"Wow - a lot of snow," I kept repeating to the child seated next to me as I descended toward Jackson Airport. Coming from hot, muggy, South Jersey in July, I stared at the snow-covered mountains surrounding the airport. The Grand Tetons -- our destination and research site for our nine-day Songbirds of the Rocky Mountains expedition with the Earthwatch Institute.I stepped onto the runway and inhaled the clear mountain air. 6500 feet elevation, clear blue sky, not a trace of humidity.
I entered the airport through the elk antler arch that welcomes visitors to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and was greeted by a smiling young woman in an Earthwatch shirt -- Colleen, our host from Teton Science Schools. I was happy to arrive -- bad weather in Chicago had delayed my departure and caused my flight to re-route, leaving less than 15 minutes to make my connection to Jackson. There were twelve of us flying in from the east coast, and I was one of the lucky ones who had made my flight. Two more teacher fellows were arriving on the next flight several hours later, and two more wouldn't arrive until the next day due to weather problems and cancellations.
Introductions, baggage, travel tales... and we were off to Teton Science Schools. From the airport to the campus is a 40-minute drive through the Antelope Flats of Grand Teton National Park, and, true to its name, welcomed us with views of pronghorn antelope and bison. Snow-covered mountains rising from a field of sagebrush under a clear blue sky. We breathed in the cool, clear, mountain air, and looked forward to an incredible experience.
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