BEST PRACTICES FOR SHARING TRAILS WITH LIVESTOCK

(aka, mutual respect goes a long way.)

1. Get out the map. Jackson Hole and Teton Valley are comprised of a patchwork of private and public lands. Boundaries aren’t always fenced. Make sure you know where you’re going before you set out.

2. Pay attention to gates. If you pass through a gate that is closed, close it behind you. If a gate is open, leave it open. (This will be obvious.) Open gates allow livestock to move to fresh pastures and access water sources.

3. Listen up! Don’t use earbuds or headphones while on the trails. Listening for livestock in the brush (or for the bells on their collars) may prevent you from startling or colliding with them.

4. Minimize stress. Manage your speed to allow livestock, or riders on horseback, to get off the trail before proceeding. Remember— cattle, sheep, and horses have a strong flight instinct as prey animals, and can spook at sounds and movements that make them feel threatened. Avoid pushing them down the trail ahead of you. This could move a herd into an unintended grazing area, or separate young animals from their mothers.

5. Be savvy of guard dogs. Many sheep herds employ large dogs that stay with the sheep for protection from predators. They are not pets, but they are highly conditioned to humans. If you encounter a guard dog, proceed slowly while talking to the dog to let it know you’re human and not threatening to the herd. When biking, get off and walk, keeping the bike between you and the dog. If a dog continues to investigate you with suspicion, walk slowly away from it. Don’t run or ride away quickly, as this might entice the dog to chase you. In most cases, guard dogs will watch you for a few minutes, then wander away.

6. Keep dogs leashed. Do not allow them to chase or harass livestock or wildlife.

7. Don’t tamper with waterers, mineral feeders, or fences. These resources are managed by grazing permit holders and are critical to livestock health.

8. If you see something, say something. If you see anything unusual—like dead or injured livestock, or if you witness harassment of livestock or wildlife—notify the Forest Service or BLM.

keeping them together on the range, cattle are more independent grazers, requiring management on horseback.

“We’re out riding the allotments most every day, looking for any sickness in the animals, and making sure they’re not overgrazing,” one local rancher explains. “We’re also checking that cattle aren’t beating up creek beds by lingering in the water.”

“Downhill trails often create challenging trail-sharing situations for cattle,” this rancher adds. “If a bike comes flying down, there’s going to be a ‘Hail Mary.’ It’s really hard for either cattle or horses to get off the trail before they run into you.”

Moral of the story: Expect to encounter cattle, other riders, or wildlife and adjust your speed accordingly.

Grand Targhee Resort, nestled in the CaribouTarghee National Forest, borders grazing allotments, usually stocked in the summer months with cow-calf pairs.

“We’ve always had a good working relationship with permit holders,” explains Mark Neff, director of mountain operations, though occasionally cattle wander onto the resort’s slopes, or find some other hole in a fence. “I just call up the producers, and they’ll say, ‘Give me half an hour,’ and there they are on horseback, moving the herd without any issue.”

Neff, also an avid trail user and road cyclist, knows firsthand how treacherous a cow patty can be for a 23-millimeter tire traveling at 25 miles per hour, but the benefits (cattle keeping tall grasses in check and reducing other thick vegetation) outweigh any annoyance.

“If you look at the big picture,” he says, “it’s a successful thing, and it needs to continue.” tf

For more information on rangeland recreation (which can pertain to both Idaho and Wyoming), visit the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission at idrange.org/recreation.

I don’t do restricted eating.

I’ve tried springtime cleanses and detoxes only to end up feeling worse coming out then I did going in. I’ve dabbled in a three-day juice fast, which led to a migraine so bad that I had to break the fast with several days of Advil. Hardcore cleanses don’t work for me or my body, and restricting food groups, like carbs, fats, and dairy, only leads to disrupted hormones and tapped adrenals, in my experience. (I do recognize that not everyone has this occurrence, however.)

Last spring, I was introduced to a process called “rhythmic eating” by Cate Stillman, author and founder of yogahealer.com, an online community for people committed to upleveling their health and life goals. I enrolled in Cate’s Intermittent Fasting Course, which starts by outlining the science behind fasting and helps you discover your goals, find out your metabolic type, and experiment with rhythmic eating.

For those who need a quick crash course: Intermittent fasting (aka, “timerestricted eating”) typically involves