Staff Picks: Our Insider Recommendations on All Things Greater Yellowstone and Beyond | February 2024
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is an incredible place to live, work, play, and explore. Our staff, dispersed across the region, know this firsthand and are excited to share some of their favorite things in this blog series, GYC Staff Picks. We’ll be sharing Greater Yellowstone favorites from our staff —favorite trails, books, podcasts, art, places, and much more — that help them make the most of this remarkable place.
In the depths of winter, we offer recommendations to try while the snow is flying and others that we hope will inspire your summer schemes! Plan your own geocaching adventure anywhere in the ecosystem or a backcountry expedition in Grand Teton National Park, read a hopeful story about climate change, and let us introduce you to a couple of four-legged adventure buddies in this GYC Staff Picks blog.
Book - Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Sierra Harris, Climate Conservation Coordinator (Bozeman, Montana)
“My sister gifted me this novel over a year ago and I have been putting it off because I often avoid books that bring climate change and its repercussions into my free-time reading. I am so glad that I finally read it, as it is a beautifully written book that details an emotional love story, an epic ocean voyage, and the migration of the last flock of Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) from Greenland to Antarctica. The book is set in the not-too-distant future when we are faced with mass extinctions due to a changing climate. It was heartbreaking, but I also felt love and hope for the possibility that we can still make changes and help to preserve life on this amazing planet.”
Place: Death Canyon Shelf, Grand Teton National Park
Craig Benjamin, Director of Conservation (Jackson, Wyoming)
The Death Shelf provides a stunning view of the Teton Range and is great for running or hiking. (Photo Craig Benjamin)
“It’s hard for me to pick my favorite place in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, though it’s hard to beat Death Canyon Shelf as it’s one of the most beautiful and unique places on earth. The shelf is a three-mile stretch of the Teton Crest Trail between Fox Creek Pass and Mount Meek Pass, and runs parallel to Death Canyon, with 300-foot cliffs on one side of the trail, and the floor of Death Canyon a thousand feet below you on the other. Views to the east look down the rugged Death Canyon and to the north the mighty Grand Teton towers over the landscape while springs bubble up from the limestone to create babbling streams. No matter which way you come from, it’s hard to get to Death Canyon Shelf, with the “easiest” approach being an eight-mile hike with three thousand feet of elevation gain. But no matter which way you come from, it’s always worth getting up onto the shelf, especially when you get to pitch a tent and stay a while.”
App: Geocaching®
Signa McAdams, Wind River Community Organizer (Fort Washakie, Wyoming)
Don’t let a little snow deter you, try geocaching year-round! (Photo ra-photos/Canva)
“This summer my daughter and I downloaded the app Geocaching® and it has brought us so much laughter and joy. On days that I need to be creative to bring us outdoors in a fun way, I open the app and my daughter picks a dot on the map where a hidden object, called a cache, is hidden. Using GPS, we have to navigate and search for the cache – some are as tiny as a pencil eraser! Caches are hidden all over the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Get outside, log your finds, and happy caching!”
Gear: REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie
Emmy Reed, Senior Digital Communications Associate (Bozeman, Montana)
The REI sun hoodie enjoys a fall day in Yellowstone National Park. (Photo Emmy Reed)
“I am not ashamed to admit that I have three of these shirts. This REI shade hoodie is one of my favorite things to wear from April to October here in Montana. During the summer months — when the sun is excruciatingly intense — I like to wear something lightweight, that dries fast, and prevents my skin from burning. This hoodie is perfect for hot and sunny hikes above treeline, strolling the boardwalks in Yellowstone National Park, walking my dog in the summer evenings when the temperatures dip, and going out in the field with my colleagues here at GYC. Also, REI has figured out how to engineer a hood that stays on your head without sliding off — major kudos to their design team. Not only has this item been a staple in my wardrobe in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but it has also helped repel the wind in the Chugach Mountains in Alaska and keep the bugs at bay in Costa Rica. It’s a fantastic item to have for any warmer outdoor activity!”
Dream Hiking Buddy: Fisher, the mutt
Kurt Imhoff, Senior Climate Conservation Associate (Lander, Wyoming)
Fisher frolicking among wildflowers and aspen. (Photo Kurt Imhoff)
“I tried to come up with a dream hiking buddy, but he already exists… Fisher is without a doubt my ideal hiking buddy.
Whether I’m hiking, running, or cross-country skiing, he is my steady and energetic sidekick. If moving slowly — mushroom hunting, for example — he’ll pare right down and work alongside me. When I stop to fish a nice piece of water, he posts up behind me like a statue until it’s time to move on. At the end of the day, he’s perfectly content to sit on a sleeping bag and wait for a pine squirrel to sing its siren song. He’s such an intuitive and affectionate dog. In the office he takes his napping regimen very seriously. If you ever swing by the Lander office, he’s likely to come up and greet you before returning to his spot on the couch and going back to sleep."
