Change

A Day Kayak Fishing on Jackson Lake
One of the Highest High Altitude Lakes in U.S.
at 6,772 ft above Sea Level
Up to 438 feet Deep

This place is full of adaptations.  From strong seasonal shifts to temperature fluctuations to elk herd migration between winter and summer ranges the Tetons remind us of constant change.

My own adjustment to this wild and ever-changing place seems on-going.  A month into this assignment as Park Ranger and Interpreter I see signs of  my own adaptability....slow to come at first, with an early and strong onset of resistance.

Let's begin with basics -  connection and the comforts of home.  Had to let go of many things.... familiar friends and family, my ever-faithful yellow lab, the privacy I woke up to every morning, my constant access to the world -  internet, texts, news, facebook.  

I now live with 3 other roommates - (was it when I was in grad school at UCONN when I last had to time my shower or designate shelf space in a refrigerator)?   I drive 20 minutes into Jackson to have any East Coast conversation.  Television?  I only seem to miss the Weather Channel, updates on the Celtics or Redsox (and, yes, I heard about Ray Allen) and episodes of The Bachelor.

In both the simplicity and complexity of this place I have learned how to carve out what I need.... the porch at sunset allows fantastic views to think out the bigger picture, Wednesday afternoons, when the others work, I find my nap, Jackson Lake Lodge has internet, and the parking lot at Smiths allows great text.  Let's not forget to maximize time not working and to get as much work completed as I can when I am working.  Makes for more balance - and room to explore these Mountains.

The Snake River - Inside Grand Teton National Park

Today I shadowed a park ranger-lead hike to Taggart Lake - listening to a visitor's experience of a "bluff charge" from a grizzly up around Bradley.  Pretty interesting to learn about the protective posturing a bear presents - usually giving people ample opportunity to interpret and give space, leaving and respecting what naturally belongs.

On the return I photographed this Fireweed flower in its mid-summer bloom.  It gets its name from the fact that its tall, bright flowering stalk resembles a flame and because it quickly invades areas of burned forest.

Another example of how change brings new life.

Fireweed