THOUGHTS ON THIS PLACE WE ALL LOVE.
Mary VanFleet
Vast. Wildness. Scary, sometimes. Rugged. Thrilling. Spacious. Breath taking. Unique. Solace. Stark in the openness, yet teaming with life. We feel small within it. Thin air. Everything takes longer up here. Seasons. The slow melt. Word that bears are out. Buds swollen on trees. Leaf-out. Ice-out. Changes. Sandhills arrive. Fawns. Morels popping randomly. Sweet smell of chokecherry blossoms. Opening day. Ring of a rise. Fish on. Family. Good times. Good meals. Good visits. Laughter. New trails to hike. Patches to explore. Bushes dripping with berries. Tourists. Traffic. YNP visits. Choices. A great day fishing. Some days, not so much catching. Summer storms. Thunder. Lightening. Rainbows. The smells of fresh rain. Sunsets in the east and the west. Sunny patches at Meadow Vue, even on a stormy day. The magic late evening light on the trees right after the sun sinks on the Centennials. Nights bright with stars. The roar of the Lake on a windy day. Cycles of life. Emptiness, yet full. Every living thing playing its part in the symphony. Birds chattering before first light. The hum of midges high in the air. The shrill trademark of an eagle. Swallows feeding on the fly. A glimpse of a moose in the yard. Deer frequent the property. Suddenness of fall in the air. Sandhill’s gaggle telling each other they are leaving soon. Animals on the move. Elk bugle. Changes. Deafening quiet of stillness. The distant sound of a coyote yip or wolf howl up the canyon. The rush of the wind in the treetops. Leaves raining down. Colder nights. Hoar frost on the sagebrush, backlit by a low sun. A hundred textures of snow. The snow-capped peaks. Stunning. The ruggedness magnified. The stillness. The cleanness. Fresh tracks. Large ones. Tiny ones. Harshness of the winter. It drones on. All efforts for survival. Endless. Buds already formed. Starting anew.
In summer, the community. Neighbors. Friendships. Daily exchanges of news. The scratch for a neighbor’s dog’s ear. Sharing. Busy. Comings and goings. Changes. Hard working. Helping hands. Independence. Stoic, reluctant to ask for help, but always extending a hand to others. The western way. Relationships. Lasting. Get togethers. Where to go today? The Lake. Madison. Henrys Fork. The Park. South Fork. Mesa Falls. Harriman. Virginia City. Endless. Partners for a day of fishing. Hiking. Picking. Scouting for a hunt. Packing it out. Volunteering. Bonds. A special place. Good people. New neighbors. Others gone. Loss. Sadness. Change. Tightening of our remaining bonds. Reflection. Memories. Hope. The hope we can do it again next year.
