My First Six Months in the Jackson Hole Area
Popular Stories
It's hard to believe that my 6-month lease is already up for renewal. Back in March I left the congestion of Chicago and corn fields of Indiana behind and traded it for a life in the Teton mountains - Teton Valley to be exact. JH housing isn't exactly a surplus.
My hometown is in NW Indiana. Looking for a web development job in the area seemed to direct me towards downtown Chicago or one of the other area cities - not my location of choice. So I moved to Seattle for a little over a month. I was driving distance from Mt Baker, Steven's Pass, and Crystal Mountain, but the Seattle / Redmond traffic was intense. So I left. I expected to end up in West Michigan, maybe near Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo. Being 30 minutes from Bittersweet and a couple other Midwest ski areas and state parks seemed acceptable, that is until I came across a TGR job posting.
Fast forward a few months, and I arrived here in early April, too late for JHMR. I confess that I have yet to ride the famous tram, but winter is again coming ever closer! I was not, however, too late to catch the late season at Targhee. I was still not used to anything more than the ski places in Michigan, and it was an...adjustment.
Not too worry though, because I work with some of the most enthusiastic outdoor adventurers. Not a month or so after I started with TGR, it was decided to hike Mt Glory as an after-work outing. After given an avy beacon and a crash course in avalanche safety, away we went up the pass. I was quite grateful for their patience with my sea-level endurance. I was the last one up with the exception of a coworker that hung back with me.
Photo Credit: Olaus Linn
Join Our Newsletter
As the snow melted and days grew longer, I spent several days out in the national parks and surrounding areas exploring the new area. It's been pretty tame by TGR's standards, but maybe next summer Dunfee can finally get that weekly TGR bike outing organized.
Moving out here was one of my better life decisions, and I am happy to have avoided the big city (so far) as a web developer. With snow showing up in higher elevations the other day, I can't wait for winter to get into full swing.
