Yellowstone Country Safety * Trails are Not Ready *

I know that many are jonesing for some ATV action with the disintegration of the snow pac. The snowmobile trails are mushy and will not accommodate wheeled vehicles yet. Be patient and save yourself a hike.    

The Circle of Life Continues …..

Last week Sheri’s mother, Linda Knutson passed away. While not unexpected, her death was not anticipated. Sheri’s relationship with her mother, like my relationship with my father was distant prior to their passing. Life begins and ends on its own terms. We are just along for the ride. The ride includes joy, sadness, accomplishments and regrets.

The relationships we cultivate can be the source of our greatest fulfillment. Unfortunately all relationships do not enjoy equal success. Like seeds, they sprout and bloom. Without maintenance and care, they can wither and die. Some of those we love follow paths that lead them away from us. Expressing a bond to loved ones who have isolated themselves, while hoping for reunification feels like standing on uneven ground.  The more invested you are in a relationship; the more pain must be endured when things are stretched thin. I have experienced both joy of a successful reunification and the disappointment of complete detachment from a loved one.

Island Park has given Sheri and me a beautiful setting to cultivate the relationships that we hold so dear. The caldera also provides a little bait to hook the grandkids into a little non-electronic bonding time.  Floating down Box Canyon or Big Springs, hiking along the Henry’s Fork or sitting around the campfire burning marshmallows give us the opportunity to express our interest in those we love. Island Park has also given us opportunities to develop wonderful relationships with many residents of the high country. For those opportunities we are truly grateful.

We all live with the regret of relationships not salvaged. I choose to look back on those relationships and relive the good times that we shared. Focusing on the negative is neither healthy nor productive. I am grateful for the time that someone has shared with me, no matter how fleeting.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Mud Season Cooking *

With the arrival of mud season comes the limited opportunities to eat out. It is a great time to explore a few new recipes that you have yet to try.

I Almost Forgot What Dirt Looked Like

The spring and mud season has kicked into high gear after a few early fits and starts. Daytime temperatures are forecast to exceed fifty degrees on a regular basis mixed with occasional rain showers signals the demise of the white blanket that has covered the caldera for the past six months. With the demise of the snow on the horizon comes the list of jobs to be accomplished before next fall’s snow arrives.

The first items on the list revolve around cleaning up from winter’s embrace. Shoveling snow from items long buried whose usefulness has grown with the appearance of dirt and channeling the runoff away from buildings. Rounding up broken pine boughs and cleaning up after dogs after six months of snow hiding the chore not done.

Hope to recover tools dropped in the snow over the winter increases as the snow level drops. Perhaps most of all, the projects that were either unfinished or not yet begun begin to move to the “To DO” list. There are the spring projects like removing trees and stumps while the soil is moist. Late spring brings with it the beginning of construction work; the mid-summer schedule includes roof repair and logging firewood. In five months, hunting season begins and the year’s projects must be completed.

But for now there is a lull while the ground is not ready for the real work to commence, giving us a little calm before the storm. That is one of my favorite aspects of mud season. The other part of spring that I relish is witnessing the slow unveiling of the forest floor. It is a friend that I have missed for half a year and I have looked forward to our reunion. The loss of each foot of snow increases my anticipation.

Witnessing the renewal of forest is an experience not enjoyed by many. I consider myself lucky to be able to share this experience with my wife and friends. We are blessed.

Yellowstone Country Safety * we still have snow *

While the daytime temperatures are predicted to climb into the 50’s, it’s is premature to start calling about campground openings. We still have four feet of snow and it will take a while to melt!  

Spring Ushers in the Political Silly Season

The arrival of spring brings with it the increasingly intense political drama associated with the presidential primaries.

Let us review the current state of affairs.

Donald Trump became furious when a third-rate new super pac in Utah published an ad on-line containing a tasteful nude photo of Trump’s wife. The photo was taken by a fashion magazine for international distribution during Mrs. Trump’s modeling career. The Donald focused his anger at the photo’s publication into an attack on the looks and mental health of Ted Cruz’s wife. Ted Cruz responded by denying any association with the super pac and calling Trump a coward for attacking Ted’s wife.

Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was charged in Jupiter, Florida with misdemeanor battery after an altercation with a young female reporter.

Halfway through the primary, Governor John Kasich has won only a single state (Ohio, his home state) and has deluded himself into thinking that he can win the contest. His rationale is that since he is the son of a lowly postal carrier and his story is too important to be overlooked.

On the Democrat side of the isle, Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist has actually been finding a large constituency within the party.  Despite a nineteen trillion dollar national debt, his proposals of free college and other social spending are attractive to many who find their opportunities limited. A small bird landed on his podium a week ago and many took it as a sign that he was anointed to accede to the presidency.

Hillary Clinton has amassed enough “super delegates” to assure her nomination despite being regularly beaten by Bernie. While campaigning, she is under investigation by over 150 FBI agents for maintaining classified information on a private server in her New York residence.  

While this drama was going on, the president was attending a baseball game in Cuba with the Castros and dancing the tango in Argentina.

If a writer submitted these events as an outline for a soap opera, the concept would be rejected as too unbelievable to green-light.

Yellowstone Country Safety * I wish the weather would decide *

I wish that the weather would decide what it is doing! The roads are too dry to ride my sled up to the trails and there is too much snow to start any of my spring projects.

Heavy Traffic on a Lonely River

Recently a friend who owns a cabin on the bank of the Henry’s Fork, told me about a critter that had been living in his cabin’s attic. The unwelcome guest was leaving a pungent odor that permeated the entire structure, much to the displeasure of summer guests.

My friend, Ron “Beaver” Hay and I took up the challenge to rid the cabin of this annoyance. Our first mission was to scout out the scene, determine the identity of the offender and form a plan of attack.

Ascending the cabin’s attic stairs, we recognized the musky scent of a member of the weasel family. The droppings clustered in the corners confirmed our suspicions. All evidence pointed to a mink or pine marten using the space between the interior walls to gain access to his penthouse. Checking the exterior of the cabin, we found an active burrow under the front porch that provided the animal access under the cabin and allowing him a path up the interior wall.

Beaver and I began our attack. First, we set a trail camera that would monitor the burrow entrance under the porch. Second, we set a live trap in the attic baited with part of a frozen squirrel. Luckily I keep a squirrel in our freezer for such situations, but then … doesn’t everyone?

The first week the trap was empty but we did pick up a couple photos of a mink and a squirrel. 

There were a lot of moose and marten tracks around the cabin as well.

Later we got photos of an otter, a fox and more squirrels.

Last week I checked the trap and found that a large mink had sought to dine on a meal of squirrel in the cabin’s attic. The uninvited guest was removed from the premise without incident.

I was amazed while conducting this task at the variety of wildlife active in the immediate vicinity of the cabin. Some animals looking for shelter in or under the cabin. Other critters were looking to feed on the sheltering animals. Despite the apparent loneliness of the Henry’s Fork in winter, there is a bustling world of animal activity to see if you take the time to look.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Fremont County Awards EMT and Deputy for Heroism *

Fremont County EMT Greg Walker and Fremont County Deputy Tom Smith received commendations from the Fremont County Commissioners for their heroic efforts in rescuing the children buried under a roof slide-off at Mack’s Inn on February 26^th.  Two seven-year-old girls were revived and saved. Two year old Halle Merrill succumbed to her injuries despite everyone’s best efforts.

EMS Services Receive Gift from Fugowee Club

 Last week the Fugowee Snowmobile Club presented the Fremont County EMS personnel with a new covered ATV trailer and a heater for the covered extraction sled. The nine thousand dollar donation was the result of coordinated efforts of the Fugowee Club and the Friends of the Library. Great job to all those involved and “Thank You” to the dedicated EMS personnel.