than hunting—their beaks Past projects include casual observations of comfortable in the outdoors.” are huge. Golden eagles are bigger than moose in the area, and larger, more coordinated bald eagles. These fierce predators prey projects, like an organized moose-counting day LIKE THE BIRDS they watch, birders, on mammals like marmots and hares. and observations along the Snake River. too, migrate, for the chance to nourish It’s been reported by ranchers that they Nature Mapping is a project of the Meg and their hobby. While it is the big mamhave taken newborn calves. Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund and, since 2011, the mals that most people come here to see, And then there are trumpeter Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. there is a subset that focuses on the keyswans. These giant white birds—North naturemappingjh.org
NATURE MAPPING
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America’s largest waterfowl, they can have a wingspan up to seven feet, be as tall as four feet, and weigh up to thirty-eight INSTALLING A BACKYARD bird feeder is one of the single best pounds—were hunted to nearthings you can do to get started birding. Full disclosure: extinction in the early twentieth This can be expensive. Black oil sunflower seeds are often century. (Swanskins were used the best food source, and birds can devour $100 worth of to make ladies’ powder puffs, them a month. If you live in Jackson Hole, or other areas freand feathers were used for dequented by bears, learn the protocol for hanging a bird feeder. General guidelines are that feeders should be at tails on fine hats.) In Jackson least ten feet off the ground and four feet out from any trunk. Hole, conservation projects Improperly hung bird feeders can allow bears to get at the have focused on acquiring shaleasy food source. Such bears often begin hanging around low wetlands, the preferred habneighborhoods, and Game & Fish departments are left with itat for trumpeters. The valley’s no choice but to either relocate or kill them. population of these birds in Feeders should be either three or thirty feet from any 2015 was 212 adults; more are window. Keeping the feeder close assures a bird won’t have here in winter than summer. much speed if it does happen to hit the window. Keeping a (Some migrate to the interior of feeder thirty feet away gives birds time to recognize a window as a solid thing. Canada for summer, while others stay in the valley.) The best places to see them in summer are on the ponds near the environment “has not been utterly distrance of Rafter J, a subdivision between rupted and destroyed. They’re living in Jackson and Hoback Junction, and off harmony with an ecosystem that’s relaSouth Park Loop Road. tively intact.” The greater sage grouse, recently considered for listing under the Endangered COMMON TO ALL birders seems to be Species Act, mates and lives in Jackson this: It’s not important to know every Hole. These birds live year-round in open species you watch or to know every besage fields, like those off U.S. 191 around havior. What’s important is that you Jackson Hole Airport. They are famous notice. “You need to be able to slow for their elaborate mating ritual, which down and describe for yourself what’s happens in early spring: Males put on a going on,” Hahn says. “You need to culstrutting display, puffing out their chest tivate patience.” and fanning their pointed tail feathers. Raynes likes to watch birds come and It’s not just the variety of birds found go at his feeder. The chickadees, he says, in Jackson Hole that makes the area almost never miss a perch—in wind, unique, but that these birds live in their quiet, or storms. They select a viable natural environment. Hahn says the en- seed in a moment, pluck it, and fly off. “It’s so casual,” he says. “And I think to myself, I can’t do that.” “I can think of very few other wildlife observation opportunities like coming on some birds or having some birds DON’T EXPECT TO NAME EVERY SPECIES. Often you may come to a window feeder,” know more about birds than you think. An American Raynes says. “You get a chance robin? The white head of an adult bald eagle? Familiar to watch the little critter exhibit birds are a great place to start. all sorts of behavior, from recognition of a source of food to GET A BIRD BOOK. Everyone has a favorite, from Sibley’s to National Geographic or Audubon. Local resources competition.” Patla says: “When include Bert Raynes’ Finding the Birds of Jackson Hole you become a listener, you realand Birds of Grand Teton National Park. ize how much people in modern society block out sounds. INVEST IN BINOCULARS. “The best you can afford,” says We are exposed to a lot of local birder Bernie McHugh. Maven binoculars are a sounds. What we don’t know, Wyoming brand. we tend to miss. This world is going on around you almost all BE MINDFUL of not disturbing birds, as you would other the time. You have to open wildlife. If a bird flies off a nest, or is screeching at you, you are too close. yourself up to it.” JH
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JH Living
looking back
Sign of the Times The views from the valley’s roads weren’t always as picturesque as they are now. BY MARK HUFFMAN
continued for half an hour. After the eighth thump, the crew went back down to near the road. They hid in the sage until the van came back. Days later, the Jackson Hole Guide ran headlines about “billboard vigilantes.” Eight signs advertising Jackson businesses had been felled, and no one knew who did the monkeywrenching. The perpetrators of this May 1971 billboard cut-down were never discovered—law enforcement never found them and no one ever came forward to take credit. Until now. “I drove the car,” says Gene Downer, the owner of the now-defunct Osprey Float Trips. “I did it as a community service, because the billboards were ugly and they needed to come down. I never told anybody about it. It’s been a secret for about forty-five years.”
BY 1971 JACKSON Hole was on its way to becoming a vacation mecca. Before the Internet, valley hotels, shops, and restaurants tried to capture customers the way they had for decades: via roadside billboards that told passersby what the businesses did and where to find them. That kind of advertising started soon after the Civil War, and exploded in the first decade of the twentieth century when many Americans bought a car. From the 1950s on, roads around this valley were lined with hundreds of signs of every size, some big and professional, others small and handmade. They often stood close enough to each other that they were hard to read. The stretch along the highway north of town, across from the National Elk Refuge, was known as Billboard Alley. This photograph from the Jackson Hole News archives shows billboards north of the town of A federal estimate put the national Jackson that were cut down by vigilantes in the spring of 1971. highway billboard count at the time at 80,000. The Wyoming Department of FOUR MILES NORTH of Jackson, a white Chevrolet van Transportation estimated the state’s billboard population at pulled to the side of U.S. Highway 89. Several people jumped 6,000. Jackson businessman Bill Bailey, who operated out and ran up East Gros Ventre Butte, across from the National Frontierland, a western-themed town for tourists located Fish Hatchery. The van, with “Osprey Float Trips” painted on smack in the middle of Billboard Alley and where Downer and its side, pulled back onto the highway and continued north. crew struck, recalled in the Jackson Hole Guide that when he A full moon hung in the clear, dark sky. All was quiet. For bought this land in 1961, its frontage was lined with forty-nine about a minute. Then came the sound of metal cutting wood. signs of “all sizes and shapes.” Frontierland was Bailey’s main It wasn’t the whine and growl of a chain saw, but the slow, business, yet he profited from renting sign space. steady, soothing shoosh-shoosh of a two-man timber saw. But attitudes were changing. Lady Bird Johnson, wife of Finally, wood splintered, and something thumped into the sage President Lyndon B. Johnson, was famous—and ridiculed—for and dirt. The alternating sounds—shoosh and then thump— her highway beautification program. She insisted the nation’s 94
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roadsides didn’t have to be ugly. In 1965 Congress passed the Highway Beautification Act. The most important part of the act banned signs outside cities that were within 660 feet of a highway that received federal aid, except for those signs advertising businesses on the land where the sign stood. Because of the typical pace of bureaucracy, however, the act wasn’t immediately enforced. In Jackson in 1970 the Guide and the Jackson Hole News campaigned to rid local highways of billboards. A September 1970 survey in the Guide garnered 202 responses. Of those, 194 were anti-sign. In Wilson 267 people signed a petition at Hungry Jack’s general store to banish the signs. Jackson historian Lorraine Bonney wrote to the Guide that “I find myself getting madder each trip at what I see along the route” into Jackson. “I will never get used to Billboard and Tatter Flag Alley.” Dave Beck, owner of Jackson Hole Motors, took down his own sign at Jackson’s “Y” intersection—where Broadway Avenue and Highway 22 meet—for which he had a sixteen-dollara-month contract. He wrote the sign company about it. “Let them sue me,” he told the Guide. “I think the local people would support me.” Jackson Hole Ski Corporation also removed its sign at the “Y” and promised that twenty-one others it had around the region would follow. The Guide summed up the local at-
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titude, calling the cut-down “an act of vandalism we cannot tolerate.” But the paper’s publisher, Fred McCabe, added, “At the same time the actions of the billboard vigilantes reflect the feelings of probably the majority of the people in the valley— we agree that the billboards look a lot better out of sight in the sagebrush, with only their chain sawed posts remaining.” He urged methods that were more peaceful, and legal. “If it becomes apparent that they are becoming expensive, not moneymakers, they will come down,” he wrote. JANA CRAIGHEAD, NOW Jana Smith and living in southern Utah, was one of the sign cutters who jumped out of Downer’s van. She was a seventeen-year-old high school student at the time. The daughter of environmentalist and grizzly bear researcher Frank Craighead, Smith says it’s too long ago to recall exactly how she joined Downer, Ted Major Jr., “a girl named Kristina,” and others that night. “I just remember wanting to do it,” she says. “The billboards took away so much from the natural beauty of the area; they didn’t belong there. People come to Jackson Hole for the beauty, and the signs drove me crazy.” The cutters used an old timber saw, one person at each end, and worked their way along nearly a mile of highway frontage. “It was probably eleven or twelve at night, and there was not a lot of traffic,” Smith says. “When there was a car and headlights, we’d duck behind the sagebrush until the car was gone.” Smith says she thought she was doing something noble. “It was a perfectly clear night, the stars were out,” she says. “It gave me all the more reason to do it. I remember looking over the Elk Refuge and thinking, ‘This place is so gorgeous.’ ” Smith wasn’t scared during the adventure, but says the outcry right after was alarming. Sheriff Boyd Hall told the Guide: “This is vandalism. It’s illegal and we’ll investigate it and prosecute it if we get a case. Personal feelings don’t enter into it.” There were rumors that the FBI was called in. Neither Downer nor Craighead was ever questioned, but they heard of people who had been. Smith says, “I don’t know how smart it was, but I’m glad I did it. The signs didn’t belong there.” Her father, who was a major force behind the idea and 96
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writing of the Wilderness Act, suspected something and asked her. “He knew I was involved,” she says. “I told him I was there, and he shook his head and said, ‘You shouldn’t have done that.’ But he smiled, like he was telling me, ‘Good work.’ ” CRAIGHEAD WAS DONE after one shot, but some of her classmates at Jackson-Wilson High School went sign cutting repeatedly, creating a “Billboard Committee.” “Craig Shanholtzer and I put it together,” says Tom Grant, seventeen at the time and now a building contractor in Nevada. “We were the first eco-terrorists, and pretty soon there was a half-dozen of us on the billboard committee. But mostly it was Craig and I.” Grant had the same motivations as Downer and Smith, and was cutting down signs with friends before May and into the summer. “Back in those days, when you approached town from the north or south, for miles it was a long stretch of billboards,” he says. “It was a disgusting mess.” He and
Shanholtzer, who went on to join the U.S. Ski Team as a downhiller, wore dark clothes and used a bow saw when they went out. “One would drive and one would cut,” Grant says. They worked mostly south of town. “The first night, we didn’t cut them all the way through,” Grant says. “We cut them within an inch and left them standing, knowing the first time the wind came up it would knock them all over.” They chose signs at random. “What was on the sign had nothing to do with it, it was just the fact that it was there,” Grant says. Some sign owners didn’t give up easily. “There were certain signs we cut down three or four times.” One night when they wanted to go big—both of them cutting—Grant and Shanholtzer enlisted the help of Downer. “They came knocking at my door, and said, ‘We want to cut down some billboards.’ I didn’t know them that well, but through the underground they heard that I was part of it. They were ready to go without any hesitation whatsoever.” Downer didn’t hesitate, either. AS IT TURNED out, it wasn’t any of the vigilantes that rid Jackson Hole of its billboards. It wasn’t anyone in Teton County. The federal government slowly began enforcing the beautification act, squeezing states to ban billboards. If states didn’t comply, they could lose their federal highway funding. In August 1965 the Guide reported that the Wyoming Department of Transportation had already removed more than 2,500 billboards and that another 3,400 were targeted. The state was removing as many as two hundred a month. Smith knows the sign cutting didn’t win the war, but she thinks it was part of a change in consciousness about how people lived in the world and treated the environment. “We didn’t take them all down, but we felt like we accomplished something—people realized it was nicer without the signs,” she says. “It was a good thing,” Grant says. “The message got out, I think.” Downer, now seventy-five and living in New Mexico, says the sign cutting done by a few was the outward expression of what most people felt. More than forty years later he’s proud of what he did, and glad now to admit his part. “I was going to have something printed and announced at my funeral,” he says. “Now I don’t have to do that.” JH
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JH Living
outdoors
Where the Wild Things Are Jackson Hole is one of the world’s great places to study wildlife. Area scientists follow animals by land, air, and satellite.
THE MONOTONOUS BEEPING signaled a mortality. Using a new technique, graduate students in wildlife biology were tracking bighorn sheep in the mountains. As they triangulated in on the site of the sheep, the students realized there had been an avalanche. They could see it. They also saw the sheep’s GPS collar, in clear view on top of the snow, but there was no sheep. Behind the collar was a path along which a predator—a wolverine, judging by the tracks—had dragged the animal. The students could also see where the wolverine had dug the sheep’s body out of the debris pile. But there wasn’t a morsel of the sheep left.
Wyoming Game & Fish biologist Alyson Courtemanch releases a bighorn sheep after capturing and collaring it on the National Elk Refuge as part of an ongoing study of various Wyoming bighorn sheep herds.
The students weren’t just tracking Grand Teton National Park’s (GTNP) sheep population, but also a more populous area species: backcountry skiers. Their study looked at whether sheep avoided areas used by skiers. They didn’t collar skiers, though. Students handed out trackers to those departing the Bradley/Taggart lakes trailhead, the most popular trailhead in the park, and asked them to ski with the trackers in their packs all day. They were to return them at one of several desig-
BRADLY J. BONER
BY JULIE FUSTANIO KLING
nated areas at the end of the day. The researchers later downloaded the skiers’ tracks and compared them to tracking information provided by the GPS collars on the sheep. Alyson Courtemanch, a wildlife biologist for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department and one of the scientists involved with the sheep/skier study, describes wildlife tracking as a treasure hunt, and the above as one of the times when she found gold. She and the graduate students found that the dead sheep had indeed been avoiding an area above where skiers traveled. Also they found evidence—the tracks around the collar—that a wolverine, an animal that is exceptionally hard to track, was in the area. Retrieving GPS collars can be exhilarating, Courtemanch says. But collars are just one of the ways humans can “watch” from afar. What are we finding? “WE’VE BEEN COLLARING animals now for two decades. But almost every time we put a collar on, we learn something new,” says Courtemanch, adding that the study mentioned above showed sheep were creating new pathways as a result of skiers. The maps in her office, burgeoning with dots color-coded for each ungulate, resemble pointillist paintings. They grow by the day as technology improves. Collars using GPS linked to satellites are more revealing than the radio transmitters that twins Frank and John Craighead pioneered when they became the first to collar a grizzly bear in Yellowstone in the 1960s. These radiotracking collars required antennas to follow them. GPS collars don’t require bulky antennas, but they are exponentially more expensive and come with monthly satellite service fees. Bryan Bedrosian, senior avian ecologist at the Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, is trying to change that with a $250,000 grant he received from the National Science Foundation. With the grant he’s making GPS collars with a 3-D printer. These printed collars are a fraction of the cost of traditional ones. Scientists use his colJHC154_FAF_2016_JHMag.indd 1
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JOE RIIS
lars to track golden eagles from Alberta, Canada, to Montana, in addition to moose in the Wyoming Range. “What we are learning from all this GPS collaring is we know what good winter and summer habitat is,” says University of Wyoming professor Matt Kauffman, who has been involved in several moose and mule deer studies that required tracking animals. “We are trying to appreciate more fully how important it is for animals to move between habitats, and how we can keep these habitats connected.” Last year Kauffman partnered with Hall Sawyer to found the Wyoming Migration Initiative, a nonprofit creating an atlas of ungulate migration pat-
terns in the state. While working on the atlas, Sawyer stumbled onto a new record—the longest mule deer migration ever documented. The superlative doe, eventually named Jet, was tracked 150 miles from her low-elevation winter range in the Red Desert east of Rock Springs to the peaks in the Gros Ventre Range near Hoback Junction. (You can follow Jet’s movements on the Wyoming Migration Initiative’s Facebook page.) Jet moved in Top: Mule deer cross Pine Creek near Pinedale, and out of U.S. Forest Wyoming. Research has Service (USFS), Bureau of revealed that these deer Land Management, and migrate 150 miles one way, private lands forty times, the longest known deer
migration in North America.
BRADLY J. BONER
Bottom: Bryan Bedrosian of the Teton Raptor Center lets a captured great gray owl spread its wings so a newly attached tracking device will work into its feathers.
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highlighting the need for better communication between land-management agencies. “All of these agencies have different mandates, and none of them have a consistent plan with how to deal with wildlife,” Kauffman says. Another reason animals are traveling farther may point to climate change. Kauffman says mule deer searching for early spring vegetation are logging more miles up and down in a pattern known as “surfing the green wave.” “They are riding the front edge of the green wave in spring as it marches up the mountain,” he says. “Drought and climate change make it more difficult for them to surf the wave.” TETON COUGAR PROJECT, a local group funded by the nonprofit Panthera, has learned much about the social behaviors of mountain lions over the fifteen years it has tracked the species in the valley. Through camera traps the team has captured cougars—long thought to be solitary animals—playing and sharing meals. Through tracking the group has also seen the cougar population dwindle in the area between Curtis Canyon, Teton Pass, Jackson Lake, and the lower Gros Ventre Range. The researchers formerly focused on lion population and behavior. Recently the USFS asked them to count kills rather than cats. Technology has improved so much that researchers tracked 400 elk and deer kills this year, versus a total of 587 in the eleven years prior, says the project’s leader, Mark Elbroch. When the red dots on Elbroch’s computer show a lion lingering in an area, he mobilizes his research team immediately. Once the chase is on, “It can take twenty minutes to two hours to catch a cat,” he says. Once up close, they can observe behavior to see if the lion is expecting a new litter and replace the collar if necessary. Most of the collars are set to release—fall off—after a set period of time. Back in its early days, Teton Cougar Project researchers would get to a kill site and, because there were so many cougars at the time, find they had four different trails to follow. These days, they are lucky to get one. “We’ve invited folks out to track with us, but we’ve lost a lot of media along the way,” Elbroch jokes. The weather is often harsh, and the animals prefer areas without trails. “Catching a cat takes a ridiculously stubborn person,” he says.
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JASON WILMOT HAS been looking for lynx since 1999. He has found only two dens. After a six-year break from tracking them, Wilmot wonders if there are any left in Wyoming. He’s back on the case now, though, using one of the most basic tracking skills, following an animal’s “fuzzed-out” footprints, alongside a more techy method of tracking. Wilmot installed fifty-five camera traps in areas lynx have been known to travel between Pinedale and Grand Teton National Park. “Lynx are a pain in the butt,” he says, adding that wolverines and fishers are also on his list of difficult animals to track because they share the same habitat. “Wolverines are the same [as lynx], if not worse, because you can’t keep a collar on them. Their neck is the same size as their head.” Snowshoe hares, a favorite meal of lynx, are the key, Wilmot says. He adds that the preferred habitat of the lynx is wilderness that is recovering from forest fires. In his tracking toolkit, Wilmot carries stinky bait, which he places on traps jerry-rigged from gun brushes and tinfoil and set on regenerating aspen trees. The idea is that when a lynx eats the stinky bait, the trap collects hair samples from the animal. If and when he finds evidence of a lynx, Wilmot says there may be implications for oil and gas leases in the area where the animal is found. Lynx are on the endangered species list. THE PROLIFERATION OF elk that migrate to the National Elk Refuge every winter makes Jackson an easy place to study elk habits, and also to control the animals’ population. The goal of the agencies whose combined efforts feed, trap, and regulate hunting of the herd is to have no more than 11,000 elk in the refuge. Because of the ongoing threat of brucellosis, an infectious disease caused by bacteria, as well as other contagious illnesses, the refuge is making a concerted effort to irrigate more of its 25,000 acres. The hope is that this additional irrigation will grow more grass for the elk to forage on, and also encourage the herd to spread out. The latter helps to reduce the risk of illnesses quickly spreading through the herd. Last winter Wyoming Game & Fish, the National Elk Refuge, and GTNP biologists sought to discover why the number of elk migrating to Yellowstone
was dwindling. Was it predators? Drought? Were 1988’s wildfires still impacting the food supply? Their hunch is the latter. They partnered with the University of Wyoming and are currently at work to see if they can prove it. THE REINTRODUCTION OF wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem was, and remains, controversial. Reintroduction was an unqualified success, and wolves were removed from the endangered species list in Wyoming between 2012 and 2014. But they were recently relisted in the state and the management of their population placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). USFWS wildlife biologist Mike Jimenez takes aircraft flights every two months to keep a count of the packs, which are easiest to see in the winter because their dark coats contrast with snow. “Wolves are hardwired to expand out of areas in which they were born,” Jimenez says. “Wyoming is no exception.” As of last winter there were eight to ten wolf packs in the Greater Yellowstone area and thirty packs around the state of Wyoming. Observation flights can be one of the most dangerous but effective tools of the trade, says U.S. Geological Survey biologist Dan Thompson. Mountain weather can lead to unexpected turbulence, yet Thompson still takes to the air. He used to track wolves but now focuses on grizzly bears, another animal on the endangered species list (but possibly soon to be removed). One of the newest tracking tools Thompson uses captures thermal imagery and allows him to identify species from above. “It picks up the heat image of mammals,” he says. “They’ve used it for sage grouse, even. You can zoom in and tell if a black spot is a grizzly bear or a black bear, depending on the color.” Thompson says gadgets and gizmos will never replace “the kind of tracking that gives you the best information— walking in an animal’s path. The best trackers can tell you what’s going on with a set of prints in the mud. Technology has changed that. But in the end we are just out there trying to figure out what’s going on in the landscape. We are trying to answer questions to maintain wildlife on the landscape along with people.” JH
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䜀䄀䰀䰀䔀刀夀
㘀 䔀䄀匀吀 䈀刀伀䄀䐀圀䄀夀 ⠀伀渀 琀栀攀 吀漀眀渀 匀焀甀愀爀攀 甀瀀猀琀愀椀爀猀 渀攀砀琀 琀漀 匀渀愀欀攀 刀椀瘀攀爀 䜀爀椀氀氀⤀ 倀栀⸀ ㌀ 㜀ⴀ㜀㌀㌀ⴀ㠀㜀㈀㘀 圀圀圀⸀刀䄀刀䔀䜀䄀䰀䰀䔀刀夀䨀䄀䌀䬀匀伀一䠀伀䰀䔀⸀䌀伀䴀
JH
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Your local guide to: GETTING OUT BODY & SOUL NIGHTLIFE DINING ART SCENE EXPLORING JACKSON UPCOMING EVENTS
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Drive By We do encourage exploration by foot, but know cars are faster. BY MAGGIE THEODORA PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADLY J. BONER
GRIPPING THE FORD Ranger’s passenger door handle so tight my fingernails left indents, I was sure I was going to die. The truck, with nothing in its bed and a twenty-five-year-old man at the wheel, fishtailed from one side of the washboarded road to the other. At one point I saw the truck’s bed out my window. I asked Rob to slow down. He grinned and gave the truck more gas. “Welcome to Wyoming,” he said.
The Gros Ventre Road passes the Red Hills and often parallels the Gros Ventre River.
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I had been in Jackson Hole for less than two weeks and was looking for adventure. When my new roommate asked if I wanted to go camping one night in the Gros Ventre Mountains, of course I said, “Yes.” “There’s this road that goes way into the mountains,” he said. “We’ll drive it for as long as we want and then pull over and take out our sleeping bags.
It’ll be a clear night tonight.” By the time we hit the road it was dusk. By the time the fishtailing started it was dark, and I saw more stars overhead than I had ever seen before. Thank God I couldn’t see the four-hundredfoot drop down to the Gros Ventre River on the passenger side. Rob kept the truck from crashing,
and, farther down Gros Ventre Road than I would have liked, we pulled over and got our sleeping bags out. It was the first time I had ever slept outside of a tent, and I loved it. Driving back to town the next morning, I didn’t think the adventure could get any better. But, now that I trusted Rob’s driving skills more and also because it was daylight, I saw the surrounding scenery, including, in several places, the Gros Ventre River hundreds of feet below. The road passed cliffs that glowed red; green pastures where horses grazed; a long, skinny lake with standing dead trees in the middle of it; and the first landslide I had ever seen. The camping was good, but the drive was great. While many amazing vistas in this valley require hiking, paddling, or biking, there are some that can be reached via car. Here are a few of our favorite drives:
This page: Antelope Flats Road loops off U.S. 26/191/89 between Moose and Kelly. Drive it for views of the landscape and wildlife. 108
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1
Shadow Mountain/Antelope Flats WHY: Shadow Mountain, 8,256 feet above sea level, is in the Gros Ventre Mountains, across the valley from the Tetons, which means it has great views of the Tetons. It makes sense that the best Teton views aren’t actually from the Tetons. The base of Shadow Mountain is in Grand Teton National Park, but the gentle peak itself, which has a hiking/biking trail up it if you don’t have the right car for the drive, is in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. While Shadow Mountain is the main draw of this drive, the access road to it, Antelope Flats, passes historic Mormon Row, home to arguably the most photographed barn in the country. The valley’s herd of bison (pop. seven hundred) can often be found grazing in the sage meadows around Mormon Row. MILES: About forty-five round-trip from downtown Jackson BEST TIME TO GO: There are few better views in this valley than the sun setting behind the Tetons, and there are few better places to catch the sunset than Shadow Mountain. FINE PRINT: Any car can handle Antelope Flats; it is newly repaved. The road from the base to the summit of Shadow Mountain is rutted dirt. You don’t need a car with four-wheel drive, but you do want one with at least eight inches of clearance. We do not advise driving up Shadow Mountain if the road is wet. BONUS: Since it’s in the BTNF, you don’t need permits to camp on Shadow Mountain. There are numerous free carcamping sites at the mountain’s base and off the road to its summit. DIRECTIONS: Turn onto Antelope Flats Rd. just north of Moose. Past Mormon Row, when Antelope Flats Rd. intersects Gros Ventre Rd., turn left onto GV Rd. In several miles the pavement ends and dirt begins. This dirt road tracks along the base of Shadow Mountain. About one mile in, it forks; take the right fork and you’ll begin climbing.
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GTNP’s Inner Park Loop Road winds past the park’s main peaks.
2
Inner Park Loop Road WHY: This is perhaps the single most beautiful stretch of paved road in the country, and it’s only open to cars from May 1 through October 31. When Grand Teton National Park’s Inner Park Loop Road was being rerouted and redone in the 1980s and early 1990s, serious thought was given to the experience drivers and passengers would have on the road. It was designed to maximize views. We think the engineers nailed it—the mostly flat road passes South and North Jenny Lake, String Lake,
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the Cathedral Group turnout, and Signal Mountain. You can drive it in forty minutes, but it’s worth stopping at pullouts to see glaciers and read about the park’s geology. The Tetons are among the youngest mountains in the world, but some of the rocks in the core of the range are among the oldest in the world. MILES: About twenty miles from Moose to Jackson Lake Junction BEST TIME TO GO: Avoid traffic by going in the early morning or mid-to-late evening. FINE PRINT: Expect traffic; this drive requires paying the Grand Teton National Park entrance fee ($30). BONUS: It’s hard to believe, but the views of the park’s high-
E X P E R I E N C E P AY S
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est peaks from the four-mile, one-way Jenny Lake Scenic Loop drive are even better than those on the main road. DIRECTIONS: Enter the park at Moose and you’re on this road.
3
Gros Ventre Road WHY: The Gros Ventre Road starts with a natural warm springs—go ahead and stop for a soak—and then heads east, winding deep into the Gros Ventre Mountains. Most of the time it parallels the Gros Ventre River. Sometimes the road is at river level. Other times it hangs several hundred feet above, carved into the side of a butte. At its start this road is beautiful pavement. Within several miles, though, it deteriorates—expect sizable potholes and washboard in the dirt—but its condition is not so bad that a regular passenger car can’t handle it, at least for its first ten miles. This road takes you past Upper Slide and Lower Slide lakes—both formed nearly a century ago by a massive landslide—several unimproved campgrounds, a boat launch, trailheads, the Red Hills, and several historic guest ranches (not open to the public). The return drive has great Teton views. MILES: Between forty and sixty from downtown Jackson, round-trip BEST TIME TO GO: Early in the day, so you have time for a hike, picnic, bike ride, or paddle along the way FINE PRINT: This road does not have
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Gros Ventre Road cont.
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guardrails. If you are uncomfortable with exposure, you might want to content yourself with the first couple of miles. BONUS: On June 23, 1925, 50,000,000 cubic yards of debris—enough to bury Washington, D.C., six inches deep—tore off the flank of a mountain just south of this road. The Gros Ventre Landslide is now partially covered by new-growth pine trees, but is still visible from across the valley. Gros Ventre Road passes directly through the slide’s debris field, which today is a National Geologic Site. DIRECTIONS: From Jackson head north on U.S. 26/191/89. At the Gros Ventre Junction turn right (east). In six miles you will enter the tiny town of Kelly and the road will make a sharp left. About one-half of a mile after this curve, make a right onto Gros Ventre Rd. Follow it for as long as you like, or as long as your car can handle.
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WHY: Since this eight-mile, narrow, winding road linking Teton Village and Moose sticks close to the base of the Tetons, it doesn’t offer much in the way of mountain views. But, a couple of falls ago, a section of it was closed due to grizzly bear activity in the area. You never know what kind of wildlife you’ll see on this drive: Moose and elk are most usual, while black and grizzly bears are more rare but possible. MILES: Eight miles, from Moose to Teton Village BEST TIME TO GO: Dawn and dusk have the least traffic and give you the best chance of spotting wildlife. FINE PRINT: This road is closed to RVs,
trailers, and vehicles over 280 inches in length. A one-and-a-half-mile section in the middle is unpaved, but passenger cars are fine on it. BONUS: Visit GTNP’s 1,106-acre Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. Four miles south of Moose on this road, the preserve has its own interpretative center and also some of the flattest hiking trails in the national park. DIRECTIONS: From Moose drive past the GTNP Visitor Center and, just before you go through the park’s southern entrance station, turn left onto MooseWilson Rd. At its southern end, the road becomes Wyoming Highway 390 and passes Teton Village.
5
Numerous pullouts along Highway 89 through Snake River Canyon offer views of the river below, one of the most popular rafting destinations in the West.
Snake River Canyon WHY: The only non-mountain-pass route into and out of Jackson Hole includes a twenty-mile section through the Grand Canyon of the Snake River. Through much of the canyon, U.S. Highway 26/89 is feet from the Snake. Near Hoback, the river is calmer. About twelve miles into the canyon, the river becomes whitewater, with several Class III and IV rapids. Several pullouts along the way give anglers and kayakers access to the river. MILES: From Hoback Junction to Alpine, it is about twenty-four miles. BEST TIME TO GO: Late morning or mid-evening FINE PRINT: Many people who work in Jackson live in Alpine, and this road is their commute to and from work. Also, this road is popular with cyclists. BONUS: About six miles before you hit Alpine, a pullout looks down on two of the biggest rapids in the canyon, Lunch Counter and Big Kahuna. DIRECTIONS: Head south from Jackson toward Hoback Junction. At Hoback, continue south to Alpine. JH
307.732.0303 690 S Highway 89, Suite 200 Jackson, Wyoming www.dianenodell.com SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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getting out
Solitude on a Summit Mount Moran isn’t as iconic as the Grand Teton, but in many ways it is the better adventure. BY FREDERICK REIMERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID STUBBS
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The CMC face towers above the Falling Ice Glacier on Mount Moran’s eastern flank.
ONCE YOU SPOT Mount Moran, you can’t peel your eyes from it. It dominates Jackson Hole’s northern skyline, a shimmering gray monolith split down the middle by lightning bolts of icy glaciers. In 1918, after a media team from Scientific American visited the peak, they wrote: “The summit has never been attained and probably never will, as the last 3,000 feet of the mountain are sheer perpendicular walls of rock.” That prediction would last just four years, but you can forgive them for thinking so. From the valley floor, the peak’s sheer flanks appear as impregnable as the hull of a battleship. As with most mountains, though, approach nearer and the suggestion of a way appears. Make the proper effort, and the summit is attained. Had the 1918 party trailed us up Moran’s southeast face last summer, they probably would have reached the summit just fine, old-fashioned, clunky gear and all.
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Though just an occasional climber, I’ve Climbers get an imposing view of the ascent at midnight, and then stumble, zomeyed the peak for twenty years, wondering CMC face on Mount Moran from the bie-like, all the way back down late that afwhat the top of its squared-off summit top of a feature called Drizzlepuss. ternoon with pummeled, aching knees. The CMC is a technical climb rated looks like. But like most climbers who ar- only slightly more difficult than the A modest suggestion: Go for Moran inrive in Jackson Hole, I first wanted to tackle easiest route up the Grand Teton. stead—camping permits are easy to score, the Grand Teton. I’ve made that summit a you’ll have plenty of solitude on the route, few times, but there’s always a caveat—in and there’s actually more technical climbmidsummer, it’s a virtual conga line. Not only is the climbing ing to be had on it than on the most popular routes up the crowded, but it can be impossible to get a permit to camp any- Grand. The 12,605-foot peak goes at a modest 5.5 rating, suitwhere near the easiest routes up it. Many people find it neces- able for most anyone who has ever slipped on a pair of climbsary to skip the sleeping altogether; they start up the 7,000-foot ing shoes, and Exum Mountain Guides tells clients that so long as they can complete a ten-mile run, they’ll be fit enough to enjoy the expedition. ON SEPTEMBER 1 of last year, I join Exum co-owner Nat Patridge for a two-day, onenight trip up Mount Moran’s CMC route. We meet at noon at Exum’s office in Grand Teton National Park, load a canoe onto the roof of my truck, and drive to the String Lake Trailhead. You can reach the base of the CMC on foot, but why not let a canoe carry the load? We paddle across String and then Leigh lakes. It’s a warm, cloudless day, and we stop on the water so Patridge can point out the route— a steep hike to camp in a stand of trees about The summit of Moran offers a commanding view of Jackson Lake and the northern Teton Range. On a clear day from the summit one might even see Yellowstone’s Old Faithful erupt. 116
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halfway up the 5,728-foot climb. A thousand feet above that is the route’s peculiar feature: You descend a 150-foot-high cliff, named Drizzlepuss, to the 5.5 slabs that lead to the summit. Climbing back up Drizzlepuss on your way down is actually the route’s hardest element. “I had to bail off Moran a few weeks ago because we saw a storm coming over the ridge—hail and lightning,” Patridge says. “The clients were disappointed.” Luckily our forecast calls for clear weather. We land the canoe at the base of the peak next to a steep creek tumbling down from the Falling Ice Glacier, several thousand feet above. We toss our packs onto shore, secure the canoe, and then sink some beers in the creek for the return trip. The trail is as steep as a flight of stairs, a continuous jumble of suitcasesize rocks. After an hour of steady going, we sit beside the creek and drink water, looking down at the blue lake below. At 6 p.m. we arrive at camp, a series of terraced tent sites amongst a grove of whitebark pine trees. A few people are there, packing up their gear from the night before and preparing to head down the mountain. “Anyone want some mayo packets?” one of them asks, apparently trying to shed weight. I take them, why not? They can’t make my freezedried backpacker meal any worse. Once they clear out, we’ve got the entire mountain to ourselves. THE NEXT MORNING we wake an hour before dawn and begin our ascent by headlamp, scrambling up a series of craggy ledges between trees. When the sun begins to rise, the low, groggy feeling of waking in the dark finally lifts, and I turn to admire the glossy pewter color that the lakes below begin to show. I’ve finally built up enough heat to remove my puffy outer layer. “There are some clouds, but very thin, spinning off the low pressure down to the west,” Patridge says. He is a meteorologist by necessity. At 8 a.m. we arrive atop Drizzlepuss. We take a short break in the sun and put on our helmets and climbing harnesses—from here on, we will be roped together for the steep, technical terrain. We downclimb a few moves, and then rappel the rest of the cliff to a dark, windy notch. The Drizzlepuss name probably comes from the fact that, shaded by Moran’s bulk from the western sun, the
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cliff stays damp most of the summer. Now begins the fun part. For the next two hours Patridge leads the way, trailing a rope behind him up the steep, sun-warmed rock. Every once in a while he jams a nut into a crack for protection, but more often simply slips a sling of webbing around a horn of rock. It’s old school, but fast and light—perfect for the moderate climbing. “It’s steep, with good edges,” he calls down on one pitch. I take my time, deliberately placing a hand, then a foot on the rock and hauling my weight upwards. The glacier spreads below us, a swath of white ice rimmed by gray rock. At one point, the wind cracks like the sound of a sail snapping as it slings around the edge of the mountain, something I’d never heard before. We summit at 11 a.m., and find a rocky meadow, some fifteen acres in size. Black-capped rosy finches flit here and there, plucking insects from the ground. We stride around the summit for twenty minutes, taking in the view. We should have brought a Frisbee. To the east, the Snake River slashes southwards. To the west, it’s potato fields to the horizon. The Grand Teton lies directly south, and I
A swim in Leigh Lake at the base of Mount Moran ices sore muscles after two days of hiking and climbing.
imagine there are two dozen climbers clambering around each other atop its decidedly smaller summit. On our descent, climbing down the same way we came, we cross paths with a trio of young pro skiers Nat and I both know. They are on a oneday push—they left home at midnight and still have a big day ahead—so after a minute’s conversation, they resume upwards. We reach our camp midafternoon, pack up the tent, and then descend along the creek. By the time we reach the lake, I’m ready to get off my feet for a few days, and welcome a plunge in the cool water. Before we paddle home, though, we decide to prank the boys and tie their canoe to a pile of rocks a short swim off shore. We leave them a few beers for their trouble, and make our way home, pretty well pleased with ourselves. JH
NUTS & BOLTS TO BOOK A two-day guided ascent of Mount Moran, make a reservation with Exum Mountain Guides. The trip costs $1,600 for a single person or $2,600 for a pair. Meals are not included. 307/733-2297, exumguides.com
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Students at the Jackson Hole Fly Fishing School get the hang of casting on dry land before tackling the braided channels of the nearby Snake River. 120
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Reel Estate Brad Pitt made flyfishing sexy, Jackson Hole instructors make the sport fun. BY JOOHEE MUROMCEW PHOTOGRAPHY BY PRICE CHAMBERS
LEARNING HOW TO fly-fish reminds me a little of when I learned how to Nordic ski six or seven years ago. That winter, after a quick tutorial near the old Nordic barn at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, my instructor led me out past the resort’s northern boundaries and into the beautiful solitude of the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve in Grand Teton National Park. For two hours we barely spoke—and not only because I was totally out of shape and breathless. The privilege of visiting such a tranquil sanctuary can and should elicit a reverential silence. In
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my second day of fly-fishing instruction, I once again feel that grateful awareness of my surroundings, even more rewarding when it’s earned and accessible through a noble sport. It isn’t all quite the softly rumpled elegance of A River Runs Through It. A few times I am quite afraid of losing my ear. Luckily we are in the hands of Spencer Morton, two-time winner of the annual Jackson Hole One Fly competition and founder of the Jackson Hole Fly Fishing School (JHFFS). In 2015 JHFFS teamed up with the Orvis Company and the Snake River Sporting Club to offer professional instruction in a private setting along the Snake River. One of my elevenyear-old daughters, Mary, and I are invit-
John Pierce • Associate Broker 307.690.1756 John.Pierce@jhsir.com www.resortandranch.com
Our first day is a progression of lessons, beginning with classroom instruction in the Sporting Club’s lodge. Using the acclaimed Orvis curriculum, Spencer teaches us about trout species and ecology, and gives a very brief introduction to the gear.
ed to take a two-day course. Though having no experience fly-fishing, Mary has always been a natural fisherwoman. She is the most reliable provider of yellowfin tuna when our crew goes out deep-sea fishing during summers in Cape Cod. As Spencer hands me a rod, I have my usual ridiculous fears to overcome. What if the hook takes out my eye? Those wader overall things look hot and sweaty. What will I wear? I speak to Spencer at length about expectations for Mary and me. Being Spencer, who is also a beloved Jackson Hole Ski Club coach and Moose Hockey player, he laughs a little and then says, “You’ll be fine. Wear sunscreen.” Our first day is a progression of lessons, beginning with classroom instruction in the Sporting Club’s lodge. Using the acclaimed Orvis curriculum, Spencer teaches us about trout species and ecology, and gives a very brief introduction 122
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Spencer shows clients the underside of a rock he plucked from the river, a good place to see what kinds of bugs might be hatching in their nymph stage. Bottom: Clients learn the art of fly selection, which can vary by the day and sometimes even by the hour.
to the gear. Having stumbled around a Cabela’s or two, I know we are just scratching the surface of rods, reels, and lines. Flies come on day two. We are joined by a gentleman, Bob, who has some experience fly-fishing and wants to brush up on his technique. Spencer keeps everything interesting and fastpaced. We move outside to a flat, grassy lawn to learn how to cast. “Whoa! Mary is a natural,” is the first thing I hear. She intuitively, and immediately, has that throw-snap motion down, her line land-
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ing perfectly straight on the verdant green lawn. I have issues. I cannot get my line to fall properly. It puddles up two feet in front of me, or sometimes behind me. Spencer patiently works with me until I get the hang of when to build up tension and when to release it. We work on adjusting for wind and aiming our line to a target. We take lunch on the patio of the lodge’s dining room, a civilized break with good conversation and fun company. After lunch Spencer drives us to an area with small streams and pools, and still within the Snake River Sporting Club’s eight-hundred-acre property. We learn the art of choosing a fruitful fishing hole—how to judge the current, the sunlight on the water, the shady banks, and telltale patches of bubbly action. We learn to cast in these mild-mannered
Sharon Brown/206-619-0301
waters. Mary catches a few small fish. I catch my line on a lot of grasses. We return for day two, again starting with classroom instruction, this time on flies. I’ve always found the array of colorfully spun, exotic-looking flies at sporting goods stores to be amusing and weird. They don’t look like flies. To continue the lessons of matching rod and line to fish and water, Spencer schools us on matching trout to its food. Flies are meant to mimic what the trout are eating at the exact moment in their lifespan and the season you’re hunting them. Today may be the day for grasshoppers, but at what life stage? Spencer has preserved specimens to show us, with fable-worthy names like Woolly Bugger and Royal Wulff. We then pull on our gear—sized to us—which is provided by Orvis and selected by Spencer. He drives us to a remote part of the property. Then a short walk on a rough path leads us to a spectacular bend of the Snake River. Spencer unpacks a simple picnic lunch, which we enjoy with absolutely no one in sight. He spreads us out along the bank and works with us individually. Mary and Bob are well on their way—the fish pretty much jump out to greet them. I have to fuss around finding a spot before eyeing bubbles a bit further out. I cast, then cast again many more times before finding my confidence. The zing-whizz hum of the line becomes more rhythmic, and soon I forget about deadlines, grocery lists, to-dos, and not-to-dos. I do eventually catch a trout and scream like a teenager, nearly falling into the chilly water with excitement. Spencer is right there with his camera and congratulations. There I am under the shade of a willow tree, a cove of the Snake River most people could only hope to see from a float or drift boat. Just like that ski into the Rockefeller Preserve, it is a most privileged visit. JH
Jackson Hole Magazine
Summer Edition
There are thousands of miles of trails in Wyoming.
Unfortunately, there are thousands of traps out there, too. Traps and trails just don’t mix. Too many pets get ensnared in traps set too close to public trails. Some simple safety measures like setbacks and signage are way overdue and would put us on the right path to protecting domestic animals, birds of prey and wildlife.
We’ve created an incident database for awareness and safety. So if your pet gets trapped call 1-307-201-2422 or email info@wyominguntrapped.org.
WyomingUntrapped.org
Wyoming Untrapped.org
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NUTS & BOLTS: THE ORVIS FLY Fishing School (OFFS) is a partnership between the Orvis Company, Jackson Hole Fly Fishing School, and the Snake River Sporting Club. From June through October, OFFS offers one- and two-day classes at the Snake River Sporting Club. orvis.com/adventures Jackson Hole Fly Fishing School, founded by Spencer Morton, offers a wide variety of fly-fishing instruction and outings. jhflyfishingschool.com
Fly Fishing ON A GRAND SCALE www.grandtetonflyfishing.com, (307) 690-0910 2 2 5 W. B ro a d w a y, Ja c k s o n Ho l e SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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body & soul
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East Meets West
and depression that came with my surgery, and that can come from other things in life, too. “Everything in the universe is made up of energy, including people,” says Kathie Chandler, who has multiple degrees in alternative therapies, including Reiki and BY JULIE FUSTANIO KLING light therapy. “When your body breaks PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY WILKERSON down, the energy gets stuck, and it loses its ability to heal the body.” Some of these methods may sound I AM WEIGHTLESS and tingling as I lie on a massage table in “New Agey,” but there is a growing body of evidence showing the chapel of St. John’s Medical Center (SJMC). I am not near- benefits to alternative therapies in general. Dr. Mitchell L. ly as fragile as I felt right after surgery, and I’m much more Gaynor, who died in September 2015 and was the founder and open to the possibilities of energy healing. It is dark under my president of Gaynor Integrative Oncology in Manhattan, was closed eyelids. Then, eyelids still closed, constellation-like an avid proponent of alternative therapies. A clinical assistant lights flicker as I feel the therapist’s hands hover over the scar professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, also in Manhattan, from my hysterectomy. Presurgery, had I known SJMC offered and director of medical oncology at the school’s Center for Healing Touch therapy, I would have asked for it during my Integrative Medicine, Dr. Gaynor authored six books, many of hospital stay and also come back for it later when I felt de- them focused on the environment’s effect on an individual’s health. They include The Healing Power pressed and immobile. But thankfully I of Sound, Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention live in Jackson Hole, where I am surProgram, and Nurture Nature, Nurture rounded by healers who understand Sound therapy is believed to help reduce stress and inflammation, increase relaxation, Health. In one book Gaynor writes about how light, sounds, touch, and smells can and improve sleep. It is also believed to help sound therapy: “Healing chants and muhelp with the stress, sleep deprivation, strengthen the immune system.
Open up to the possibilities of alternative healing.
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sic are chemically metabolized into endogenous opiates that are both internal painkillers as well as healing agents.” NASA has used infrared light waves to grow plants and rebalance astronauts. Clinical trials of NASA-inspired light therapy on stem cell and cancer patients have shown marked results in pain reduction. Why shouldn’t we try it? I AM A yogi and a believer in the mindbody connection, so I am open to the possibilities. But I am also a journalist, so I approach the therapies with a healthy dose of skepticism. As an editor of Teton Spirit Connection magazine, I know there are dozens of alternative, or complementary, healing modalities to choose from, and that’s just what’s available in this valley. They are part of a larger trend exemplified by people like Michael Cohen, a Harvard-educated Wall Street lawyer-turned-California wellness advocate who has made a thriving business out of writing books and representing wellness practitioners. He is also president of the Institute for Integrative and Energy Medicine, a nonprofit that explores health care policy and advocates for spiritual and emotional, as well as physical, healing. A growing number of wellness practitioners use the transference of energy to heal with little to no physical contact. When I decide I’m up for trying this, I don’t know where to start. It turns out Lori Reetz, a certified practitioner of healing arts, including Dahn Hak, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Deeksha, Reiki, Access Consciousness, Munay-Ki, and ThetaHealing, finds me one lunch hour at a local Mexican restaurant. “Come in and see me,” Reetz says in a
Intencións offers weekly crystal sound bowl meditation sessions led by Daniela Botur.
soft voice and with a steady turquoise gaze. “I would love to do some work with you.” Three sessions later—she has a serene space on Scott Lane in West Jackson—she has barely touched me, but something is transformed. During each session she places a lavender pillow over my eyes, mists me with rosewater, caresses my toes, and places crystals that usually live beneath her massage table on my abdomen. Reetz’s hands do not touch me but instead linger in the space just over my body. Her goals are to remove negative thought patterns and help me believe in myself. “The thing is, these teachings are deeply ancient,” says Reetz, who has been refining her practice in the valley for more than ten years and attests to the rise in the mainstream acceptance of a growing number of modalities. “Now healers are combining new science with ancient techniques and understanding them better.” A few weeks later, my friend Daniela Botur, a sound-healing practitioner who owns the wellness boutique Intencións and also Lotus Vibes—a crystal singing bowl meditation and yoga retreat company—invites me to try out her BioMat. This is an FDA-approved, available-toconsumers bed of tubes filled with amethyst crystals designed to transfer infrared heat into the body with the goals of improving sleep patterns and reducing inflammation and stress. I am skeptical but eager to accelerate my healing process and like the scientific nature of this
approach. In addition to transferring infrared heat up to seven inches into my body, the BioMat sends out negative ions, atoms with a greater number of electrons than protons, which are abundant in nature. Medicine Wheel Wellness in downtown Jackson also offers clients BioMat sessions. Lying on the mat feels like a bath that’s too hot at first. Eventually, I ask to turn the heat down. Then it’s almost as relaxing as a sound bowl meditation session, during which I’m tucked under a blanket. After my first thirty-minute session on the BioMat, I notice the scar from my surgery is fading faster than it
Lori Reetz practices light-touch energy work to clear and recharge the body’s energy field and allow for greater vitality, radiance, and relaxation at her energy wellness boutique, Illumine, on Scott Lane.
was pre-BioMat. As impressive as this is, it is the shift in my mind that most astounds me. After weeks of listlessness, I am again motivated to go on walks, get back to yoga, and take a more active role in my life. The BioMat is an unexpected healing modality for me. Botur says her location in downtown Jackson allows her to attract some interesting clients. Intencións is on Broadway Avenue next to the Harley Davidson store. She has had travel-weary motorcycle men wander in, as well as groups of kids. The former were full of inquiries. The latter spent their own money for a session on a BioMat with sound-canceling headphones, listening to frequencies created by crystal sound bowls or binaural beats, which are tones created at certain frequencies and delivered through different ears to create an auditory illusion. All of the work Botur does today, in-
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cluding aromatherapy and energy healing, began with sound therapy. She first learned about sound therapy while living in Mexico. Today, with the tap of her mallet and a swirl of her wrist, she plays crystal sound bowls for groups. Sound, breath, and other vibrational modalities can alter brain wave activity, heartbeat, and vibrational fields. The working frequency of brain waves, also known as the “beta” state, has a rate of twelve to thirtyeight cycles per second. “Alpha,” or relaxed, brain waves pulsate at eight to eleven cycles per second. And “theta” brain waves, associated with sleep or a deep meditative state, have a frequency of four to seven cycles per second.
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CHANDLER, A REIKI master who is intuitive certified in TBM (Total Body Modification), reflexology, and massage, among other modalities, uses crystal light therapy to relieve pain and improve immune functions. According to doctors at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, light therapy—referred to as solar therapy by the Egyptians and UV therapy by later civilizations—is one of the oldest therapeutic methods used by humans. In 1903 Dr. Niels Ryberg Finsen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for his achievements with light therapy. Chandler’s tool is the Theragem, a portable laser that beams light through semiprecious and precious gems, each prescribed to treat specific ailments and areas of the body. In total Chandler’s Theragem has thirty carats of precious stones in discs that slip in and out of the beam of light, radiating color, light, and megahertz into the body. On me she uses a combination of diamonds and carnelian, and points the laser at my spleen. It feels like whirlpools of warm water are traveling up to my heart as she rattles off the rising numbers until they stabilize and the R2-D2-sounding device beeps. From there Chandler goes to my head to access my endocrine system with sapphire. The device works quickly, and I feel a transformative lightness as I walk out the door of her Wilson office. The feeling lasts for a week. “It goes after the issue, not the symptom,” she says. “The pharmaceutical world goes after the symptom. I don’t call myself a healer. I believe I am a facilitator to help you heal yourself.” Chandler also practices Reiki, a
Beautiful Landscapes Start Here
A client receives Theragem Crystal Light treatment from Kathie Chandler at Sacred Messages in Wilson. This therapy is a gentle, noninvasive technique that activates the body’s natural healing abilities.
touch therapy that was developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui to transfer energy to reduce blockages and restore physical and emotional wellness. Reiki is similar to Healing Touch, the energy work offered to patients at SJMC. (Other hospitals around the country offer Healing Touch to patients recovering from surgery or illnesses or undergoing chemotherapy.) Both Healing Touch and Reiki involve trained practitioners working with the biomagnetic field that surrounds your body. The goals of both are to open up the natural flow of energy, which is sometimes stuck near meridian points or chakras. SJMC, which has offered Healing Touch for two years, has five certified providers and is funded by anonymous donors. It is free to hospital patients. Since the program’s inception, providers have done upwards of 1,100 sessions. Prior to each Healing Touch session a provider asks the patient to rate their level of pain on a scale of one to ten. At the end of the session, which usually lasts an hour, patients are again asked to rate their pain. On average, post-Healing Touch, patients report a two- to three-point reduction in pain. “Healing Touch represents the compassionate side of medicine,” says Jackson Hole orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Gus Goetz. “It is a contradiction to highly complex, automated, and computerized patient care, but one almost everyone can understand and appreciate.”
“WE TRY REALLY hard to refer to it as complementary, not alternative,” says Catherine Beck, a nurse and the director of SJMC’s primary care unit. Beck adds that she wishes every patient could experience Healing Touch. After an hour of it being explained to me, I’m set up with a Healing Touch session. I meet Kate Finnegan in the chapel and lie down under a white sheet on a massage table, itself covered in a white sheet. Next year the hospital breaks ground on a dedicated Healing Touch room. Like the Healing Touch program, this room’s design and construction are funded by an anonymous donor. Finnegan’s gentle manner is reminiscent of Reetz’s, but her hands smell of antibacterial soap rather than rosewater. She turns on some pleasing piano music. Strings and percussion eventually join in. “I work with the bioenergetic field, kind of like Reiki,” Finnegan says. “I feel movement like a wave with my hands over the body and then I move on.” She goes on to explain that the movement comes from my electromagnetic energy field. I feel the heat emanating from her hands, which linger above my fully clothed body. It travels from my feet to my temples, creating a comforting sensation as I close my eyes. While I didn’t come in with any pain, I still leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, and in agreement with something Beck said earlier about touch therapy: “It is hard to quantify. But if you feel better, does it matter?” JH
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nightlife
Eat It
Staging the perfect picnic BY LILA EDYTHE
I SHOULD HAVE checked the weather forecast. This sunset picnic with my boyfriend is not going as I had planned. My imagination had each of us relaxing in a lightweight camp chair while sipping a cocktail, nibbling on a wedge of Manchego cheese, and basking in the warmth of the evening sun until we decided we were ready for dinner. Our meal, carefully packed in Tupperware containers, is fresh garlic-rosemary bread, kale salad, and sausage-filled ravioli. 132
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Picnic Essentials 1. Check the weather. 2. Wherever you go, some sort of camping pad is great, not only to sit on but also to keep your food off the ground. Our fav? A simple Therm-a-Rest Z. 3. Up the comfort factor without going overboard with a camp chair: Big Agnes Helinox chairs weigh less than one and a half pounds each. 4. On dinner/sunset picnics, bring headlamps. Just in case. 5. No matter how warm it is when you start, if you’re picnicking at dinner, pack a puffy jacket. 6. YETI coolers keep things colder for longer than any other cooler we’ve ever tried. 7. Premix cocktails. If they have a carbonated component, keep that separate until you’re ready to drink. 8. Pack a bag to put trash and dirty dishes in. 9. Eat neatly: The idea isn’t to leave a feast of crumbs behind for local critters.
There is no basking going on, however. The sun, and any warmth it might provide, is sealed behind a curtain of bruised clouds. We haven’t heard any rumbling yet, but a thunderstorm is obviously headed our way. Had I checked the weather forecast, I would have seen there was a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms this evening. But, since it’s not raining yet, and because I am amazingly stubborn, we persevere. When I open my camp chair and set it on the ground, a gust of wind immediately grabs it and sends it cartwheeling away. I sprint after it, turning around to ask Paul to make sure and hold onto the blanket. And also to the stainless steel bottle filled with the cocktails we premixed at home. What would be the bigger picnic faux pas— our blanket blowing away or our cocktail container spilling? The chair caught, I return to Paul and wedge it under a rock so I have both hands free to rummage around in my backpack for the puffy jacket I threw in SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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at the last minute. It might be August, but with no sun and an excess of wind, it feels pretty cold. As I zip up, I make a proposal to Paul. Simultaneously, he begins speaking, offering a proposal of his own. Me: “Maybe we should abort and go eat all of this yummy food in the warmth and comfort of our home?” Paul: “How about we move down into the trees? We’ll be out of the wind.” Obviously, I’ve got a ways to go before earning my “extreme picnicker” patch. Ten minutes later we are tucked into the trees, where, indeed, we are out of the wind. We’re also out of view of everything. We might as well be eating in a closet at home. But I roll with it ... until the cocktail bottle literally goes rolling down the hillside. Ours is not a flat stand of trees, but trees on a 40-degree hillside. I turn downhill to go after the cocktails and step on a stick that overturns the salad. The cocktail bottle wasn’t open, but the salad was. Emerald green leaves of Lacinato kale litter the forest floor. Driving home we pass the container of ravioli between us and gnaw on hunks of bread. PICNICKING GOES BACK to at least the Middle Ages. Hunting was a favorite pursuit of the upper class; because hunters get hungry, servants created elaborate feasts in the field. Picnics remained a pursuit of the wealthy until Victorian times, when other classes caught on to the enjoyment of eating in the outdoors. In fact, in 1861, the book that was the guide to running a household in Victorian Britain, Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, included instructions on how to hold a picnic. Mrs. Beeton recommended cold roast beef, meat pies, roast chickens, roast ducks, cheesecakes, and a large, cold plum pudding, as well as beer, claret, sherry, and brandy. Thankfully the picnic menus of today are usually simpler. Picnicking in Jackson Hole does come with one difficulty, though: choosing a spot and time of day. Yes, picnics are perfect for dinner, and also for lunch. CURTIS CANYON This area in the Gros Ventre Mountains on the east side of the valley
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is a twenty- to thirty-minute drive on paved, gravel, and dirt roads from downtown Jackson. Since it’s the same road you take to get to the trailhead for the hike to Goodwin Lake, we recommend a lunch picnic here. Hike to Goodwin in the morning and, posthike, as you’re driving back down the Curtis Canyon Road likely famished, stop at one of the many informal pullouts and set up your spread. SHADOW MOUNTAIN Straddling Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Shadow Mountain is the ultimate in free-form picnicking. At its northernmost end, Antelope Flats Road becomes dirt and winds around the flat sage meadow at the base of this mellow peak, which, more accurately, is a butte rather than a mountain. There are pullouts, some with fire rings, all along this road. Since the Tetons are directly across from you, and the only thing between you and them is a powerline, this place is great for dinner picnics. SIGNAL MOUNTAIN There’s no time of day you’ll have the summit of Signal Mountain, in Grand Teton National Park, to yourself. This is because the views are sublime—Jackson Lake in the foreground, Mount Moran in the background, Yellowstone and the Absaroka Range in the far distance— and the drive is easy. RVs aren’t allowed on this paved road, but any car can handle it. The summit is big enough, though, that a few minutes of wandering will lead you away from the crowds. SNOW KING Snow King makes picnicking easy: There’s a picnic table on the lookout at the summit. From this spot, the only one in this article you can’t drive to, you can watch the sun disappear behind the Tetons, catch the shadows of those mountains cast down onto the valley floor, and see the Gros Ventres aglow. As the sunlight fades, watch as the lights of downtown Jackson, directly below, come on. If you start your picnic before 7 p.m., you can ride the chairlift to the top, saving yourself the 1.5-mile hike up 1,500 vertical feet.
Picnics To Go PEARL STREET MARKET This carefully curated market in downtown Jackson does cheese and salumi, as well as gourmet hot and cold sandwiches. Its desserts are already packaged picnic-friendly. 40 W. Pearl Ave., 307/733-1300, pearlstmarketjh.com PICNIC The atmosphere at this new West Jackson hot spot encourages hanging out, but get a T-Day sandwich and Mediterranean salad to go, a Healthy Being cold-pressed juice to wash it down, and a couple of sweet treats for dessert. 1110 Maple Way, Suite B, 307/264-2956, picnicjh.com ASPENS MARKET The West Bank’s picnic headquarters, Aspens Market does sandwiches and has a wide selection of desserts, prepared foods, and drinks. There is a liquor store next door. 4015 N. Lake Creek Dr., Wilson, 307/200-6140, aspensmarket.com JACKSON WHOLE GROCER This is the place for picnickers who can’t agree on one food. Here you can get slices of pizza, custom sandwiches and salads, over two dozen prepared foods, and, if you’re thinking more snack than full meal, cheese and salumi. Also, there’s a liquor store on the premises. 1155 US-89, 307/733-0450, jacksonwholegrocer.com DORNAN’S Dornan’s grocery store has sandwiches, simple prepared foods, and the valley’s most interesting selection of bulk foods—from toffee-covered nuts to chocolate goji berries. The attached liquor store has the valley’s best selection of wines. Get a soft-serve cone to eat on the drive to your picnic spot. 12170 Dornan Road, Moose, 307/733-2415, dornans.com KELLY ON THE GROS VENTRE There’s cold beer here and espresso, along with sandwiches made to order. Gros Ventre Rd., Kelly, 307/732-9837 JH
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Mucho Mexican Don’t be surprised if you have one of the best Mexican meals of your life in Jackson Hole. BY MARK HUFFMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DORGAN
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THERE WAS MEXICAN food in Jackson Hole when actual Mexicans were rare here. Times have changed. Now there are many Mexican immigrants, Mexican-Americans, and first-generation Americans with Hispanic names. In the early 1990s Hispanics were infrequent in the valPiglets is one of ley, but by 2013 the U.S. census put the Merry the valley’s most popular, local population at more than 3,200, and oldest, Mexican restaurants. nearly 19 percent of the total. So it should surprise no one that the valley’s Mexican restaurant scene has exploded. Today there are about a dozen of them. “It’s at the saturation point, that’s for sure,” says Joe Rice, owner of the oldest and probably best known, Merry Piglets, which opened in 1969 and Rice bought in 1992. “I don’t know how many restaurants of any kind we can handle. The restaurant scene in town is really good, but I think there are more
Left: Street tacos are one of the most popular items on the menu at Merry Piglets. Pictured are al pastor tacos, with pineapple-marinated pork and guajillo pepper. Bottom: A waitress at El Abuelito picks up fresh tortillas to accompany diners’ entrees.
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“If I don’t eat Mexican food one day, or two days, I’m dying.” – Alfonso Centeno, owner of El Abuelito Mexican restaurants in town than anything else.” When Rice came to Jackson looking for a business to buy and found Piglets, the restaurant was a summer-only outdoor eatery at the old Crabtree Corner. He educated himself by working in a friend’s Mexican place in Texas. Rice says he was “the only white guy in the kitchen.” But the fact that he’s an Anglo in a business dominated by Mexican and Mexican-American immigrants isn’t an
issue for Rice, who runs a number of dining establishments in town under the name Blue Collar Restaurant Group. “Just because you’re Mexican doesn’t mean you know how to cook Mexican food,” he says, and besides, “The entire kitchen is Hispanic, guys who’ve been with us for twenty years.” OTHER PLACES ARE pleased to note their inherited authenticity. At Taqueria Sanchez, owner Maria Carlos, a twelveSUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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Enjoy a scenic float trip IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
A local enjoys lunch—three carne asada tacos—at Taqueria Sanchez in downtown Jackson.
WITH THE ORIGINAL
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year Jackson resident, tells customers that all her recipes are “from the house ... from the grandma.” In the Kmart Plaza, at Tijuana Authentic Mexican Restaurant, Mario Morales, whose family owns the restaurant, says the recipes are the same as his family eats at home, although there are a few changes he thinks people will like. “We invented them,” he says of the dishes. “But there’s a little twist to it, it’s not just Mexican.” At Streetfood at the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson, the Mexican part of the menu came to town with Marcos Hernandez, who runs the place with his American wife, Amelia Hatchard. “The recipes are invented by my husband, and many came from his mom,” Hatchard says. “She was a professional cook, and the mother of eleven.” Alfonso Centeno owns the biggest competition to Piglets, El Abuelito, on West Broadway. Soon after he arrived in
Jackson, Centeno says he looked around and decided “there was room in town for another Mexican restaurant. When we opened the door [in November 2001] we were always busy from the first day.” He thinks there’s always demand for a good product. “When you sell something, you have to sell something you really like,” he says. “And if I don’t eat Mexican food one day, or two days, I’m dying.” The appeal crosses cultural lines, Centeno says. “It’s really warm,” he says of the food of his birth country, referring not to the temperature but the feeling it gives you. “Mexican food is really tasty. I eat one dish, I want another.” HERE’S A BRIEF GUIDE:
Started in 1969 as a summer picnicbench operation, Merry Piglets Mexican Grill was bought by Joe Rice in 1992. The place is big and often packed,
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French-American Bistro 380 S. Broadway • Jackson 307-739-1100 • rendezvousbistro.net
Wine & Tapas Bar, Specialty Grocer and Bottle Shop
Modern American Cuisine
200 W. Broadway • Downtown Jackson
307-734-1633 • thekitchenjacksonhole.com
307-739-9463 • bin22jacksonhole.com
155 N. Glenwood • Downtown Jackson
WESTBANK & TETON VILLAGE
Eclectic Roadhouse Fare and Craft Beer
Rustic Italian Fare
2550 Moose-Wilson Rd • Wilson
3335 W. Village Dr, Hotel Terra • Teton Village
Locally-Focused Specialty Grocer and Bottle Shop
307-739-0700 • qjacksonhole.com
307-739-4100 • jhosteria.com
3200 W. McCollister Dr • Teton Village 307-200-4666 • bodegajacksonhole.com
Weddings - Rehearsal Dinners - Private & Corporate Events • 307-739-4682 • bistrocatering.net
SummitAviation_JacksonHoleMag_halfpageAdFINAL.pdf
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noisy, and busy. The inside is decorated to imitate the adobe walls of a Mexican village. The size of the menu is surpassed only by the number of salsas made inhouse daily. Try the shrimp enchiladas and wash them down with a strawberryjalapeno margarita. Rice likes the carne asada, but says the street tacos are among the most popular. 160 N. Cache; 307/733-2966 Down the road from Town Square, Alfonso Centeno’s El Abuelito Mexican Restaurant is utilitarian inside. A few hanging sombreros are flanked by the numerous trophies won by the restaurant’s soccer team. You’ll see Mexicans eating at all the Mexican restaurants in town, but Abuelito seems to be a favorite, judging by numbers. Abuelito—it means “grandfather” in Spanish—has a big menu, including thirteen kinds of burritos. 385 W. Broadway; 307/733-1207 In summer, snag a seat outside at one of Taqueria Sanchez’s picnic tables. When outside isn’t an option, twenty feet of counter space with ten stools can be found indoors. Sanchez is known for its burritos, but there’s nothing here that isn’t tasty. Proprietor Maria Carlos is there nearly constantly—“I don’t have any time for me,” she says. If you like your meal, you can tell the cooks about it without raising your voice—they’re right there behind Maria, you’ll just have to speak loudly enough to be heard over the sizzling grill. 65 S. Glenwood; 307/734-5407 If you’re heading to Mountain High Pizza you’ll be disappointed to find that it disappeared a couple years back. You won’t be disappointed if you go in anyway and enjoy what’s there now, Hatch Taquería & Tequilas, easily the most upscale Mexican fare in town. Think smoked salmon tostadas, mesquitegrilled scallops, and chipotle honeyglazed sweet potatoes. The bar features what is rumored to be the state’s biggest selection of tequilas. 120 W. Broadway; 307/203-2780 El Tequila is another family operation, this one headed by Christian and Ramon Perez, who worked a variety of jobs around town before opening in late 2014. The menu is mostly Mexican—enchiladas, tamales, burritos, and quesadillas—but also has seafood and pasta entrees for dinner. El Tequila is also open for breakfast. 545 E. Broadway; 307/264-1577 140
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
When you enter the Stagecoach Bar, try tacos de camarones. Go ahead and look right, past the pool tables, and practice your Spanish—staff seems to there’s Streetfood. It serves a variety of be practicing their English. 975 Alpine bar food, burgers, and sandwiches, but Lane; 307/212-9645 it’s the restaurant’s Mexican specialties Tijuana Authentic Mexican that shine. Tacos, which you can order Restaurant has excellent tacos and enindividually, are filled with carne asada, chiladas, and very fine mole sauce. If you al pastor, chicken tinga, or like to take pictures of your mahi mahi. If you’re comfood, this is your place, as it Top: Maria Carlos opened ing from skiing, biking, or Taqueria Sanchez twelve does the prettiest presentahiking on Teton Pass, years ago and is still in tions of all the Mexican resthere’s nowhere else to go. the kitchen most days. taurants. Kmart Plaza on W. 5755 W. Highway 22 in Broadway; 307/733-3554 Wilson, in the Stagecoach Bottom: Hatch Taquería Across from Albertsons, Bar; 307/200-6633 Pica’s Mexican Taqueria is & Tequilas offers six Some restaurants are varieties of tacos, five one of the most popular hard to find, but Los house-made salsas, and restaurants in Jackson, a menu of margaritas. Nopalitos actually seems Mexican or not. This only is to be hiding. Exit partially because of its sunPowderhorn Plaza by the Sears loading ny, expansive patio. It’s got the best chips dock onto Powderhorn Lane. Look for in town—fresh-made—and surprisinga sign on a building to the left. Go ly great ceviche, as well as a variety of around. Los Nopalitos is at the inside burritos and Mexican salads and soups angle of the L-shaped structure. The (chicken posole, tortilla soup). Put its place is plain inside and the food wet sauce on anything and it’ll taste good. Tongue tacos? Ask for lengua. Or great. 1160 Alpine Lane; 307/734-4457 JH
…having dined in the more popular places in Jackson this was our favorite….we ate here 3 times in one week!!!!! B. Painter || Trip advisor
…I would put the menu and crew at gather up against any restaurant in Charlston, SC. Brad P. || Yelp
…we have lots of favorites in jackson but gather has become our absolute favorite for so many reasons. Try it you’ll love it!! Janet B. || Opentable
SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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Best of
JH
dining out
RESTAURANT The Bunnery Bakery & Restaurant
LOCATION
PHONE
BREAKFAST $
LUNCH
DINNER
Jackson
307-733-5474
$
Bin22
Jackson
307-739-9463
$/$$
$/$$
Bodega
Teton Village
307-200-4666
$
$/$$
The Kitchen
Jackson
307-734-1633 $$$
Il Villaggio Osteria
Teton Village
307-739-4100
$
Q Roadhouse and Brewing Co.
Teton Village Road
307-739-0700
Rendezvous Bistro
Jackson
307-739-1100
$/$$$
Alpine
307-654-4422 $
$$
Ascent Lounge
Teton Village
307-732-5673
$$
The Handle Bar
Teton Village
307-732-5156
$$
Westbank Grill
Teton Village
307-732-5156
Gather
Jackson
307-264-1820 $ $$
Grand Teton Lodge Company
Grand Teton National Park
Fine Dining Restaurant Group
Flying Saddle Resort & Steak House
$
$$
$/$$$ $/$$
Four Seasons Resort
142
$$
$
$$$
Mural Dining Room
Jackson Lake Lodge
307-543-2811
$
$/$$
$$$
Pioneer Grill
Jackson Lake Lodge
307-543-2811
$
$
$/$$
Blue Heron Lounge
Jackson Lake Lodge
307-543-2811
$
$
Ranch House Restaurant
Colter Bay
307-543-2811 $ $ $$/$$$
John Colter Café Court
Colter Bay
307-543-2811
$
$
$
Jenny Lake Dining Room
Jenny Lake Lodge
307-733-4647
$
$
$$$$
Haydens Post
Jackson
307-734-7907 $ $$ $$$
Kim’s Cafe
Jackson
307-200-6544
Leek’s Pizzeria
Grand Teton National Park
307-543-2494 $$ $$
Lotus
Jackson
307-734-0882 $ $$ $$
Piste Mountain Bistro
Teton Village
307-732-3177
$$
$$$
The Silver Dollar Bar and Grill
Jackson
307-732-3939
$
$$$
Signal Mountain Lodge
Grand Teton National Park
$
$
$
$
Peaks Dining Room
Signal Mountain Lodge
307-543-2831 x220
$$/$$$
Trapper Grill
Signal Mountain Lodge
307-543-2831 x220 $
$/$$ $/$$
Snake River Brewing Company
Jackson
307-739-2337
$
Snake River Grill
Jackson
307-733-0557 $$$
Teton Pines Restaurant
Teton Village Road
307-733-1005
Teton Thai
Teton Village
307-733-0022 $$ $$
Turpin Meadow Ranch
Moran, Wyoming
307-543-9147
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
$/$$
$/$$ $$/$$$
$
$$$
LIQUOR
KIDS’ MENU
TAKEOUT
s
J
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The bakery that’s a restaurant
s s
Wine, tapas bar, specialty grocer, and bottle shop
R R
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J
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Wood-oven-fired pizzas, house-made pasta
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Locals’ favorite, French American bistro fare, raw bar
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Featuring the finest meats cooked to perfection
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Grocer, wine, grab and go food, provisions, butcher
Classic 1950s-style counter service J R s Casual dining on the deck overlooking the Tetons
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Quick meals, picnic take-out, or casual Mexican fare
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Inspired campfire cuisine with great views
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Burgers, fries, ricebowls, noodles, breakfast
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Sophisticated dining at the top of Bridger Gondola
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Regional cuisine, live music, happy hour
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Teton views, sustainable Western bistro-style menu
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Teton views, family casual menu, outdoor seating
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Award-winning brews and incredible food
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Superb fare, exquisite wine, talented staff
s
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Outdoor patio and amazing views
Creative American, fresh local, traditional twist
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Five course dining in Grand Teton National Park
Organic offerings for every eating style
Locals’ choice for rustic elegance
Average entree; $= under $15, $$= $16-20, $$$= $21+ SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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Handcrafted, award-winning fine wine made locally in Jackson, Wyoming.
“Teton “Teton wedding catering at at its its finest finest for forover over20 20years” years” hospitality
Make an appointment Today! Teton Valley’s best special occasion venue 800.787.9178 or 208.787.2667 | diningincateringinc.com 800.787.9178 or 208.787.2667 | diningincateringinc.com
Jackson Winery 7800 Boyles Hill Road Jackson, WY 307-201-1057
Gallery on Main 309 Main Street Dayton, WY 307-655-2443
www.jacksonholewinery.com | facebook.com/jacksonholewinery
WWW.TETONTHAIVILLAGE.COM
307 733 0022
WE ARE MOVING! Visit us at the end of June! 140 N. Cache, Suite 1
Global cuisine with fresh, organic meats, vegan & gluten-free options. Bakery | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner Cold Pressed Juices | Smoothies | Full Bar www.tetonlotuscafe.com 145 N. Glenwood St. Jackson, WY | 734-0882
WINNER BEST THAI RESTAURANT ‘09 - ’16
Gold/Silver BEST TAKE OUT FOOD ‘09 - ’16
- JH Weekly
GREAT FOOD I LIBATIONS I MUSIC UNMATCHED ATMOSPHERE Inside the Historic Wort Hotel • Broadway@Glenwood Just off the Town Square • 307-732-3939 • worthotel.com
L O C A L LY E N G A G I N G . N 2015 EDITIO COMPLIM
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Outdoor Kitchens summ er
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Issue # 21
SUMMER 2016
THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
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For 40 years, visitors and locals have turned the pages of Jackson Hole’s leading glossy magazines for insights on the character and characters of our Valley. Find these titles on magazine stands throughout the region.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: jacksonholemagazine.com | rangejh.com | 307.733.2047
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Best of
JH
art scene
Plein as Day When Mother Nature is your model, plein air is your passion.
BRADLY J. BONER
BY JEANNETTE BONER
146
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
IT’S A WARM spring day, and the Gros Ventre Mountains are in full bloom, sporting every shade of green. Overhead white pillows of clouds cast contrasting shadows along the eastern edge of Jackson Hole. At a spot not far from downtown and overlooking Flat Creek, the National Elk Refuge, and the Gros Ventres, a small army of art professionals and appreciators gathers at the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s annual Plein Air Fest. Armed with paints and palettes, artists render Mother Nature’s display of color and light onto their canvases as they only can when painting outdoors. The artists work to reproduce the landscape, including delicate details like blooming forget-me-nots, sticky geranium, and Indian paintbrush. They wrestle the landscape’s enormity into the confines of their canvases.
Travis Walker, one of the most notable local artists and the founder of the nonprofit Teton Artlab, is barefoot and working his brush quickly. In his painting, sky and mountains smash together over Flat Creek with the various greens of the Gros Ventre Range in the background.
“Every time I go up there, and it’s a couple of times a summer, I try to capture what I see,” says Charles Dayton, a Wyoming native and plein air painter whose work is featured at Jackson’s Wilcox Gallery. “The Tetons are so, so … the enormity of the Tetons, they are endless. And the contrast with the sagebrush valley that drops into the willows and cottonwood. You see things that you wouldn’t see if you just traveled by a location. When you are in it, you see colors and details that you can’t experience without intense observations. It’s all really wonderful.” Dayton brought his daughter to Plein Air Fest. She’s on horseback in the middle of a sagebrush field modeling for Travis Walker steps back to evaluate his interpretation of the National Elk Refuge during last year’s Plein Air Fest at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Turnerfineart.com
triofineart.com | 545 N. Cache Avenue Jackson Hole, WY 83001 | 307-734.4444
SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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Charles Dayton’s painting of his daughter on horseback takes shape during the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Plein Air Fest.
JEANNETTE BONER
to chat and hand out business cards, others deep into their scene. Travis Walker, one of the most notable local artists and the founder of the nonprofit Teton Artlab, is here. He’s barefoot and working his brush quickly, smashing sky and mountains together over Flat Creek with the various greens of the Gros Ventre Range in the background. “When I am working outside, I am reacting directly to the landscape. I try not to think too much and just use my instincts,” Walker says. “Sometimes these attempts fail to create a good painting, and that is OK. Actually it is essential to fail, because I learn what doesn’t work, which is important to recognize. Back in the studio I take the work I made in the field and experiment with scale and color more. In this respect I feel like a scientist who collects data in the field that can be further analyzed in the studio.”
him. The Gros Ventres drape around her shoulders, and the blue sky frames her perfectly pressed pink, pearly button-down. Dayton’s attitude is easy as he jokes with her, him at his easel, she in the saddle. (This is her first modeling gig for her dad.) A painter standing next to Dayton laughs along, too. Each man wears a cowboy hat and boots and Wranglers. Instead of sixshooters at their hips, they’re armed with flat brushes and big brushes, and tubes of oil and acrylic paints, disarming visitors with their display of western art. The museum’s sidewalk is lined with artists, some ready
“PLEIN AIR” IS a French term that means to paint outdoors. But landscape as a subject can be fickle and unforgiving—light splashing down and around sharp edges, soft spaces, and trees, and casting shadows and moving faster than a summer season in
T e T o n P i n e s C o u n T RY C L u B & R e s o R T
G olf
T ennis
D ininG
W eDDinGs & e venTs
Clubhouse Remodeled spring 2016 ~ Public Welcome
T e T o n P i n e s R e s Ta u R a n T Lunch ~ 19th Hole ~ Dinner ~ Outdoor Seating Available
3450 Clubhouse Dr. 148
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
www.tetonpines.com
(307) 733-1005
the Rockies. But artists enjoy the challenge, and keep coming to the Tetons with a willingness to allow Mother Nature the time she needs to show her full glory under the banner of endless western skies. In addition to the NMWA’s Plein Air Fest, every July there is Plein Air for the Park, which takes place in Grand Teton National Park. Both of these events have filled up fast in recent years, attracting local and visiting artists. Seeing the popularity of plein air painting, Teton Valley also has its annual Driggs Digs Plein Air festival. For several years now, upwards of seventy-five artists have taken part in it. Although popular, plein air painting comes with challenges that studio painting does not. “SOME OF MY biggest challenges are the changing conditions,” says David Koch, a Utah-based plein air painter who has traveled to the Tetons to paint for decades. “It’s important that you know, even before you put a brushstroke on canvas, what you are going to paint and why you chose that scene.” Another challenge, adds Koch, is “chasing the light.” For many artists the goal is not the finished product or its sale. They strive for their plein air pieces to communicate to the world—to tell viewers what they saw in the long shadows of the early morning, or the color and contrast of an evening scene, says Koch, who enjoys plein air painting in deserts as well, particularly the light of Utah’s famed canyonlands. Plein air painting is not as easy as snapping a photo and taking it back to the studio to complete, Koch says. Plein air works contain subtle layers of time and space. Artists capture hours of light and color. The end result is often emotional rather than purely representational. Still, “What first comes to mind as a plein air painter is accurately recording nature,” Koch says.“[Plein air] teaches us to really see things as they are and that benefits society by making people aware of how beautiful things really are. It records things that will change.” Some plein air painters sketch and put a basic idea onto canvas in the field and then take the piece into the studio to finish. Other plein air artists complete their entire work outside. Koch sometimes takes pictures if he knows he’ll finish a piece in his studio. Dayton favors preserving a scene by memory.
Experience the wonder of nature through the lens of Thomas D. Mangelsen. 170 North Cache
|
Jackson, WY
|
307-733-9752
|
888-238-0177
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY | ARTIST PROOF PRINTS | BOOKS | CALENDARS
www.mangelsen.com
THE ULTIMATE WYOMING GIFT! An acclaimed, hair-raising book about famous Jackson Hole Grizzly 399. Exclusive edition available at MANGELSEN Images of Nature Gallery and at mangelsen.com/grizzly
SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
149
BRADLY J. BONER
Private Instruction, Community Workshops and Entertainment Shooting Experiences Year-Round
307-690-7921 or toll-free 844-Hi-Women
ShootInJH.com and HighCaliberWomen.com 150
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
ON THE WESTERN side of the Tetons, in Teton Valley, Scott Christensen’s gallery/studio is awash with light streaming through Darby Canyon. The world-renowned artist stands at the front of a group of fifteen students. He’s teaching them how he re-creates the outdoors with paint. He begins with a few scratching noises on a massive mountain landscape. He’s cooling off the sky while warming the peaks. Reflective light gets a bump with a few more strokes of his brush. Christensen doesn’t speak or address his audience, which includes a fifteen-year-old prodigy. Instead he turns to a massive mirror opposite his painting of the Grand Teton; he uses the mirror to assess the slight variations of light and temperature that go unseen by untrained eyes. “Wow,” a few students whisper as Christensen reveals his delicate changes. “The more you experiment, the more you learn,” he says as he continues to cool and warm various elements in the piece. Christensen uses several brushstrokes to make the sky reflect off of a high mountain lake. “You have to be willing to lose your work to gain academically,” he says. THE ORIGINAL PLEIN air professor is the Tetons. Famous artists armed with experience and students eager to capture dramatic western landscapes came here. Today plein air painters continue to come. No matter the season, even winter, they persevere, wrestling oil and acrylic and chalk and watercolor onto canvas. The task can feel daunting, given the area’s awe-inspiring beauty and delicate details, like sagebrush, wildflowers,
Bud Fields, of Vancouver, Washington, paints plein air along the Moose-Wilson Road. Fields, who comes to Jackson Hole annually for the Fall Arts Festival, says the MooseWilson Road is one of his favorite destinations for painting.
and cottonwoods. “I am constantly tweaking,” says Christensen. “These are the decisions I make—to give life or not. I’m breathing life into a painting made from real life. You are going to ruin paintings. That’s OK. I’m different today than I will be tomorrow. I have a lot of people say, ‘I don’t want to think that much.’ It’s OK. Everyone’s different, and you’re doing these [paintings] for a purpose.” Perhaps no one wrestled more with the challenge of painting outdoors than famed plein air pioneer Conrad Schwiering. For him, painting outside was about being in the scene as much as it was about capturing it with paint. “I plan on going out every day to sketch these mountains no matter what sort of weather is brewing,” he once said. “Because this is really what a mountain painter does—he catches, if he can, the essence of the moods, as they come across the mountains, hoping he can pass them on to others.” Schwiering, who died in 1986, plowed through paint to find the shifting light in the deep canyons of the Tetons in pursuit of emotion. From his Jackson studio he inspired generations of artists, challenging them to move beyond the confines of four walls to the limitless possibilities of the field. When asked how long it takes to complete a picture, Schwiering replied, “Oh, I’d say about two weeks and thirty-five years.” JH
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www.jkbrand.com • 303-908-3459
Best of
JH
galleries
WHETHER YOU’RE PASSIONATE
about plein-air, a
serious collector of western paintings by contemporary or deceased masters, or a casual art fan searching for a keepsake to remind you of your time spent here, in Jackson Hole you have the opportunity to enjoy art in its multitude of forms. Over the past two decades, Jackson Hole has grown to become one of the most heralded art centers of the West, popping off the tongues of aficionados alongside the likes of Santa Fe, Palo Alto, and Scottsdale. Begin by visiting some of the galleries highlighted here, where you can pick up a copy of our summer/fall arts magazine, Images West. In it you will learn more about the valley’s artists, galleries, and arts-related classes and events.
ALTAMIRA FINE ART
152
HEATHER JAMES FINE ART
DANSHELLEY JEWELERS
Altamira Fine Art specializes in the exhibition and sale of Western Contemporary artwork. We offer an active exhibition schedule year round between our two gallery locations in Jackson, Wyoming and Scottsdale, Arizona. Altamira offers fine art in a range of media—from oil painting, acrylic and bronze to digital art installations, and found object mixed media. The gallery works with estate collections and offers expertise with auctions, conservation and other curatorial concerns. Altamira also buys and consigns quality artwork. Contact us for more information.
Heather James Fine Art offers a rare look into art history’s past and present. Curated exhibitions feature art from the genres of Impressionist and Modern, Latin American, Postwar and Contemporary, Photography and Design. With a program designed to educate, stimulate and inspire, Heather James Fine Art features regular exhibitions, lectures, salons and tours for clients, visitors and cultural travelers.
Jackson’s most unique collection of Designer Jewelry. This gallery features a variety of original designs By Dan Harrison. His collections include: “Teton Memories,” “Western Reflections,” “Ancient Treasures,” as well as incredible “Contemporary One-Of-a-Kind,” and “Limited Editions.” Complementing Dan’s collection are unique expressions by several designer jewelers from around the world. A visit to this gallery is a must if you truly love jewelry. You’ll see why “Inspiration Begins At 6,000 Feet” has been the heartbeat of this establishment since 1976!
172 Center Street (307) 739-4700 altamiraart.com
172 Center Street, Suite 101 (307) 200-6090 heatherjames.com
125 North Cache Street (307) 733-2259 danshelley.com
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
HINES GOLDSMITHS
MANGELSEN - IMAGES OF NATURE GALLERY
Jackson’s original Fine Jewelry Store and exclusive designers of the Teton Jewelry Collection since 1970. Our collection features Teton pendants and charms ranging from small to our stunning diamond pavé and inlay gemstone pendants; rings, earrings and a large array of men’s jewelry complete the collection. Our entire Teton Collection is also available in affordable sterling silver. In our Jackson studio we also hand craft the Wyoming Bucking Bronco jewelry, extraordinary Elk Ivory jewelry as well as Wyoming’s largest selection of gold and silver charms indicative of the area. We also specialize in a dazzling selection of hand etched crystal.
Legendary nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen has traveled throughout the natural world for over 40 years observing and photographing the Earth’s last great wild places. Mangelsen has captured wild moments and vast panoramas from all seven continents. We invite you to visit the Mangelsen—Images of Nature Gallery located one block north of the historic town square. The gallery features over 200 limited edition and artist proof prints in a variety of display options. Visit mangelsen.com to explore the entire Mangelsen portfolio.
80 Center Street (307) 733-5599 hinesgold.com
170 North Cache Street (307) 733-9752 mangelsen.com
RARE GALLERY OF JACKSON HOLE
RARE Gallery, a collector’s destination! At 6,100 square feet, one of Jackson Hole’s largest and most acclaimed galleries, we represent nationally and internationally collected artists. Featuring museum exhibited artists in mediums of painting, sculpture, photography, glass, 3 dimensional art, and designer jewelry. RARE Gallery was named Mountain Living Magazine “Hot Shop in Jackson Hole.” Our Curator is available for private gallery or in home consultations.
60 East Broadway (307) 733-8726 raregalleryjacksonhole.com
RINGHOLZ STUDIOS
TRAILSIDE GALLERIES
Since 1963, Trailside Galleries has been regarded as a preeminent dealer in American representational art, specializing in a rich and varied collection of works by the leading western, wildlife, figurative, impressionist, and landscape artists in the country. Trailside Galleries is also home to the Jackson Hole Art Auction offices. Since 2007, the Jackson Hole Art Auction has been recognized as one of the premier art events in the country, defined by the high standard of works offered in a variety of genres. For more information on the Jackson Hole Art Auction visit jacksonholeartauction.com or call (866) 549-9278.
130 East Broadway (307) 733-3186 trailsidegalleries.com
THE LEGACY GALLERY
Visit Ringholz Studios where we exclusively feature the contemporary wildlife artwork of local artist Amy Ringholz. Original oil paintings, oil pastel landscapes, watercolors, ink drawings, drawings on panel, phone cases and other merchandise will be at your fingertips. We are located across the street from Persephone Bakery in The Courtyard. You must see this gallery, there is nothing else like it in town!
The Legacy Gallery features a large selection of representational art with an emphasis on western, landscape, figurative and wildlife paintings and bronze sculptures. This 7,000 square foot gallery is located on the North West corner of the square and caters to the beginning collector and to the art connoisseur. Legacy Gallery is proud to be celebrating is 28th Anniversary and has two other locations in Scottsdale, Arizona and Bozeman, Montana.
140 East Broadway, Suite 6 (307) 734-3964 ringholzstudios.com
75 North Cache (307) 733-2353 legacygallery.com SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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WEST LIVES ON TRADITIONAL & CONTEMPORARY GALLERIES
TRIO FINE ART
Owned and operated by nationally acclaimed Jackson Hole artists—Kathryn Mapes Turner, Jennifer L. Hoffman and Bill Sawczuk—Trio Fine Art is a quiet and friendly respite from the bustle of town. Our focus: presenting top quality fine artwork in a bright, inviting space where visitors can interact with the artists and their work. Distinguished as a gallery of Jackson-based artists, working year-round to capture the unique magnificence of this valley. Find us across from the Visitor Center picnic grounds, four blocks north of the Town Square.
Since 1998 clients have been discovering an extraordinary collection of original western art at the WEST LIVES ON GALLERIES. Both galleries have an impressive collection of fine art reflecting the rich heritage of the American West. Featuring Western, wildlife and landscape art in original oils, acrylics, watercolors, and bronze. We represent over 100 regional and local artists. Our knowledgeable staff will work with you to locate that special piece for your home or office.
545 North Cache (307) 734-4444 triofineart.com
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95 West Deloney (307) 733-8877 wildbynaturegallery.com
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Dedicated to capturing the natural beauty of Jackson Hole and the surrounding National Parks, WILD BY NATURE GALLERY features the unique and striking wildlife and landscape images of local photographer Henry H. Holdsworth. Holdsworth is nationally recognized for his work with publications such as National Geographic, National Wildlife, Nature’s Best and Wildlife Conservation. Henry’s photographs are available as limited edition prints, notecards, local coffee table books, and guidebooks. You will find us one block west of the Town Square. Henry also offers a variety of guided photographic tours and workshops throughout the year.
55 & 75 North Glenwood (307) 734-2888 westliveson.com
ENTERT
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WILD BY NATURE GALLERY
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JACKSON HOLE, WY SNOW KING CENTER
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ANNA TRZEBINSKI, VICTORIA SCARLETT INTERIOR DESIGNS, BRIT WEST, ELLIE THOMPSON + CO, BRIAN BOGGS CHAIRMAKERS, FORSYTH & BROWN INTERIOR DESIGN
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Best of
JH
as the hole deepens
Yellowstone Grand Prix award for fastest prayer?” THE LAST TIME Roger Ramsey and BY TIM SANDLIN ILLUSTRATIONS BY BIRGITTA SIF “Last week, the World Sign I met for coffee at Pearl Street Bagels Spinning Championship was held in he showed me a Jackson Hole Daily Las Vegas. The worst job I can imagstory about a guy who set a speed record for kayaking the Grand Canyon. ine would be wearing a bear costume “This kid paddled 277.1 miles in thirty-four hours, two and standing on a corner in 90-degree heat spinning a sign that minutes. Broke the record that was three days old.” says ARTHUR’S BAIL BONDS, and yet, even they have a world I drank coffee. “Why?” championship.” “Why what?” “When I was a youth I once completed sex in a second and “Why would someone want to go through the Grand a half, but I didn’t expect a trophy.” Canyon as quickly as possible? Did this person have time to Roger got sidetracked by when the stopwatch started and admire the sunlight on the cliffs or the beauty of a side channel stopped, and whether I really did time the experience. waterfall? I’d think the prize would go to the person slowest I said, “She did.” through the canyon.” “You should talk to Myron Suggs. He holds the record for Roger chuckled at my naïveté. “That’s not how competition the fastest Yellowstone circuit. Three hours and seven minutes, works.” Flagg Ranch to the upper loop and back to Flagg Ranch. In “Can you set a record for appreciating beauty? Speed medi- July. Now he owns Yellowstone Speed Tours. Takes clients on a tation? Speed eating? There are things that shouldn’t be a con- complete vacation in four hours flat.” test. Dancing, music, mountain climbing, breathing clean air.” “And people pay for this?” “That’s not the American way. We have competitive yoga “Lots of tourists these days only have a half-day to see all next week at the Center.” there is to see in Yellowstone Park. Myron’s their guy.” “That goes against the purpose of yoga. Would you give an Anecdote as we segue to Myron. True story. I was resting next to my bicycle at the Cathedral Group Scenic Turnout when a late-model Prius pulled in carrying what I took to be a man and wife. Their windows were down so I could hear. Wife, looking down at a booklet: “What’s this?” Husband reads the sign: “Cathedral Group Turnout.” Wife checks a box on a list. “Let’s go. We’ve got three more before dinner.” Bottom line: Neither one of these Prius people so much as glanced at the mountains. They experienced one of the most beautiful views in the world without experiencing it. When I told this story to Myron, he understood perfectly. “It’s the bucket list fad. Death prep. The yahoos need to visit the one hundred nicest places before they die, and they’re in such a hurry they don’t see anything.” “You hold the Yellowstone record for that.” “I’d been to the park a thousand times. When they offered me an entry in the Yellowstone Grand Prix, I couldn’t pass it up.” “I didn’t know Yellowstone has a grand prix.” “It’s not publicized. We race in July, and we don’t always obey speed limits. My commercial trips are four hours instead of three, for safety reasons. No use running over wildlife unless you have to.” “I take it in competition you don’t hesitate to create 156
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roadkill.” Myron shrugged. “No guts, no glory.” “I never heard that saying from a literal standpoint.” “Look,” he said. “I’m taking a family up tomorrow. You should ride with us.”
WE MET AT 7:45 a.m. at Flagg Ranch. Penny and Brick Chisholm, along with their five-year-old son, Brick Jr., tourists from Olathe, Kansas, who looked the way you would expect a Brick and Brick Jr. from Kansas to look. Heavy coats over T-shirts advertising a kindergarten casino night with plaid shorts and shoes appropriate for poolside lounging. Penny introduced me to the blue rag Brick Jr. was sucking on. “His name is Mr. Magoo.” Brick Jr. made a weird noise with his nose. “Mr. Magoo doesn’t like you.” “That’s OK,” I said, “because the real Mr. Magoo is a cartoon character making fun of handicapped people, and I don’t care for him either.” Myron said, “Let’s get started. We have a vacation to replicate before lunch.” We loaded Myron’s Chevy Tahoe van. I sat up front with Myron while the Chisholms took the second row of seats. The third row had a cooler, a picnic basket of snacks, and a plastic funnel attached to a hose that ran under the seat and out the bottom of the van. That would be our bathroom. As we shot toward the South Entrance, Myron explained the rules of the quickie Yellowstone adventure: We had to buy ice cream at Mammoth, and the Chisholms had to witness an actual Old Faithful eruption. “Can’t fake Old Faithful on a screen like you can wolves,” Myron said. “I’d lose my guide license.” We powered up the Lewis River Canyon at sixty, blowing through a bus tour from Taiwan. Selfie sticks scattered like antelope hit by a tornado. “How do you time Old Faithful?” I asked. “Seems like you barely miss it, you’ll lose an hour.” “There’s an app.” Myron steered with one hand and leaned over to show me his phone. “Old Faithful Eruption Predictor. $1.95 at your app store. More accurate than the Park Service.” He thumb-clicked the geyser icon. “She’ll go off at 11:22. We should hit it, if we make haste.” Our first major obstacle came leaving West Thumb when we charged up behind a Winnebago with a MY OTHER VEHICLE IS A WHEELCHAIR bumper sticker going twenty miles an hour. Myron flipped a switch that turned on one of those high-volume European sirens—“WAH eeee WAH”— scaring the wadding out of the codger at the wheel. He froze dead in the right lane, and we flew around. Brick Jr. whined. “Mr. Magoo has to go pee.” Myron didn’t slow down. “Use the funnel behind you. We don’t have time for pit stops.” “Mr. Magoo can’t go pee in a funnel.” Myron used his soothing-crazy-tourists’ voice. “Your parents won’t tell you, Brick boy, so I will. Mr. Magoo is a rag.” Brick Jr. burst into sobs, and Penny Chisholm told Myron he had no business destroying her son’s childhood.
“It isn’t like I told him the truth about Santa Claus,” Myron said. Brick Jr. snuffled. “What truth?” Brick Sr. lit a cigar. “Pretty day, ain’t it?” Myron said, “You’ll have to look at your phone to be sure. I wouldn’t trust outside.” I think we clipped a moose on Dunraven Pass. I’m not sure. Penny said, “I’d like to see the moose.” Myron said, “Too late. You can download out-of-focus photos on my website. Nobody will know you didn’t take it.” Myron used the European siren on a buffalo herd that stampeded over a motorcycle club from Felt, Idaho, on their way to Sturgis. Harleys crunched like Fritos at a nacho bar. At Mammoth, Myron told the Chisholms to wait in the van for ice cream. “Secret is, don’t let them out,” he said. “That woman would disappear in the ladies room, and we’d never leave.” We bought Rocky Road all around because it was softest—quickest to scoop. The Old Faithful app ($1.95, don’t forget) said we had thirty-two minutes to make it to Old Faithful or it would go off without us. By Norris, the Chisholm family was too terrified to finish their ice creams. I had to pass a trash bag. A flagman stood before a line of cars a half-mile long outside Madison Junction. Myron tore up the wrong side of the highway, pulled in front of the front of the line, rolled down his window, and held out a fifty-dollar bill. The flagman said, “Go on through, sir. You’ll have to hurry to catch the pilot car.” We careened around the Old Faithful cloverleaf with ninety seconds to spare. Myron whipped into an Employees Only driveway that cut around the side of the lodge just as Old Faithful erupted. “There she blows!” Myron shouted. “You folks want to stay for the whole thing?” Brick Jr. whined. “I can’t see.” “Get out and stand by the van. You can see it through those people.” This infuriated Brick Sr. “You didn’t tell us we’d have to leave the vehicle.” Penny said, “There’s bears out there. I’m not going outside and neither is my son.” “Suit yourself.” Myron popped the top off a Red Bull, and we watched Old Faithful while the Chisholms squinched down to see out the front window. We hit Flagg Ranch with two minutes to spare. Myron turned around in his captain’s chair. “There you go. The four-hour Yellowstone tour.” Brick Jr. wailed. “Mr. Magoo!” Brick Sr. asked, “Where did you see him last?” “He hid in the pee funnel at the ice cream place.” This brought on more wailing and teeth gnashing while Myron crawled under the van to see if Mr. Magoo got caught in the exit hose. “Nope, folks. It’s extra wide in case of number twos. Mr. Magoo is long gone.” More screams. More recriminations. Penny Chisholm took a stand. “We have to go back.” That’s when I said, “I’ll be getting out now.” JH SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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JUST A FEW THINGS TO DO IN
JACKSON HOLE If you love this map as much as we do, you can buy prints online at jhmarketplace.com (it’s under the “arts” tab). 158
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
JACKSON n Poke around Flat Creek looking for birds (p. 86). n Appreciate that there aren’t billboards lining the highway into town anymore (p. 94). n Go roll at Hole Bowl (p. 24). n Try the new Treetop
Adventure Park and Alpine Coaster at Snow King.
n Sample sweets by the Four Seasons’ new pastry chef.
n Catch a performance by Contemporary Dance Wyoming (p. 30).
n Ride the tram.
TETON VILLAGE n Bike between Teton Village
and Wilson (p. 20).
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK n Enjoy a perfectly pulled espresso at the Kelly on the Gros Ventre store (p. 22).
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
Wilson Road (p. 146).
WILSON
FURTHER AFIELD
n Check out the trail improvements
n Summit a peak other than the Grand Teton (p. 114).
n Enjoy the new pedestrian/bike bridge over the Snake River (p. 20).
n Hike or bike on the trails around Munger Mountain (p. 36).
n Ride your bike from Moose to Jenny Lake (p. 20).
n Listen to the Stagecoach Band play Sunday nights at the Coach.
n Ride around the block (p. 60).
n Hike to Inspiration Point (p. 72). n Drive to the top of Shadow Mountain (p. 107).
n Visit the historic Triangle X Ranch (p. 40).
n Hike up Old Pass Road to Crater Lake.
at Jenny Lake (p. 72).
n Look for artists along Moose-
Go to jacksonholemagazine.com for more details.
n Suffer through the most unique Picnic ever (p. 60). n Picnic up Curtis Canyon (p. 132). n Learn how to fly-fish (p. 120). SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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Best of
calendar of events
Jackson’s most popular community fundraiser is Old Bill’s Fun Run for Charities, set for September 10 this year. This summer is the twentieth anniversary of the event, which has raised a total of $121 million.
Summer 2016 ONGOING
JACKSON HOLE RODEO: A long-standing Jackson tradition, the rodeo shows off Jackson’s cowboy culture. 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays, and some Fridays through September 3, Teton County Fairgrounds, tickets start at $15, 307/733-7927, jhrodeo.com AERIAL TRAM RIDES: Just because you can’t ski doesn’t mean the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort aerial tram stops running. From the top of Rendezvous Mountain, 4,139 vertical feet from the base of Teton Village, enjoy beautiful views of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park, and the Gros Ventre Range, access to hiking trails, and endless photo ops. From May 28 to October 9, 307/733-2292, jacksonhole.com 160
JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2016
GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL INSIDE THE MUSIC: Enjoy classical music in an informal atmosphere. These one-hour, free concerts are hosted by visiting artists. 8 p.m. Tuesdays from July 12 to August 16, Walk Festival Hall, 307/733-1128, gtmf.org GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL CHAMBER MUSIC: GTMF musicians curate and perform chamber music spanning a wide variety of genres. 8 p.m. Thursdays from July 14 to August 18, Walk Festival Hall, tickets start at $25, 307/733-1128, gtmf.org GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL OPEN REHEARSAL: Watch the Festival Orchestra as it prepares for its weekend performances. 10 a.m. Fridays from July 8 to August 19, Walk Festival Hall, $10, 307/733-1128, gtmf.org
BRADLY J. BONER
JH
GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA: Enjoy some of the country’s best musicians as they play in an unparalleled setting. Fridays (8 p.m.) and Saturdays (6 p.m.) from July 8 to August 20, Walk Festival Hall, from $25, 307/733-1128, gtmf.org JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING: Tour Teton Village from above. No experience necessary to fly tandem with a professional pilot. Daily at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort base, from $245, 307/690-8726, jhparagliding.com JACKSON HOLE PEOPLE’S MARKET: Browse fresh, local produce while enjoying prepared foods, music, and beer. 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays from June 15 to September 24, base of Snow King, free, jhpeoplesmarket.org JACKSON HOLE FARMERS MARKET: This weekly event at the Town Square is the perfect way to start your weekend—with a fabulous showcase of fresh produce and goodies grown and made nearby. Local chef/restaurant demonstrations and entertainment changes weekly.
PRICE CHAMBERS
The Jackson Hole Rodeo shows off the valley’s cowboy culture at the Teton County Fairgrounds on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and some Fridays at 8 p.m. through September 3.
8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays from July 9 through September 24, Town Square, jacksonholefarmersmarket.com JACKSON HOLE SHOOTOUT: The longest continuously running gunfight in the U.S., the Jackson Hole Shootout has been a Wyoming tradition since 1957. 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday through Labor Day, Town Square, free, 307/733-3316 STAGECOACH RIDES: Take a ten-minute ride in a stagecoach around downtown Jackson. Daily through Labor Day, corner of Broadway and Cache, tickets start at $4 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART: This wildlife art museum takes an expansive view of the genre with its 4,000-plus-piece permanent collection. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, tickets $14 (adults), $12 (seniors),
$6 (1 child), $2 (additional children), free (5 & under), 307/733-5771, wildlifeart.org
MAY 27-30: THE 35TH ANNUAL OLD WEST DAYS celebrate Jackson’s rich history with live music, theatrical entertainment, arts and crafts, food, rodeo events, and more. 307/733-3316, jacksonholechamber.com
JUNE 5: 17TH ANNUAL RUN & RIDE FOR THE CURE is a race benefiting the cancer patient support fund at St. John’s Medical Center. 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Old Wilson Schoolhouse, $20$25, 307/733-6094, skinnyskis.com 11: JACKSON HOLE HALF MARATHON & 5K
is a unique opportunity to run from Teton Village to East Jackson. 8 a.m. run start/7 a.m. walk start (half only), Phil Baux Park (finish), $70 for half marathon/$25 for 5K, jhhalf.com 23-25: THE 22ND ANNUAL JACKSON HOLE WINE AUCTION is one of the top charity wine auctions in the country and benefits the Grand Teton Music Festival. Time/ location varies for events, tickets from $125, 307/732-9965, jhwineauction.org 25: SHIRLEY’S HEART RUN is a community fun run supporting the cardiology fund at St. John’s Medical Center. 9 a.m., R Park in Wilson, $25, 307/733-6379, stjohnshospitalfoundation.org
JULY 4: PATRIOTIC POPS is a free concert by the Grand Teton Music Festival celebrating the Fourth of July. Walk Festival Hall, 307/733-1128, gtmf.org SUMMER 2016 JACKSON HOLE MAGAZINE
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8-10: 50TH ANNUAL ART FAIR JACKSON HOLE is an outdoor, juried art fair that draws artists and artisans from across the country. Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Miller Park, $5, 307/733-6379, artassociation.org 22-31: TETON COUNTY FAIR is the ultimate slice of local life, with games, rides, 4-H competitions, and concerts. Teton County Fairgrounds, 307/733-5289, tetoncountyfair.com 23: 48TH ANNUAL SNOW KING HILL CLIMB begins at the Town Square; runners do 2.3 miles to the top of Snow King Mountain. Town Square, 307/733-5056, tetonparksandrec.org 28: FILM SCREENING: WILD YELLOWSTONE: GRIZZLY SUMMER is a production of local filmmakers Brain Farm. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the movie. 7:30 p.m., National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307/7335771, wildlifeart.org
AUGUST 6: RENDEZVOUS MOUNTAIN HILL CLIMB to the top of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort tram. 8 a.m. hike/9 a.m. run, Teton Village,
307/733-2292, jacksonhole.com 7-9: 28TH ANNUAL GRAND TARGHEE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Grand Targhee Resort, 208/353-2300, grandtarghee.com 14: JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST 36TH ANNIVERSARY PICNIC is a celebration of Jackson’s present and future land conservation efforts. 4 to 8 p.m., $50 adults, free for children 12 & under, 307/733-4707, jhlandtrust.org 12-14: 50TH ANNUAL ART FAIR JACKSON HOLE is an outdoor, juried art fair that draws artists and artisans from across the country. Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Miller Park, $5, 307/733-6379, artassociation.org
$35, 208/201-1622, wydahorendezvous. athlete360.com 3: JACKSON HOLE MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON is one of the most beautiful runs in America. 7 a.m. start on Center Street (marathon) and South Park Loop (half marathon), registration starts at $60, 307/733-3318, jacksonholemarathon.com 8-18: 32ND ANNUAL JACKSON HOLE FALL ARTS FESTIVAL is one of the premier cultural events in the Rocky Mountain West. jacksonholechamber.com 10: LOTOJA challenges amateur cyclists to complete 206 miles over three mountain passes and through Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, all in one day. It ends at Teton Village. lotojaclassic.com
19-20: THE GRAND TETON RELAY is a 180mile team running relay beginning in Ashton, Idaho, and ending in Jackson Hole. 801/636-4439, grandtetonrelay.com
10: OLD BILL’S FUN RUN 10 a.m., Jackson Town Square, 307/739-1026, cfjacksonhole.org
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
2-5: WYDAHO MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL is a weekend of talking bikes, guided group rides, live music, races, and parties. Grand Targhee Resort, passes start at
13-15: SHIFT is a conference drawing attendees from across the country to network about leveraging recreation to further conservation goals. shiftjh.org
PRICE CHAMBERS
The Teton County Fair includes a midway, concerts, and competitions. This year is the sixtieth anniversary of the fair.
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IMAGINE YOUR LEGACY. 307-733-9009 | JHSIR.COM
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WHEN YOUR WHOLE LIFE FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES What will you see? Mom with an “I told you to be careful,” that 25-inch cutthroat, your first crush, the view from the top of the Tetons? And if you survive, how will you celebrate the fact that your personal movie is still filming? Neat or on the rocks?.