WLM | explore
The project of fl ying over Grand
Teton was something that turned
out to be both a surprise and a
learning experience. Like most
humans, I understood steeper
terrain to be more threatening, and
accordingly approached aviation
there with some added caution. It
was only after extended experience
did I come to understand that
the east-facing sharp descent into
Jackson Hole coupled with the
protective wind barrier afforded by
the Gros Ventre Range meant that
the Tetons were not as windy and
therefore dangerous as one may
expect. Local variations push high
speed winds north into Yellowstone
and out to the Bighorn Basin via
Dubois. The Tetons themselves
had a mesmerizing tranquility to
them for the most part, as the small
size of the peaks at their highest
point meant that they did little
to disrupt prevailing winds. It is
terrain-induced disruption that
creates mountain waves, rotors,
and turbulence, all things that can
exceed the ability for an aircraft
to handle. As my little 800-pound
machine was powered by a carbureted
100 horsepower engine, it meant
that effective output, at full throttle
at the height of Grand Teton, was
less than 60 horsepower. If the
Tetons wished to throw anything
formidable at me, there would be
little I could do except get away as
34
fast as I possibly could and hope for
the best.
Despite the seeming dangers, I
ended up with a love affair with the
Tetons, going back over and over
again in new conditions and seasons,
learning more about them each time,
and having my attraction to them
only increase. Out of everywhere
I have fl own in America, these are
absolutely my favorite mountains,
and I decided to toss my previous
approach to the wind and let my
fi xation take hold. Flight after
fl ight I looked for new things all
over the Park, in lower elevations
and especially in
hard-to-explore
backcountry areas
away from the
highway. To share
my fi ndings of this
amazing place, I
recently packaged
the results of this
spiritual adventure
into a photography
book, “Around the
Summit: Flying
Grand Teton.” W L M
The book is available
on Amazon.com, at Jackson Hole Book
Trader, Corner Drug in Driggs, Idaho,
and on the author’s site
www.garrettfi sher.me.
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2018