A Land For All Seasons

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Against two dramatically beautiful Grand Teton backdrops: [1] Mt. Moran stands majestically amidst a blazing inferno of colors. [2] In the high mountains of Wyoming, even in June, one is never quite free from the threat of sudden snow. Three inches fell near this picturesque cabin on June 18, the day our photograph was taken. [3] Even when no tourists are around to enjoy the marvelous show, the Firehole Cascade continues its turbulent journey in Yellowstone National Park. [4] Mountain shadows from the majestic Tetons are caught in a layer of crimson clouds. Aside from those of us who saw the sun few people have ever had the fortune to witness such a spectacular natural scene. [5] Minerva Terrace, at Mammoth Hot Springs, puts on her beautiful winter face. [6] The Lower Falls plummet into a deep gorge that's known as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

You can discover—simply by changing your holiday schedule—that the "great outdoors" really is ...

By Ted Sweeten

For a great many years, my family and I took our annual vacation between Memorial Day and Labor Day . . . those often hectic months that constitute "the tourist season".

Over the years, however, we came to feel that-because of this traditionpeople who are hungry for the peace and comfort and grandeur that our continent's mountains, parks, and wilderness areas promise often trample the very "wildness" they're searching for ... almost literally burying it deep in the mud of their many footprints.

The answer, we've decided, is to travel "out of season". In this way, not only can we avoid crowds and traffic jams . . . but we've found that the rates—for everything from cabins to campsites—are often less, and the service is generally better.

PART OF THE TAPESTRY

Despite the fact that mankind has come to divide the year into spring, summer, fall, and winter . . . such seemi ngly separate time periods are each, in truth, only a part of one fine vestment that Nature—in her great wisdom—weaves to display Earth's beauty to its utmost. But one thread, no matter how brightly colored, cannot indicate the fineness of the finished garment. The only way to experience the full scope of such majestic variety is to become aware, over a period of time, of all the fibers which make up that incredible attire.

In other words, we should allow ourselves the space to look at the land in every one of its seasons ... and not just in the time of the tourist.

The photos accompanying this article, for example, show some aspects of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park that the summer visitor never has a chance to see. However, from early fall to early summer, after and before the crowds come, there is an opportunity to be alone in such popular tourist destinations and watch their beauty unfold . . . for what sometimes seems to be our very own personal enjoyment.