Darwin Ranch
Guest cabins and the lodge as seem from my cabin on the hill.
This post represents a change in direction as I move away from talking about individual species of wildlife and flora and begin sharing images of my activities - truly “What I Do All Day”!
For the last year and a half my blog posts have been companion pieces to my podcast of the same name but along with the change in the blog I am starting a brand new podcast in early October titled “Natural HerStory”, conversations with women about their many and varied connections to nature. I hope you will give it a try as I am very excited about the episodes I have recorded so far and look forward to lots of future discussions with a whole bunch of women I admire.
In the meantime, today’s post is about my recent trip to Darwin Ranch, a remote guest ranch on private land tucked into the Gros Ventre Wilderness area east of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Morning view to the south from just outside the horse corral.
My husband and I joined a group of friends and acquaintances, most of whom are or were trustees of the Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, for a three day get-away meant to feed the body and soul. Some variation of this group tries to spend a couple days a year visiting and appreciating a unique piece of property that allows us to commune with nature and reminds us why we do the work we do. In fact, my last trip before the pandemic shut things down was to visit Little St. Simon Island, a beautiful piece of land with a conservation easement off the coast of Georgia.
Although located in very different parts of the country, one thing the two locations share is a strong sense of the past. Both have long and rich histories about settlers and owners who cared enough to protect the land over time. This is not to say they were perfect - much of the history of European settlers in North America is built on what we now recognize as injustices toward others but the current owners of both properties are wonderful people doing their best to conserve the land and all its inhabitants.
View of Darwin Ranch from the top of Bacon Ridge
Getting to the ranch requires a high clearance vehicle with good tires as well as a driver with lots of patience and an eye for holes and rocks in the road. Once we reached the gravel it took almost two hours to travel the last 24 miles. But the reward at the end was the opportunity to spend time in a spectacularly beautiful setting at “the most remote guest ranch in the lower 48 states.”
One of the ranch horses seemed particularly curious about my camera.
One of the activities offered to guests by the ranch is horseback riding. Ken’s allergy to the animals means that is not an option for us but that didn’t stop me from admiring the horses or them from inspecting me and my camera when I took a shortcut through the corral to capture some images.
Our days were occupied by putting miles on our own hooves - hiking both on and off trail for miles to explore the vast views and beautiful landscapes of the area. The fall colors were evident at the higher elevations, providing a warm backdrop for small ponds, many of which exhibited signs of beaver activity.
A small high mountain pond contains a beaver lodge along its edge.
Ken gently picks up a western tiger salamander to relocate off the trail used by hikers and horses.
On our first full day at the ranch we hiked to the top of Bacon Ridge, a trek of about 10 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 1,500’. We were hoping for a clear view of the Tetons far off in the distance but were stymied by low clouds
On day two we stayed on less steep terrain and ventured into the Gros Ventre Wilderness to visit the beautiful Ouzel Falls.
I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to visit Darwin Ranch again but I am glad for the time I spent there and the wonderful people I got to share that time with!
Ouzel Falls in the Gros Ventre Wilderness.