Today was an experience in the variability of mountain weather. We walked in repeated cycles of snow and sleet showers, clouds, wind, and brilliant sunshine...and all that was just in the morning. The afternoon weather was a bit better, ending with sunshine as we hiked around Jenny Lake. The Tetons are magnificent, and the varied weather provided different appearances to the mountains throughout the day. We saw moose ( a bull and two cows) and a herd of about 200 bison from a distance. We got good views of six pronghorns, five mule deer (including a doe and two fawns) and three elk. Did you know pronghorn can run up to 65 miles per hour? No modern predator can run that fast, but an extinct one could. On one of our walks we had a close encounter with the uinta chipmunk pictured below. We also heard a presentation from a young man who specializes in trapping and radio-collar-ing wolves, bears, bison, cougars and beavers for research and wildlife management purposes. His insights into the history of these species and their changing relationships with humans were illuminating, as were his perspectives as a seventh-generation resident of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. How they tag beaver was quite fascinating.
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