Grand Teton National Park

Here are photos from Grand Teton National Park. I thought this park was much quieter and approachable than Yellowstone, and everyone was so friendly. We hiked around Jenny Lake, which was beautiful and only had a few patches of snow left. The hikes up the canyons that would provide great views are still snowed in, so I know that I will have to return sometime to explore! I would also love to come back and ride the bike trail that goes from Jackson Hole to Jenny Lake Lodge--although it runs along the side of the Tetons and have incredible views, the trail is entirely flat, due to the lake of foothills.

The Tetons from Jackson Lake Lodge. 

The Tetons! The peak in the middle is Mount Moran.

Jenny Lake

Hiking along Jenny Lake. We saw an osprey, tree swallows, and lots of curious and friendly marmots!

Jenny Lake

Beartooth Pass & Yellowstone National Park

My family and I took a road trip as I traveled to my summer job, and we stopped at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Yellowstone was extremely busy with visitors, but once we started hiking, it was much quieter and enjoyable. And we saw lots of wildlife and wildflowers!
These photos start as we entered the Beartooth Pass highway in Red Lodge, MT.

Lots of snow still on the road leading up to Beartooth Pass!

First time in Wyoming

Looking at the Beartooth Range

Moss campion

The Beartooth

Arrowleaf balsamroot

Calypso orchid or fairyslipper

Duncecap Larkspur

Lost Lake

Solomon's Seal

Bison in the trail

Young grizzly

Elk

Avalanche lily

Prairiesmoke

Salsify

One of Yellowstone's many bubbling warm springs

Old Faithful

Two black collared male wolves that are part of the Junction Butte pack eating a bison carcass. Seen through a scope in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone. 

Mammoth Hot Springs

Birdwatching

Seen today at Chippewa Run Natural Area (list compiled by LCR):
> Mallard X
> Blue-winged Teal X
> Green Heron X
> Turkey Vulture X
> Bald Eagle X
> Solitary Sandpiper X
> Mourning Dove X
> Red-bellied Woodpecker X
> Downy Woodpecker X
> Northern Flicker X
> Pileated Woodpecker X
> Eastern Phoebe X
> Great Crested Flycatcher X
> Eastern Kingbird X
> Blue Jay X
> American Crow X
> Black-capped Chickadee X
> Red-breasted Nuthatch X
> White-breasted Nuthatch X
> House Wren X
> Eastern Bluebird X
> Gray-cheeked Thrush X
> American Robin X
> Gray Catbird X
> Brown Thrasher X
> European Starling X
> Black-and-white Warbler X
> Common Yellowthroat X
> American Redstart X
> Yellow Warbler X
> Chestnut-sided Warbler X
> Palm Warbler X
> Pine Warbler X
> Yellow-rumped Warbler X
> Chipping Sparrow X
> Song Sparrow X
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak X
> Red-winged Blackbird X
> Eastern Meadowlark X
> Common Grackle X
> Baltimore Oriole X
> Purple Finch X
> American Goldfinch X

Rain fall, spring ephemerals, and morels

School has ended and it is spring in Michigan--well, sort of. After a long winter here, even a glimpse of the sunlight is cause for celebration. Yesterday's chilly rain didn't stop my dad and me from venturing outside to seek spring ephemerals. We walked along a wooded trail, pausing often to look at different ephemerals. The Dutchman's breeches seem to be winding down, and the squirrel corn has taken its place. Hepatica and bloodroot have come and gone, and the Jack in the Pulpit is unfurling. It's amazing how much I've learned about spring ephemerals over the past few years, and I remember when I had trouble distinguishing certain flowers from one another. I feel like I still have a lot to learn, but it's exciting to be able to walk through a landscape and understand different species and natural processes.
As we wandered along the trail, I spotted a mysterious crumb in the dirt. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was the remains of a morel mushroom, a local, edible delicacy that is known for its taste, elusiveness, and price. I immediately spotted a full mushroom next to the trail, and shortly after found one more. My collecting eye tuned sharply into the layer of leaf litter and sticks, but I did not find any other mushrooms. Slightly disappointed, we continued down the trail, coming closer to Lake Michigan. On a whim, I decided to cut off trail into a pretty wooded area along a bluff that was brilliantly green with trillium and Solomon's Seal. I spotted a small morel, its cap still covered with dead leaves after pushing its way up through the earth, and then I saw another and another. My dad and I called to one another, and soon we had collected about half a pound. Although I cannot disclose the location (every good mushroom forager knows this), I should mention that I was surprised how sandy the soil was. We may return to this area soon to look for more mushrooms, and I'm also planning on digging up some ramps from the woods to combine with the morels for a local dish.
Spring is also a wonderful time to do some bird watching because the leaves are not out yet, making these winged creatures easier to spot. Baltimore Orioles, Indigo Buntings, and Scarlet Tanagers have been a few of the excited sightings around the house, along with several varieties of woodpeckers.
All photos by LCR

Morel! 

Jack in the Pulpit

Trillium. Normally the entire flower petal is white, but the green color is caused by a mycoplasma infection.

Trout lily

Our morel harvest (the location is top secret). 

Woodturning: A Photo Journal

Yesterday I finished my Woodturning and Forest Conservation class, which was held at the university's research forest. It was a wonderful learning opportunity, and it was so satisfying and refreshing to complete a class holding a useful product that I created, rather than just a bunch of papers and exams. The class was held four times on Fridays and Saturdays, and was a mixture of learning how to use a wooden lathe to create a wooden bowl, and also learning the basics behind forest conservation. The woodturning process started with bucking up chunks of wood from a down black cherry tree on the research forest's property, and cutting those chunks in half vertically. We debarked the chunks and the journey began to create a wooden bowl! See the photos below for the story. 

Choosing a template that fits the blank. 

Cutting the blank with the bandsaw.

Drilling a small, fairly shallow hole in the center that will go on the screw in the lathe. 

The "cake" is mounted onto the lathe. This picture was taken before any work was done. 

Working on getting the wood into a more manageable size. 

At work on the lathe. 

The outside is beginning to take shape.

Finishing the outside.

Now I flipped the bowl around to work on hollowing out the middle. 

A mandrel is placed in the chuck so that we can finish working on the bottom of the bowl with a detail gouge. 

After finishing the surface with tung oil, six unique creations were the fruits of our labors. 

With my wooden bowl.

Wood fired pizzas to celebrate the woodturning process. 

Yellow poplar (tuliptree) buds

Measuring basal area

Looking Back and Moving Forward

My Semester in the Wild experience has ended, and although it carries its own sense of sadness, I also feel a bit sad that my seven month adventure in the West is over. But what an incredible experience I've had, and I smile to think about what I've gotten to do. I'm excited about the future!

Looking back, I remember the adventures of the summer in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (hard trail work, great laughs, rafting, wildfires, days off adventures, independence, and happiness) and the fall in McCall, the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and Moscow (living in an amazing community, being more focused and interested in my classes than ever, a renewed love of horses, seeing river otters, writing letters, cooking for 11 people, simple bliss...I could go on and on). During this Western adventure, I was also lucky enough to spend time with my family in Missoula, McCall, Glacier National Park, and Ketchum/Sun Valley. I will miss these Western adventures with spectacular scenery, kind, down-to-earth people, and the sense of strength this landscape instilled in me.

Looking forward, I'm spending a month at home, enjoying cross country skiing, family and friends, and simply reveling in the pleasures of home. I'll be back in Burlington this coming semester (so that the "Burlington" portion of the blog's title will finally be stressed, rather than the perhaps-a-bit-understated "Beyond"), and am looking forward to my involvement in the outdoor club, and being reunited with some of my very dear friends. I'll be working in Idaho again next summer, which I'm really looking forward to. 

This adventure has been such a growing experience for me, and although I am looking forward to the future, I can't help but look back on the places I've seen, the people I've met, and the things I've learned. I hope that I can remember all I've learned as I move forward--most importantly, I hope to continue to read and write, and, in doing so, continue learning and hopefully teaching. I feel so fortunate to have had this experience, and all I can say is: adventure on!

The plane that carried me from Taylor Ranch to Cascade

The most incredible views I've ever seen from an airplane!

Exploring Payette Lake in McCall

Enjoying the view from Pioneer Cabin in the Sawtooth National Forest

Horses and a Bittersweet Peace

Several days ago, a group of cowboys and stock came for a night to stay as they moved the stock from a high elevation (and thus colder) ranch on the Main Salmon to a ranch on the Middle Fork for the winter. Seeing the horses and mules occupy the normally empty pasture was really beautiful; imagine these beautiful, graceful creatures peacefully grazing with the dramatic backdrop of mountains and the setting sun. I asked the cowboys if I could brush down the horses since they were tired and sweaty from a long day on the trail, and they happily obliged. I spent three hours brushing and talking with the stock, and it reminded me of some of my childhood daydreams of owning a horse. I think my time in the West has made me rediscover this dream, and I hope that one day, I can ride horses frequently! 

Peaceful sunrise view on a ridge that served as a campsite. Can't get much better than learning, 360 degree views, and an amazing community of people, can it?

It's hard to believe that it's already November, and several days ago marked two months of living at Taylor Ranch in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. In less than two weeks, I'll be flying out of here to continue classes for the remainder of the semester, along with a break at Thanksgiving. Thinking about leaving has been consuming some of my time, and the best way I can describe it is bittersweet. I have learned so much about living with a group and in my classes, and spending lots of time just wandering around--on and off trail--has taught me to appreciate even the smallest details in nature. 

Ellen Meloy (one of my favorite authors--you should check out the book The Anthropology of Turquoise) wrote, “The streams and rivers ran with water so clear it pressed against my heart like a hand.” These mountains and rivers are within me, and I know that wherever I go, I will continue to think and write about my time in Idaho.