Jake Care Owner / Technician
Wyoming Minute Man Supply , LLC
www . bosv . com Afton – Thayne – Alpine 307.885.0000
means from point A to B , it is a method to overfly areas without roads , private property , unforgiving terrain , and the like , and to do so with the best views the entire time . I can think of no greater freedom .
With that in mind , the idea of a book on Jackson Hole took shape over time , as I began to realize the magnitude of what I had been seeing as time passed by , and seasons changed with tremendous variety . I also became surprised at one element of the Jackson Hole that I did not expect to savor to such a degree as I did : the Tetons .
I had flown in the vicinity of Grand Teton once prior to moving to Wyoming , and the experience turned out to be the windiest and most turbulent that I ever encountered up to that point in any mountain range . Unknown to me that I had endured the worst , I had a reasonable and anticipated fear of the Tetons , as they are the largest prominences of near vertical rock that I have found in the United States so far . It is not to say that something else more magnitudinous does not exist ; it merely remains the most imposing thing I decided that I wanted to spend any time flying near .
Like a child afraid of water , I dipped my metaphorical toes into the pond , sneaking closer and closer to the Tetons , finding much to my shock and surprise , they did not seem to be engineered to guarantee my death . In fact , I found them to be bizarrely tranquil , despite all indications otherwise . With ambient upper level winds and such terrain , conventional wisdom among pilots dictates that I should encounter severe turbulence , and it simply did not happen .
As I overcame my personal terror getting closer to such large and unforgiving rock , a new chapter opened in my development as a pilot and aerial photographer : introducing weather phenomena to mountain photography . I previously conquered the fourteeners of Colorado in this airplane by waiting for the clearest and best days . Living in the Star Valley progressively allowed me to experiment with local weather phenomena , yet terrain there is nothing but a flower-filled meadow compared to the Tetons . Eventually , I started flying around Teton Range and Grand Teton when some orographic clouds were present .
The result was nothing short of aviation ecstasy , as I had the opportunity to soar below , above , and around clouds that I now have come to understand have a direct relationship with the mountains around them , forming features that appear stationary from a distance , yet are in reality a dynamic flow of air and moisture around an
34 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Spring & Early Summer 2017