We woke up to another 6 inches of fresh snow, and made first tracks into a magical realm of pillows and hushed wing beats and….silence. We barely spoke; the woods demanded reverence. When we did feel compelled to speak we did so in hushed tones, as if we dared not disturb the sleeping magic in these silent snowy woods. Like Narnia, it felt as if deeper things existed here, a magical realm mortals (or Daughters of Eve – a’la C.S. Lewis) rarely enter.
Birthdays in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are a little bit different. Instead of fancy dinners or birthday cakes, we have wood stoves, yurts, and skinny skis. Four of us—Bianca, Rachel, Mary, and I—spent two nights and three days in the Wyethia Yurt at Harriman State Park in Island Park, Idaho.
Harriman State Park is a 16,000 acre wildlife refuge in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In the spring, summer, and fall it’s a great place to enjoy wildlife watching, hiking, fly fishing, and biking. In the winter it becomes a snowy paradise with miles of groomed and ungroomed ski trails, where swans spend the winter on the nearby river.
Being there mid-week, it seemed we had the place to ourselves. The trails were quiet and the snow was deep—like our own private wonderland. In the evenings after skiing we settled back into the yurt for hors d’oeurves, singing, and friendship by the cozy wood stove.
My heart was filled with gratitude for dear friends, fresh snow, and public lands. For me, that’s how to have a birthday.
Photo top, and three women skiing: Jenny Golding. All other photos, Bianca J Klein.