January 21, 2009
Full Blown Winter in Dubois
It is full blown winter in the Upper Wind River Valley, “blown” being the operative term much of the time.    Cold air pouring off the Yellowstone Plateau funnels through this valley and defines life here for all species.   Humans learn to keep a solid grip on doors while horses graze pastures swept clear of snow with their heads down facing leeward. Mule deer, whose lives depend on their keen sense of hearing, seek shelter in the relative protection of draws where they are understandably wary.   How birds manage at all is a mystery to me.  One would think the very act of spreading wings would launch them into Nebraska, yet bald eagles and hawks regularly soar amid the gusts.  There’s not a lot of wing flapping going on, still, by some avian miracle they’re not tumbled helplessly downwind.  The bighorn sheep, an example to us all, flaunt their superbly adapted selves on the wind-swept slopes where extraordinary vision is the best defense against predators.   In grey coats and white rumps, they are perfectly camouflaged against the patchy snow, rocks and sagebrush. 

Higher up, on the ridges of Arrow Mountain and Whiskey Peak, snow is whipped and spun across the horizon in great waves and plumes.   While the ground conditions may be conducive to a good hike, I find the atmospheric conditions a little unnecessarily dramatic and decide to go see what the ice fishermen are doing instead.   – Ellen Vanuga