I'll be the first to admit that I live in Montana for the heavenly summers, where I spend days on end hiking, camping and exploring the endless canyons, prairies, dry expanses fed by the lifeblood of the extensive network of rivers and glacial lakes...I don't ski, a car accident ten years ago left me with a broken neck, femur and wrists - so although I'm fully recovered, I cannot risk re-injury on icy slopes. So winter is typically a time of reflection, working intensively in the warmth of my home, taking shorter walks on snow packed trails when the weather affords.
Winters in Yellowstone Country are a frozen tundra, harsh to access, with brutal temperatures, dipping into the -40 range at times with howling wind that scars and punctures the skin with a crash callousness. (The greater Yellowstone Ecosystem runs from the Bridger-Teton Forest south of Grand Teton, east to the Shoshone National Forest/Bighorn Rec. Area, north into the Crazy Mountains past Bozeman near Big Timber...)
In spite of the cold, austere weather conditions, Winter in the Yellowstone Country is a magnificent testament to nature, a wonderland of pristine snow and ice that surpasses any postcard view of 'Winter' you will find...the massive pack of crunchy, crisp snow, the invigorating air, the aroma of fresh evergreen filling your lungs with life, the river - icy, jamming up, still has this ethereal look. The landscape proves that though life might entail suffering, there is beauty in even nature's hardship, the water fueling the thirsty forests for a torrid summer...the still quiet of the landscape, it sparks a fire in your heart to embrace life even in adversity and to be content to quietly reflect your own humility in the seemingly endless valleys of snow. It is a paradox of wonder.
So join me through a series of upcoming Blogs about planning a trip 'Into the Great Unknown of Winter in the Yellowstone Country..."
No comments:
Post a Comment