Teton Science Schools Week One

Now begins that new glorious chapter! Internship at the Teton Science School!

I arrived at my internship on the 31

of August, only to be greeted by this.

A transformer blew, and the tinder dry grass thought that was enough of a temptation to start a rip-roaring fire.

We evacuated, to the Kelly campus of the Teton Science Schools. (Where I did my Wilderness First Responder training)

Thankfully, this blaze is now under control, and we are all moved into our swanky rooms.

Hard as it may seem to believe, things got even more exciting after that memorable first day. I am part of a group of seven awesome AmeriCorps interns.

As interns, our jobs are to first learn all about the glorious Tetons, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This includes, but is not limited to, bison, elk, pronghorn, deer, moose, geology, fire ecology, plants (medicinal and otherwise), cultural history, fish, tracking, animal behavior, and various trails, lakes, and mountains.

This is a ruffed grouse. He likes feet

This first couple of weeks are dedicated to training, and learning all of the systems and tricks that Teton Science Schools use. Because once we are comfortable, we shall be sharing all of our new knowledge with inquiring young minds from all over the country!!!! YAY!

So far, we got to see some bull elk sparring over a female, learned about the Gros Ventre Slide (massive rockslide) and all about the formation of the Tetons in geologic terms, and climbed Death Canyon. This last was AMAZING, albeit a great deal harder than I had anticipated. 12 miles and 4,ooo ft elevation gain right out of the gate. In one day. Oh yeah!

Every day is exciting! New animals, new friends, new mountains. :) One of the best things is getting to go hiking with like-minded people. So when we see something neat on the trail, we all stop and geek out.

More pictures to come...