A Wyoming Winter

I’m breaking away from my usual Henderson-based outdoor adventures this time to share with you all some winter experiences from the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming. My family and I recently spent a week visiting my mother in DuBois, WY and saw an entirely different kind of winter than we are used to here in the valley.

First of all, the amount of snow in the mountains was tremendous. Dubois lies at the base of the mountains, and snow rarely accumulates in town (in fact, there are badlands on one side of town and the river doesn’t freeze over). From town, however, you can see snow-peaked mountains all around. A ten-minute drive into the mountains reveals a completely different landscape of snow four feet deep EVERYWHERE.

We did some snowshoeing through the depth, trying to stay on a compacted trail left by some X-C skiers. I imagined straying off the trail and sinking impossibly into the snow only to become prey to the Grizzly Bears that frequent the area. I thought of other hazards of mountain hiking like the sheer drop-offs into a canyon or getting lost in a never-ending panorama of snow and trees. Yikes.

I had never seen a density of snowmobiles as I saw in the mountains. With snow like that, I can see why it is a national destination for those who snowmobile. One wouldn’t dare going out alone, though, for fear of breaking down and having no hope of rescue or finding the way back on foot. Typically, 10-15 snowmobilers were out together and most of them were from southern Minnesota. I think I saw just as many Minnesota license plates at the mountain lodges as Wyoming plates. It seems the die-hard Minnesota winter lovers are finding other places to enjoy big snow due to our recent lack thereof.

We took a trip to Jackson, WY for a few days that required crossing a mountain pass. Clearing snow from the roads is not the most urgent priority in the mountains, as the highway department realizes it just doesn’t pay to keep up with the daily accumulation of snow. Most mountain roads simply close in the winter, and the few that are open have no help from salt or sand. Even if it isn’t snowing out, the highways typically have a nice pack of ice and snow that require 4-wheel drive and good tires. Imagine driving on Hwy 169 but it looking like a minimum-maintenance gravel road after a snowfall. Believe it or not, some people commute daily from Dubois to Jackson, a 1 ½ to 2 hour drive depending on conditions. Imagine driving to work from Mankato to Minneapolis in a blizzard. There must be some good paying jobs in Jackson.

In Jackson, we took a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the elk herd at the National Elk Refuge. As you can see in the photo, we were REALLY close to the elk. These animals are at least as large as a Minnesota moose, and they normally wouldn’t be so docile, except that the winters are cold and they don’t have much energy to do anything other than eat and rest. Jackson Hole is their historic wintering area, as there is plenty of meadow grass to graze on and the area doesn’t receive as much snow as higher elevations.

We saw many coyotes rambling about, foraging on deceased animals. They wouldn’t dare hunt a live elk (unlike the wolves who were most likely watching us from a distant ridge). Eating carrion with the coyotes were eagles, ravens, and magpies. Two of these bird species are absent from southern MN; I always enjoy bird watching in another part of the country for the opportunity to see something new.

The economy of the Dubois area relies heavily on ranching, logging and sawmills, and tourism. Driving around the region you will see horses and cattle grazing, sawmills running, logging trucks coming down from the mountain with an abundance of Lodgepole pines, and license plates from all over the country on cars headed to Yellowstone National Park or Jackson Hole. Dubois is identical in population to Henderson and townsfolk greet you on Main Street with a familiar small-town hello. I even had the opportunity to jam with a bunch of musicians at a garage hootenanny. A good vacation indeed.

It was nice to visit Wyoming, and the scenery was incredible. After a three-hour layover in Denver, I was relived to be back in Henderson, the place that is truly home for me. Many of us who choose to make Henderson home understand our small-town spirit, the grand scenery of the Minnesota River Valley (although not as topographically dramatic as the Rockies), the richness of our history and heritage, the wealth of natural resources, and to be in a place where families associate with each other for generations. I will try to see as much of our planet as possible in my lifetime, but I will always know Henderson as my home.