Thirty miles from a road, deep in the wilderness of northwest Wyoming, is a place unlike any other. The Yellowstone River runs through an enormous meadow near its headwaters and meets up with Thorofare Creek at the point of a ridge known as Hawk’s Rest. Wolves, grizzlies, eagles, moose, elk, and a multitude of other rare and charismatic creatures live in this place. The mix of aesthetics, wildlife, remoteness, and difficulty accessing this place make it awesome and sublime.

Much of my time in the past four years has been spent in remote mountain places. These places have helped to create what I want my place to look and be like. Currently that place is in northwest, Wyoming. Up on the Yellowstone River in particular is a special place to me due to its vast and remote nature. It’s a feeling like no other to be somewhere that is primitive, beautiful, and dangerous. I feel connected not only to this place but to myself, my companions, and the earth as a whole being in this place. Being there puts life in perspective for me. I am able to focus on the present and let go of my anxieties that exist in more “civilized” locales.

I dream about it, and yearn to return to the Yellowstone River beneath Hawk’s Rest. However I can’t be there all the time, which makes each excursion to that place special. When I’m there though I realize why I love being there in addition to loving my home in Jackson, WY. The fact that I can access my favorite place in the world quickly from my “real world” home, which I grew to love through my connection to my beloved place on the Yellowstone, is pivotal to understanding my sense of place. The fact that I’m near the mountains, surrounded by people that care about and want to explore these places attaches me to Jackson, Wyoming. Additionally, knowing that the greatest spot in the world is, “North, over those hills somewhere,” entices my sense of adventure and nurtures my sense of place.