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Following weeks of classic springtime rain, shine, and sprinkle, the clouds crowding our majestic Teton peaks lift to reveal a landscape in flux. As the snowmelt fills our rivers and yellow balsam root flowers poke through shamrock green grasses, many of us have two wheels on our minds. After a winter of skiing and snowboarding, we are all eager to watch the off season fade to summer, trade in slushy spring snow for muddy trails and hot asphalt, and punish our quads once again. A ritual of sorts is underway in the Hole: an eternal springtime changing of the guards, the time we lovingly place our skis in the garage for good, and dust out the bike we likely haven’t touched since October.

We are certainly ready for bike season, but our bikes might not be on the same page just yet. After all, they got carelessly cast aside in favor of winter toys as the ski season anticipation overwhelmed us late last fall. It is time to show our bikes a little love before taking them out for a spin, delighting in the first bout of truly warm weather, feeling the sun on our faces as we race down a single track among aspens sporting their springtime best. Bike shops in town are the busiest they will be all year with locals and visitors alike all heading to the shop for a tune. The energy in Hoback Sports is busy, buzzy and hopeful for the mountain and road bike shredding that is yet to come.

Walking into a bike shop can be an intimidating experience, and it is beneficial to walk in with an idea of what your bike needs this year. Hoback Sports provides four different types of bike tunes, and for those of you who haven’t touched your bike all year and (ahem) maybe didn’t give your bike a thorough clean before storing it last winter, Hoback recommends a full service tune. The Cat 1 Tune thoroughly cleans and inspects all parts and is fantastic for road bikes, while the Pro Tune best addresses the suspension on mountain bikes. Silas, a knowledgeable Hoback Sports bike mechanic who can be found whizzing by you on the trail any given weekend, advises doing a basic safety check at the very least.

Silas tells us, “I see road bikes coming in after winter with a buildup of grime on the drive train, mainly from people using lubricant and not cleaning it off. It is important to keep the drive train clean to prevent wear out.” Silas also reminds us to air up our road bike tires before use to avoid popping a tube and lagging behind the first day back out there. For mountain bikes, he recommends that the suspension get serviced every 30 hours of riding, or more realistically, once a year. Brake pads on both types of bikes must be checked and replaced to avoid having to replace your rotor, rim or whole braking system down the line. Additionally, a tune is necessary to address loose parts, and Silas warns us, “you may have forgotten your handlebars were a little loose at the end of last year, and then you get on it and… well, crash.” A fate that will surely smart worse than the bike shop bill.

The hardcore among us have been shoveling snow off of mountain bike trails on the pass since mid April, but for most bikers early June is an ideal time to get back on the horse, er, bike. Most mountain bike trails are finally clear of snow and trees, including Phillips Ridge, Phillips Canyon, all downhill trails on the Teton Pass, Cache Creek trails in town and Munger Mountain trails in Wilson. Road biking season is also fully underway, and if you are up for a challenge, Silas suggests the infamous Around the Block ride which begins in Jackson and climbs up Teton Pass along Old Pass Road before descending down to Victor, Idaho and continuing south over Pine Creek Pass to Alpine, WY, then back up the Snake River Canyon to Jackson.

So, with your fresh tune and maybe a new pair of pedals, brakes, or bike shorts, its time to revel in ski season’s burly brother, bike season. Grab a beer and a bite at the Stagecoach after hitting the jumps on Fuzzy Bunny, or hitchhike back up the pass for another hot lap. Go ahead, humble brag to your friends after completing the Around the Block ride your second day out (Twice. After a morning yoga class and before picking the kids up from camp,) you’ve earned it. Compare bumps, bruises and stellar tan lines, smile at the sheer joy of sweat soaked jerseys and bike helmet hair, and reminisce only a little over falling on snow instead of gravel because you and your bike are amigos again, and summer is here. 

 

Swing by Hoback Sports at 520 W Broadway Ave in Jackson and talk to Silas and crew to get your bike in shape for summer riding.

 

 

 

Images © Taylor Glenn

As off-season rolls into summer, determined buds on branches unfurl into bright green leaves, and the river swells into a swirling chocolate-colored beast, reshaping its own channels and banks. We look longingly up at the mountains that surround us, already planning adventures that will take us down pine shaded trails, along shimmering turquoise lakes and to the tops of rugged peaks. But in the meantime, while we patiently wait for the alpine snow to recede and the puddles to dry out, we excitedly plan our upcoming mountain adventures.

Whether you’re curled up in your cabin at the foot of the Tetons, or miles away anticipating your own arrival in Jackson Hole, these are some of the Outpost crew’s favorite reads to get excited for summertime in the mountains. So kick back, let spring breathe green life back into the wilderness, and enjoy one of these page-turners that will get you excited to lace up your hiking boots.

If you’re looking for a true story packed with excitement, snag a copy of The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer.

Harrer’s account chronicles the first successful ascent of the Eiger’s rugged and brutal north face: one of Europe’s last undefeated routes. After multiple failed attempts by other teams, some ending in bitter tragedy, some still shrouded in mystery, Harrer’s team manages to puzzle out the challenges near the top of the peak. An astounding account of bravery, endurance and raw strength, The White Spider will have you eager to head out and bag a summit of your own – even if the ascent is a little easier.

If your crew on your next trip into the mountains has some younger members, Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman is a classic family read guaranteed to get everyone looking forward to stepping into their boots.

A novel filled filled with beautiful mountainscapes and climbers dedicated to adventure, Banner in the Sky follows young Rudi Matt as he dedicates himself unwaveringly to stand atop the last great summit of the Alps. He faces myriad challenges, and discovers the path of the only other man to approach the top of the peak and die in the attempt – his own father. This Newberry Award-winning book will have the whole family excited to spend some time among rugged peaks, and discover amazing things about themselves and one another on the way.

Have your sights set on standing atop the Grand Teton? Get to know the brave and colorful man who pioneered many routes among the Teton Range in Glenn Exum: Never a Bad Word or a Twisted Rope compiled by Charlie Craighead. 

This fascinating collection of climbing stories by Glenn Exum himself provides a first-hand account of many thrilling first ascents in the Teton Range. Truly incredible photographs accompany these great stories, and paint a picture of a unique slice of Jackson Hole history. From the first person to climb the Grand Teton barefoot (ouch!), to the earliest successful canine ascents and more, this book is packed with wonderful gems. It’s a legacy you’ll be proud to be a part of when you hit the trail yourself.

If you’re already in Jackson Hole, head to one of our great local bookstores to get your own copy of Outpost’s favorite reads. Visit the Valley Bookstore or Jackson Hole Book Traders, and start looking forward to summer!

Name the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Jackson Hole. Skiing? Grand Teton National Park? The Wild West? I’ll wager you didn’t immediately settle on the image of an elite scientific research lab that is hot on the heels of cures for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. However, just such a lab exists right in the heart of downtown Jackson. And, as it turns out, this rural corner of western Wyoming is the perfect setting for the revolutionary work happening in the Brain Chemistry Labs at the Institute for EthnoMedicine.  That’s right: thanks to the pioneering work happening at a not-for-profit lab in a cabin in Jackson, Wyoming, the world may very soon have highly effective treatments for some of the most devastating and widely-suffered diseases on the planet.

If you happen to be a regular reader of the two-century-plus-year-old biological research journal Proceedings of the Royal Society, you’ll already know about the Institute team’s efforts – after all, their paper, “Dietary exposure to an environmental toxin triggers neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid deposits in the brain,” which was only published in January of this year, is the second of the top three most-read articles in the history of the venerated journal. However, since I’m guessing that you, like me, don’t often thumb through the latest copy of Proceedings, I’ll elucidate.

It’s helpful to start with a definition of ethnomedicine, since this field is the at foundation of the Institute team’s work. As senior scientist and ethnobotanist Sandra Banack and molecular biology research associate James Powell explained to me in a recent interview, ethnomedicine is the study of patterns of wellness and disease among indigenous peoples, and the study of botanical cures for illnesses. If you think this area of specialization might sound a little archaic, remember that, as Banack and Powell point out, twenty-five percent of modern pharmaceuticals come from plant-based medicine. In other words, ethnomedicine is a crucially relevant topic.

Indeed, for many years, the Institute’s executive director Paul Alan Cox, an ethnobotanist like Banack, has studied neurodegenerative disease in indigenous cultures around the world, both attempting to discover causes and possible botanically-based treatments. A turning point occurred in the late 1990’s when, before the Institute was founded, Cox began investigating the high rates of dementia suffered by Chamorro villagers in Guam. With the help of his early associates and further research among other cultures with higher-than-average rates of neurodegenerative disease, Cox eventually hit upon the monumental discovery that there is an environmental factor – the neurotoxin BMAA, which is produced by cyanobacteria found in blue-green algae – directly related to the development of neurodegenerative illness. Fast-forward through the Institute’s official inception in 2005 to today, and its team has produced two separate pharmaceuticals, both currently undergoing FDA approval, that help stem the deleterious effects of BMAA in the brain, and it has a third drug currently in development. That’s right: thanks to the pioneering work happening at a not-for-profit lab in a cabin in Jackson, Wyoming, the world may very soon have highly effective treatments for some of the most devastating and widely-suffered diseases on the planet.

You might rightly expect this kind of world-changing research would be happening at big universities or top-secret corporate labs. However, it turns out that Jackson Hole is actually the ideal place for the Institute. For one thing, the lab’s nonprofit status, which Banack points out is an unusual model in the world of scientific investigation, fits perfectly in a highly philanthropic, community-oriented place like Jackson. While the Institute is supported by the occasional government funding, the majority of its capital comes from engaged citizens of nearly all income levels who want to see a cure within their lifetimes for neurodegenerative illness. Banack explains that without the many hoops involved in running a for-profit business – no bureaucracy, no shareholders to answer to – the lab’s scientists are able to do their jobs at maximum efficiency and thus come much closer, much faster, to helping do away with the specter of neurodegenerative disease. As Banack notes, “The only people we work for are patients and their families.”  

The Institute’s unconventional business model also allows its core members (Cox, Banack, and Powell, as well as senior researcher and cyanotoxin specialist James Metcalf and senior research fellow in cell biology, Rachael Dunlop) to easily cooperate with a consortium of other experts worldwide, all of whom are passionate about finding cures for neurological diseases. And, not surprisingly, the group’s international colleagues love to make business visits to Jackson Hole. Indeed, Banack and Powell emphasize that the lab’s location in a place that offers so much in terms of outdoor recreation and experiences in wild nature actually fosters the team’s best thinking – there’s nothing like a refreshing winter ski or a hike around Jenny Lake to recharge a weary scientist’s brain. Additionally, thanks to the Internet, any resources they need that can’t be found locally are only a few clicks away. “Modern technology has enabled us to do this work from virtually anywhere,” Banack says, “so why not do it in one of the most beautiful and inspiring places on Earth?”

 

To learn more or to help support the team’s work, you can find the Institute online at www.ethnomedicine.org. The team keeps an open-door policy at the lab and encourages visitors. The recent Proceedings paper mentioned above can be found here. The Institute will also host a screening of Hunt for the Hidden Killer, a film about the scientists’ work, at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts on Tuesday evening, June 28^th,2016.

 

Images © Taylor Glenn

From “Little Miss Sure Shot” Annie Oakley to Wild Bill Hickok, legends of gunslingers in the West swirl around like dust clouds on unpaved streets. The region’s history is steeped in colorful tales of brave lawmen defeating devious cattle rustlers and road agents, many times thanks to their swift ability with a six-shooter. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to try your hand at this quintessentially Western skill, step right up and let Jackson Hole Shooting Experience share the thrill of channeling your inner Wyatt Earp.

On a sunny spring afternoon, Lynn and Shepard Humphries enthusiastically greet their latest group of guests, welcoming them to one of Jackson Hole’s most exhilarating adventures. As everyone slides on their top of the line hearing protection, they chat with a blend of eager anticipation and nerves; some have plenty of experience taking aim with a variety of firearms, while others have never even handled a gun.

The Humphries are more than tolerant of guests who have no experience, in fact, they relish the opportunity to share the fun and challenge of shooting safely with novices. “My favorite groups are families,” Lynn smiles broadly. “It is always amazing to see young people gain confidence and feel empowered by learning a new skill, and it’s so cool to watch parents see that transformation, too.”

Each guest takes a turn stepping up to the line alongside one of the instructors, and wrapping their hands around the handle of a gun. Whether this grip is a brand new feeling, or a well-worn habit, Lynn or Shepard pepper the shooter with fascinating facts and helpful tips for a successful shot. When they’re ready, each one takes a deep breath, and slowly squeezes the trigger. The exhilaration is instantaneous; it didn’t matter whether they hit the target or not. They can’t wait to try again. And so begins a truly thrilling afternoon.  

“We love to foster a little friendly competition!” laughs Shepard. From his pocket, he pulls a specialized timer designed to stop at the sound of a gunshot. One by one, the group takes turns starting a few steps away from a rifle, hands in the air. At the tone, the spin quickly, take aim at a distant target and fire. In only moments, laughter, friendly taunts and cheers fill the air as each one tries to outshoot the last.

The excitement is palpable, and the thrilling reward of hitting a target inspires huge grins and victorious fist-pumps into the air.

The Multi Gun Pistol and Rifle Experience – the most popular and most highly-recommended of Jackson Hole Shooting Experience’s offerings – is carefully designed to begin at an easy level and help guests build form, skills and confidence as they try out larger and louder guns. This also means that guests have opportunities to try a wide variety of firearms, from single action Cowboy-style six-shooters to high caliber rifles, and everything in between.

Lynn, Shepard and their professional staff have some more rustic options on the menu as well. Perhaps letting some arrows fly Robin Hood-style or learning to hit your mark with a tomahawk or throwing knife piques your interest? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to hit a bull’s eye with a blow dart? Jackson Hole Shooting Experience has your crew covered.

When your posse rides into Jackson Hole, be sure that an adventure at Jackson Hole Shooting Experience is on your itinerary. You’re guaranteed to have a fantastic time, and learn a great deal from some of Jackson’s most knowledgeable instructors. And who knows? Maybe you’ll turn out to be the West’s next legendary gunslinger.

 

Reserve your adventure with Jackson Hole Shooting Experience here.

Local fly fishing expert Boots Allen was born into a family of Jackson Hole outfitters, and has dedicated his career to learning about local fish and waters, and sharing these amazing places with guests to the valley. Winner of three High-Scoring Guide Awards in the Jackson Hole One Fly, Boots’ knowledge of local rivers, lakes and streams is second to none. He’s passionate about sharing this understanding with others, both via guiding on the river, and also through top-notch books and articles.

 

What was it like growing up in Jackson?

Jackson was quieter when I was growing up in the ‘80s. There were true two-month shoulder seasons: October until Thanksgiving and April until Memorial Day. While these are still quieter than peak seasons, we have much more visitation during those months.

One of the biggest differences between now and the ‘80s is that there is so much more to do. When I was a kid, you pretty much just skied. There were only a few folks who religiously drove snowmobiles. Now both those are bigger, but we also have dog sledding, snowshoeing, wildlife tours, and more. There have always been a number of activities in the summer, but now all of them – climbing, rafting, fly fishing, kayaking, trail rides, mountain biking, music events – have grown significantly.

I got started in fly fishing by being born into a family of outfitters. I started guiding right after high school to pay for college. It was enjoyable and I was good enough at it that I kept doing it to pay for some overseas travel. Then I kept doing it through grad school. By the time I finished by PhD, I was totally immersed in it and decided to make fly fishing my career as well as a lifestyle.

Why are the waters that we have around Jackson unique?

There are two elements that make fly fishing in this region so unique. First is the landscape and the wildlife. I’ve fished or guided in destinations around world; most are exquisitely beautiful places, but not one of them matches the beauty of Jackson Hole. Throw the wildlife in, and Jackson it as a completely different level.

The other unique aspect is the diversity. We have great fishing for rainbows and browns in the region, but we are dominated by Snake River Fine-spotted and Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. There are very few places where these fish can be found. That is really what sets this place apart. On top of that, we have terrific lakes where lake trout and brown trout can be caught on flies. There aren’t too many places one can fly fish in freshwater that has that kind of diversity.

Why is fly fishing such a special sport?

It’s a sport that can teach you a lot about the environment that you are playing in. You can study fish behavior, hydrology, aquatic entomology, the impact of natural factors like weather or water levels or moon phase, and the design of rods and lines and leader and fly patterns. These kinds of sports take you outside. You can do them alone or with friends. It’s a natural fit for inquisitive people who want to not only play hard, but also learn a lot.

Why do you enjoy guiding?

Each day is special. I love guiding because you are totally outside and you have to be in control or things can go wrong fast. But what really makes it special are the people I get to meet and become fast friends with, and showing them something totally new.  You can show the most experienced fly fishers in the world something new on the waters in the Greater Yellowstone Area.

What would you tell someone who has never fished before? 

I would say “try it out!” If it’s not for you, then it’s not for you. But it’s one of those sports that can grab a hold of you and you may end up wanting to do it for the rest of your life. The great thing about that is that it can take you to some pretty incredible places.

Even if you don’t pick it up on that first day, you are going to be on the water, having fun, with a stunning landscape surrounding you. You have to be a real jerk to not enjoy that!

And writing is another way that you share the world of fly fishing? 

Yes! I starting writing magazine articles about 20 years ago. A writer who I admired suggested that I do a book about the Snake River and the South Fork of the Snake, since neither had ever been written about in a detailed fashion. That’s how I got started. The research is really the fun part of it. A lot of the research comes from my own observations over the past three decades. Just as crucial to the research is talking to others in the sport, and lots of reading. For Modern Trout Fishing and Finding Trout in all Conditions, I read dozens of research articles in peer reviewed academic journals. I find it really enjoyable learning more about the game you are involved in for your life.

Why is a fishing trip a must-do on a vacation to Jackson Hole?

 It’s a must-do because it’s happening in an incredible piece of environment. Floating and wading along a river is exciting on it’s own. Now imagine doing it in front of the Teton Range or through the canyon walls of the South Fork of the Snake or in the geyser basin of the Firehole. Throw in the chance at seeing elk or bison or moose or otters or even a bear. Top it off with hooking into a beautiful fish because you did all the right things with your cast and presentation and your hookset when the fish ate your fly. All that put together is tough to beat.

 

Boots Allen is the lead guide at Snake River Anglers.

Click here to book a trip with them.

Images © Taylor Glenn

 

For a place that’s home to only about 23,000 people, Teton County is a veritable hotbed of innovation. This special place is home to a long list of luminosities in medicine, land and wildlife conservation, education, outdoor adventure, art, and dining. True to the area’s culture of advanced thinking, Vertical Harvest Jackson Hole – a shiny new “three-story hydroponic farm” – is pushing the limits on what agriculture can mean. From the physical structure of its greenhouse to its unique employment model, one of our valley’s newest ventures is revolutionizing how locals get their greens.

Vertical Harvest aims to do what’s never been done here before: grow 100,000 pounds of fresh lettuces, tomatoes, herbs, and microgreens annually, even in the midst of our notorious Wyoming winters. This agricultural effort alone is a titanic feat in a northerly, high elevation region, and becomes doubly amazing when one considers that Vertical Harvest will realize the entirety of its yearly yield in a building that covers a mere tenth of an acre – or about one fiftieth of the space that a traditional farm would need in order to grow the same amount of produce. Its name, of course, offers a hint as to how it will do this: by going up instead of out. While Vertical Harvest’s footprint takes up only about 4,500 square feet on a thumbnail of Town-owned land that abuts the downtown parking garage, its three stories allow for it to utilize closer to 20,000 square feet of growing space. The keys to such trailblazing infrastructure are the company’s vertical growing carousels and hydroponic farming system. Innovation in sustainable agriculture, indeed.           

“What makes me happiest about this model is that we are empowering a unique population to become leaders and innovators in one of the most important elements of a community: the production of local food.”

However, as revolutionary as Vertical Harvest’s infrastructure and agricultural methods are, no growth – or sales – can be realized without hands on the ground to make it happen, and this is where the company’s perhaps most socially conscious innovation comes into play. From the beginning, the plan was to make Vertical Harvest “an urban greenhouse that would serve Jackson residents year-round,” explains Nona Yehia, Vertical Harvest’s CEO. During the project’s early planning stages, Yehia’s business partner, COO Penny McBride, realized that the company could make its idea of community service extend to more than just feeding Jackson residents when she was approached by Caroline Croft Estay, who acts as Vertical Harvest’s Employment Facilitator and who has previously been a case manager and provider for the behavioral Health Division of Wyoming. With Estay’s help, the team determined that their new venture could also play a key role in helping alleviate what Yehia notes is the “challenge of finding consistent, meaningful employment” for Teton County’s physically and cognitively adaptive population. Combine this idea with Vertical Harvest’s sustainable farming initiative, and you have a recipe for truly diverse innovation. “What makes me happiest about this model,” Yohia explains, “is that we are empowering a unique population to become leaders and innovators in one of the most important elements of a community: the production of local food.”

Vertical Harvest’s forward-thinking initiatives are already serving Nikki Thompson, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. Thompson, a longtime Jackson local, notes that “Vertical Harvest offers me not just a job, but a job that’s fit for me in terms of hours, accessibility, and interests.” Thompson works four hours a day, four days a week, both helping to seed plants and operating the company’s retail store, Market. After health issues related to her condition forced her to leave a college program in journalism, Thompson seems hopeful that her position at Vertical Harvest will offer her new opportunities while also accommodating her health needs. Retail is a new adventure for Thompson, and she says she looks forward to getting to “meet people in the store that I normally wouldn’t, being I have never done this kind of thing.”

Thompson is one of fifteen people for whom Vertical Harvest has created consistent, personally tailored employment, which she says is significant “in a state where most of the adaptive population is unemployed.” In this vein, Yehia explains that “Vertical Harvest operates as a socially conscious business. We are committed to providing meaningful year-round jobs in safe and healthy working environments that develop individual skills” for employees, thus “[creating] a fully integrated workplace that has the dual purpose of prioritizing social impact alongside financial stability that will foster important transferable skills.” As Thompson observes, Vertical Harvest is “setting a great example” across the county, nationwide, and even the world, for new ways that the often overlooked members of a society can both find meaningful work and foster deeper relationships with others in their communities. “Anybody, anywhere, can do what we’re doing,” Thompson adds, “if they just think out of the box.” And, upon Vertical Harvest’s opening this year, we here in Teton County can be proud to say that we have another brilliantly innovative local business right here in our little mountain valley.

Learn more about Vertical Harvest on their site or drop by and say hi to Nikki and pickup some fresh produce at 155 W. Simpson Ave.

 

 

Images © Taylor Glenn

The onset of spring in Jackson Hole is a tenuous thing. True, the lengthening daylight is undeniable. The weather even starts to warm up a little. Snow begins to melt under consistently sunnier skies, then freezes hard again overnight, making for fast morning skiing. But just when buds start to appear on the cold-bare willow and aspen branches, winter reminds us, with a sudden roaring storm and several inches of new snow, that it hasn’t quite released its hold. Lather, rinse, repeat. It is a cycle of continual uncertainty that can last from February to April, May, and even June some years.

However, there is one unquestionable sign that summer is indeed coming, and it’s a big one: the springtime emergence of bears. Jackson Hole and its national park neighbors are home to two species of bear – black and grizzly.

Contrary to popular understanding, bears do not actually hibernate during winter. Rather, they estivate, meaning that instead of entering the consistent deep torpor and significantly slowed metabolism of true hibernation, bears alternate between light and deep sleep and can awake to loud noises or sufficiently warm temperatures at any time during their estivation period. Typically, this period lasts from mid-December to mid-March. However, as with spring in the Rockies, don’t count on bears to stick to a set schedule, because what rules their activity is temperature. As winters trend toward becoming shorter and warmer, bears remain active in autumn as long as there is food to be had, and they emerge from their dens as soon as temperatures are warm enough to support their springtime search for much-needed nourishment. In fact, Yellowstone National Park reported its first confirmed report of spring bear activity this year on February 23 – a little over three weeks ahead of average.

While bears’ seeming trend toward shorter estivation periods as a result of a warming climate is concerning in some regards, it also means visitors to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks may have longer windows in which to spot a black or grizzly bear. Especially lucky visitors may even get a chance to witness a mama bear with cubs, such as our area’s famous Grizzly 399, who is renown for raising healthy broods of two to three cubs and showing them off to park visitors. Astoundingly, bear cubs, which are about the size of small puppies when they follow their mothers out of dens in the spring, can fit in the palm of a human hand at birth. Born while their mothers are in deep sleep, they spend the winter growing on her rich milk and, once they follow her out of the den, learning everything they can from mom about how to survive and thrive in the West.

Seeing bears in the wild is truly an experience of a lifetime. For many of us, these remarkable mammals are the epitome of raw nature, a physical embodiment of some of the last great strongholds of wilderness that remain in the United States. And for many of us in Jackson Hole, their emergence from their winter dreams also signifies without a doubt that the seasons are changing and summer in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is only a few short months away.

 

 

A big thank you to EcoTour Adventures of Jackson Hole for these great bear images! Click here to book a trip with EcoTour Adventures.

©Taylor Phillips