SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

JACKSON TO SCALER CABIN, BRIDGER-TETON NF

What a gorgeous drive today along the Greys River all the way up to its source and then beyond up and over Lander Pass. Many of the aspen have changed to yellow and the maples ranged from florescent orange to deep red. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the river and most of the group had a stone-skipping contest. Bob A and Cheryl won hands down! As we approached Scaler Cabin where we were staying for the night I happened to glance down in the willow-filled ravine about 100 feet from the road and there was this big black animal that I just mentally thought must be a cow. Then I looked again - it looked at me - and it registered that it was a very LARGE black bear feeding on a dead calf. I stammered out to Cheryl, who I was riding with in the big silver truck, that there was a bear down by the creek and then grabbed the walkie-talkie radio and told everyone there was a bear. Since all of the others were ahead of us they had to back up. It wasn’t until the bear got fed up with us staring at him and slowly ambled up the hillside that I thought to take a picture of him.

Scaler Cabin is a wonderful old Forest Service log cabin that is now available for rent at $30 per night. The front half of the cabin is a room with two bunk beds and an old wood desk. A back quarter is a kitchen with propane stove, sink and small table. The other back quarter is a small room with one bunk and a bathroom with sink, flushing toilet and small shower. In front of the cabin is a fire ring and sufficient room for several tents.

Mark Booth, District Ranger, John Wytanis, Natural Resource Specialist for the Kemmerer Ranger District joined us for dinner around the fire and discussed their Districts primary management issues. Of course a primary issues particularly at this time of year is hunting. Rifle season on deer, elk and moose opened today and there were hunters and hunting campsites everywhere. Of credit to Mark is that the primary access road for hunters in this particular area was extremely well maintained and signed including mileage markers in from the main highway. Considering the amount of constant traffic we encountered on our drive in the maintenance was critical in providing good access and protecting the adjacent river environment. I had previously met Mark this past spring at the Region Partnership Conference and asked him what he had thought of the conference and if he had gotten any good ideas for his District. He said that he thought the conference was beneficial to him and had several ideas that he wanted to work with over the winter. One of his challenges is that there are no large population areas within or near his District to draw volunteers from. But, that he was in contact with several hunting organizations that he hoped he would be able to work with. Having local populations to draw from or being able to contact and work with publics that utilize an area but do not live near it appears to be a common concern in the rural areas that we have traveled through. And, to me it appears a concern that State and national organizations should address in order to assist local areas with developing partnerships. From the Journey, dana