The Legacy of Richard "Beaver Dick" Leigh

Lying in the valley below the Teton Range are a chain of glacially-carved lakes. The Grand Teton region, especially these lakes, are steeped in history intertwined with an Englishman by the name of Richard "Beaver Dick" Leigh, who led a fairly long and adventurous life. Born in Manchester, England in 1831, his family migrated to America when Richard was just seven years old. Nine years later he would run away from home to join the Hudson's Bay Company. During the following year he enlisted in the army to fight in the Mexican War. After the war he worked as a trapper, gold prospector, ferryboatman, and eventually as a hunting guide. In 1872 he guided the Hayden Geological Survey during their time in Jackson Hole, while his wife and children assisted with camp logistics. In 1891 he had a chance meeting with Theodore Roosevelt and his hunting party while camping in the Two Ocean area. His nickname, “Beaver Dick,” was purportedly given to him by Brigham Young.

In 1863 Leigh married a Shoshone woman, whom he would call Jenny. They immediately built a cabin in the Teton Basin on the west side of the Teton Range. Later that same year Leigh came across the isolated camp of a young Bannock family that went by the name of Tadpole. The wife of this couple happened to be in labor, and apparently was in need of some help. Leigh volunteered to act as a midwife. So grateful for his timely assistance the couple offered their newborn daughter, Susan, in marriage after she came of age. Leigh, already married at that point, declined the offer.

While serving as guide in the Jackson Hole area for the Hayden Geological Survey of 1872, expedition photographer William Henry Jackson took this photograph of Beaver Dick, Jenny and their four children in front of their tepee camp:

Hayden was so impressed with the services rendered by the Leigh family that he named three lakes after them. This included Leigh Lake, Jenny Lake and Beaver Dick Lake, which was later renamed as String Lake in the 1930s.

In December of 1876 Jenny gave birth to their sixth child. However, just a few days later, the wife of a trapper came into the Leigh home seeking food and shelter. The woman's husband had just died of smallpox. Unbeknownst to this woman she was also carrying the virus, and died a few days later. Before succumbing to the deadly disease she inadvertently spread it to the entire Leigh family. Within two weeks Jenny and their six children were dead, while Beaver Dick barely survived.

Three years later Leigh would remarry. At the age of 48 he serendipitously married Susan Tadpole, the baby girl who was promised to him 16 years earlier. The couple and their three children posed for this photograph sometime in the mid-1890s:

In March of 1899 Leigh passed away at the age of 68.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Take "Exploring Grand Teton National Park" with you on the trail

Are you planning to visit Grand Teton National Park this summer - or anytime down the road? I wanted to take a brief moment to remind you about the eBook we've published (and recently updated), which provides hikers with access to detailed trail information while hiking in the park.

Exploring Grand Teton National Park is the mobile version of TetonHikingTrails.com, the most comprehensive website on the internet for hiking trail information in Grand Teton National Park. This book was published to provide readers with convenient access to the information contained on TetonHikingTrails.com while in the park, or on the trail, where internet access is most likely unavailable. Additionally, the format of this book will provide a much better experience for smartphone users.

Exploring Grand Teton National Park covers 44 hikes. This includes 41 hikes within Grand Teton National Park, as well as 3 hikes in the Teton Pass area, located just south of the park boundary. Like the website, the book includes driving directions to each trailhead, detailed trail descriptions, key features along the route, difficulty ratings, photographs, maps and elevation profiles, which provide readers with a visual representation of the change in elevation they’ll encounter on each hike. Some hikes will also include historical tidbits related to the trail. Whether you're looking for an easy stroll in the park, or an epic hike deep into Grand Teton's backcountry, this book provides all the tools you'll need to make your hiking trip as enjoyable as possible.

As with our four websites, this book also contains several directories that will help you choose the best hikes suited to your preferences and abilities. This includes hikes listed by location within the park, hikes listed by key trail feature, and hikes sorted by difficulty rating. I’ve also included lists of our top 10 hikes, the best easy hikes, the top fall hikes, and the top early season hikes.

The guide is available on Amazon.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Hidden gems, off-season trips highlights of 325.5 million national park visits in 2023

While overall visitation continues to grow across America's national parks, visitors are increasingly discovering opportunities in less well-known parks and during park off-seasons.

Today, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million recreation visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022. In addition to the continued growth in overall numbers, NPS data shows that visitation is increasing in the more traditional off-seasons at many parks, with more visits in the spring and fall than seen in years past. And 20 parks—many of them less well-known—broke visitation records in 2023.

Visitation figures and trends guide how the National Park Service manages parks to ensure the best experience possible for park visitors. The Visitation Statistics Dashboard on NPS.gov provides recreational visit statistics for every park in the US for 2023 and also for previous years, dating back to 1979 for some parks. Of the 429 parks in the National Park System, 400 parks counted visitors in 2023. For the first time, there are now parks reporting their visitation numbers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four US territories. Five national parks began reporting in 2023, and this is the first year a park from Delaware is included.

The 20 parks that broke visitation records in 2023 are: 

* Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
* Congaree National Park
* Dry Tortugas National Park
* Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
* Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
* Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
* John Muir National Historic Site
* Joshua Tree National Park
* Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park
* Keweenaw National Historic Park
* Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
* Lincoln Memorial
* Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
* Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park
* Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Memorial
* Minidoka National Historic Site
* Mojave National Preserve
* New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
* Nez Perce National Historic Park
* Ninety Six National Historic Site 



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Who was Agnes Vaille?

If you've ever had the chance to hike to the Keyhole on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, you likely noticed the beehive-shaped stone shelter just below the famous rock formation. The original shelter was constructed in 1927, just two years after the tragic death of Agnes Vaille.

On January 12, 1925, Agnes Vaille became the first woman to ascend Longs Peak during the winter. At 4:00 a.m. that morning, she and her climbing partner, Walter Kiener, reached the summit where they recorded an incredibly frigid temperature of −14°F. During their descent, in a fierce blizzard, Ms. Vaille slipped and fell roughly 150 feet. Completely spent with fatigue, Vaille insisted she needed a short nap, but froze to death before Kiener could bring back help. As a memorial to Ms. Vaille, and as a shelter for climbers and hikers in need during a storm, the park constructed the original Agnes Vaille Shelter. Eight years later, in 1935, her family re-built the shelter that we see today.

Prior to her death Agnes was an avid climber, and a prominent member of the Colorado Mountain Club. According to records I found, she had climbed at least 21 of Colorado's 54 fourteeners in her bid to become the 4th member of the CMCs 14,000-Footers Club. In 1923 she also made the first recorded solo winter ascent of 13,294-foot James Peak. Like other members of the CMC during World War I, Vaille served the country by volunteering for the Red Cross Canteen Service in both France and Germany.

Below is a photo of Agnes (left) and Mary Cronin (right) on Mount Meeker in 1923:

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Reopens Public Comment Period for Grizzly Bear and Gray Wolf Conservation Management Plans

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is reopening the public comment period for the 2024 Grizzly Bear Management Plan and Montana Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan to ensure Montana counties, Tribes, and state and federal agencies have a chance for input. The new deadline is March 9.

The extension will ensure that Montana statute requiring FWP to notify county commissioners of opportunities to comment on management plans for grizzly bears, wolves and other large carnivores has been met. It will also allow for additional time for tribal partners and other state and federal agencies to provide input.

“Wolves and grizzly bears are iconic and controversial species,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. “We want to ensure that everyone who has a stake in how these two species are managed can have a chance to comment on our draft plans before they are final."

The new grizzly bear plan will inform management statewide, focusing on the 30 counties where grizzly bear presence has been documented in recent years or may be documented in the near future. Since grizzly bears are still listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the plan is designed to inform state management while this species remains federally listed. The plan also addresses FWP’s future vision for management when any grizzly bear populations in Montana are delisted and full management authority for them is returned to the state.

The wolf plan shifts a key counting metric from the number of breeding pairs to the number of wolves representing at least 15 breeding pairs. The plan establishes that 450 wolves would ensure 15 breeding pairs. Population estimates will continue to be determined by the peer-reviewed Integrated Patch Occupancy Modeling method, or iPOM. The plan also describes the current depredation prevention and response program.

Both draft plans were out for public comment in 2023. People who previously submitted comments on the draft plans do not need to submit them again.

To comment on the Grizzly Bear Management Plan, click here. To comment on the Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, click here. If you have already commented on the plans, your comments are captured and there is no need to comment further at this time. 



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone recruiting for 2024 Youth Conservation Corps program

How would you like to work, learn, play, and grow in Yellowstone’s wonderland this summer? Yellowstone National Park is currently recruiting for the 2024 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), a residential work-based education program for students between the ages of 15 and 18. Visit the YCC program webpage to apply. Completed application materials must be submitted by March 1, 2024.

Two 1-month-long YCC sessions will be offered from June 9-July 10 and July 14-Aug. 13. Forty youth will be randomly selected from across the country to participate in the program. Applicants must be citizens of the United States and 15 years of age by June 9, but not over 18 years of age by Aug. 13. Yellowstone recruits youth from all social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds for the program.

No previous wilderness experience is necessary, but enjoying camping is a plus since it will be required four nights a week during work assignments. Applicants should possess a positive attitude, a willingness and ability to work and learn in a physically active outdoor program and get along well with others. Participants will be required to live in the park, and a minimal fee will be charged for room and board. Wages will be $10.50 per hour.

YCC is designed to develop an appreciation for the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage through unique educational, recreational, and work experiences. Corps members work together with National Park Service staff to complete conservation projects such as trail rehabilitation, campground restoration, and a wide variety of resource management, visitor support services and maintenance projects.

Participants develop their job and leadership skills while exploring personal values, gaining self-esteem, expanding their awareness of work ethics, and learning firsthand about environmental and conservation issues. Corps members also participate in evening and weekend recreational activities and discover the many options for careers in the National Park Service and other land management agencies.

Questions may be directed to YELL_YCC_Office@nps.gov.

The Yellowstone YCC Program is funded by park entrance fees and generous donations to Yellowstone Forever, the park’s official nonprofit partner.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Historic Photos From Piegan Pass

Below are two of photos of tourists at Piegan Pass in the early 1930s. As discussed in my book, Ramble On, multi-day guided horseback tours along trails constructed by the Great Northern Railway, such as the Piegan Pass Trail, were the primary method of seeing Glacier National Park before the Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1932.

You could make a strong argument that Piegan Pass is somewhat overlooked by modern-day hikers, who tend to gravitate towards its nearby neighbors; Siyeh Pass and the Highline Trail. In my opinion, that might be a mistake! The Piegan Pass Trail also offers stunningly beautiful scenery - without the crowds.

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

The Father of Rocky Mountain National Park

Mills Lake is among the popular hiking destinations in the Bear Lake area. It's named for Enos Mills, the man commonly referred to as the "father of Rocky Mountain National Park". Mills became the area's first naturalist, and made great contributions to the field that would eventually lead to the profession of interpretive park rangers. He also established a guide service that led tourists to the summit of Longs Peak. At the age of 15 he made his first ascent of the park's highest peak, and over the course of his life would make the trip 40 times by himself, and nearly 300 times as a guide. The photo below shows a very young Mills (on the right) making that first ascent in 1885.

Mills most significant contribution, however, was spending numerous years lecturing across the nation, lobbying Congress, and writing thousands of letters and articles that would eventually lead to the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park on January 26, 1915.

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

GTNP and TCSAR partner for avalanche rescue on Prospectors Mountain

On Sunday afternoon, February 4, Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) rangers requested helicopter assistance from Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) to respond to an injured skier on Prospectors Mountain inside the park. The skier, a 29-year-old local woman, along with four men were near the top of the Banana Couloir at 10,800 feet when they triggered and were caught by an avalanche. Three in the group were able to self-arrest, while one of the men was carried 500 feet and the woman was carried by the snow slide approximately 1,500 vertical feet. Neither skier was fully buried, however, the woman sustained serious injuries.

TCSAR prepared the helicopter with three rescue volunteers and a pilot. The crew flew up into the Banana, a prominent couloir on the east face of Prospectors Mountain. The volunteers were able to short-haul the injured skier off the mountain and fly her to a waiting National Park Service ambulance at Windy Point Turnout. The rest of the party were able to ski out on their own.

Short-haul is a rescue method where a patient and rescuer are secured to a fixed rope that is connected to the belly of the helicopter for a short flight out of the backcountry. It is often used in steep terrain where landing the helicopter is not an option.

With new snow falling on the Tetons, backcountry users are being reminded to read the daily avalanche forecast at bridgertetonavalanchecenter.org. Grand Teton and TCSAR are appreciative of the collaborative effort to bring this incident to a close.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Public input sought on Yellowstone National Park’s North Entrance Road

The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, is considering construction of a new permanent North Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park. Goals for the new road include providing year-round access between Gardiner, Montana, and Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana, natural hazard resiliency and the protection of natural and cultural resources.

Yellowstone invites the public to learn about and provide input on the North Entrance Road project by way of virtual public meetings on Feb. 12 and Feb. 14. A 30-day public comment period will also begin Feb. 12. Public input will help Yellowstone select an alignment and begin the environmental compliance process.

Yellowstone experienced a 500-year flood event on June 13, 2022. The flood destroyed infrastructure in the northern portion of the park including several sections of the North Entrance Road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner, Montana, and segments of the Northeast Entrance Road between Tower Junction and Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana. Both roads are open year-round and serve as the only winter vehicle access in and out of the park. After temporarily closing to regular visitor traffic on June 13, 2022, the Northeast Entrance Road opened to the public on Oct. 15, 2022, and a temporary road between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs opened to the public on Oct. 30, 2022.

Virtual Public Meetings

During each meeting, three preliminary road alignment alternatives will be presented along with two video flyovers to explain the damage, environmental challenges, constraints and opportunities of each alignment. Meeting details include:

Webinar 1:
Feb. 12, 2024, 3:30-5 p.m. MST
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83341858193
Webinar ID: 833 4185 8193
Audio: 720 707 2699

Webinar 2:
Feb. 14, 2024, 6-7:30 p.m. MST
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84390842047
Webinar ID: 843 9084 2047
Audio: 720 707 2699

Public Comment

Beginning Feb. 12, the public can also provide formal comments. The preferred method for submitting comments is online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/NorthEntranceRoad. Comments may also be mailed or hand-delivered to: Yellowstone Center for Resources Attn: North Entrance Road EA, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. The deadline to submit comments is Wednesday, March 13.

At the conclusion of the 30-day public comment period, the NPS will analyze and consider all comments received. A draft environmental assessment will likely be released for public review fall 2024. A final decision is expected in early 2025.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park