Living & Playing in Wyoming’s Wild Country

A Primer on Appreciating and Protecting
the Wild Country of Wyoming

The story and history of Wyoming’s commitment to wild lands is impressive.  This appreciation for and understanding of the land evokes a “spirit of place” in many Wyoming residents and visitors.  Spirit of Place refers to more than just the resident animals and plants, and more than the ecological health of a landscape—it includes the people whose hearts the place has captured, leaving us with a deep appreciation of the land and a reverence for all it supports.

Two of the greatest spokespeople for appreciating wild lands in Wyoming are Olaus and Mardy Murie. From their home in Jackson Hole they were key proponents in efforts to protect wild lands – in the Greater Yellowstone, in Wyoming and in the nation. 

Olaus Murie spoke often about the Spirit of Place.  Although a trained biologist, he reflected on the deeper meanings around our connection to nature.   He and Mardy were very influential in developing for the nation our concept of Wilderness.  With their advocacy, in 1964, the nation passed the Wilderness Act to protect millions of acres of wild lands for future generations.  The Murie Center in Moose, Wyoming now preserves and celebrates their legacy.

An important book that Mardy and Olaus wrote about Wyoming, Wapiti Wilderness, is a family book set in the Teton Wilderness and Grand Teton National Park. Here is a passage from Olaus’ s journal that captures his understanding of the Spirit of Place:

 “As I sit in my tent the wind is howling in the forest about me.  When darkness fell a few hours ago, snowflakes drifted in among the tree trunks.  In the meadow where the horses are grazing the grass is brown, the willows bare, and over the distant mountain crests angry clouds are gathering.  Winter is surely coming to the upper Yellowstone.  But I find comfort in this wilderness bivouac….Here I have a camp in the wilderness.  Adventure!  But what is adventure, I wonder?  Is it not often a blunder in wilderness travel that makes adventure?  It has been my lot at times to struggle with blizzards in the far north, to travel lonely trails in Arctic mountains, or voyage by canoe through the rapids of Canadian rivers….But could any these ever be equal, in adventure value, to the first camping trip as a boy in Minnesota, just a few miles out of town, with a homemade canoe and homemade tepee? …When I go into the wilderness today it is not the mishaps, thrilling as they may be that I look forward to.  Rather I seek the small adventures occurring from day to day.  This morning for instance, I stepped out of my tent, and in the dense fog which had settled over the meadow a great dark form loomed up, came nearer, then slowly took the shape of a big bull moose.  …Then a pure white weasel came hopping up, carrying a field mouse….These are the adventures of the wilderness, the scenes and music which make up Nature’s great mosaic.  Why do we delight in the wild creatures of the forest, some of us so passionately that is colors our whole life?  Why do we love Music, Art?  Are not all akin, a part of beauty which we really do not understand?  I know that when I have stood in Nature’s domain, rapt in wonder, in the presence of some manifestation of her charm, perhaps a sunset, a mighty unfolding of mountain ranges to the horizon, or the soft hooting of an owl in the dusk, at such times I have had my greatest peace.  At such times I can harbor no ill will toward my fellow man.”  (Wapiti Wilderness, pgs 187-189)

Very rarely does one get deeply connected to a place just through information.  People tend to seek out information once they are connected to a place, but to create an emotional connection requires that a person is able to access their own feelings about the landscape around them.  It is the five senses (sight, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting) that link us to our emotions. 

If you want to facilitate your own connections, find ways to participate in sensory experiences in the wild lands of Wyoming and then reflect on how these kinds of experiences make you feel.   As Olaus suggests, every time you visit a wild place, take time to ‘smell the flowers’.  Your adventures will be varied and thrilling but finding a deep connection to the land will serve your for a lifetime.  It will be passed on to your future generations.

Please use the Story Blog on this website to record the results of your writing, drawing and journaling in a wild place.

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