On Saturday, January 17 of 2015, a group of staff members and volunteers made an attempt to climb Electric Peak in the cold of winter. The weekend before we had gone up to 8,300” to pack out a snow shoe trail from the Heart of the Inner Retreat to prepare for the ascent.
by Reed Johnson – Community Operations Manager at Royal Teton Ranch)
The Community Garden is located in the tree farm in close proximity to the Cafeteria and has a greenhouse.
Left: Noah Buckner and Reed Johnson by an oven Noah built. Right: Cabbage is thriving also.
The harvest was very abundant for many things! Kale, collards, and cabbage thrived in our garden this year. We also had great results with onions, garlic, lettuce, carrots, parsley, beets, summer squash, tomatoes, potatoes, and turnips. However, we had an early frost and it was a bit of a disappointment to see the frost sensitive plants damaged such as beans, tomatoes, basil and summer squash.
The Hugelkultur1 bed was very productive. The bears loved the carrots and came in the night and got most them. The voles and ground squirrels loved the beets and carrots. Our growing season is a bit short here, but when it comes it is amazing how fast things grow and because of the long summer days, plant growth makes up for the short growing season. Continue reading Community Garden November Update→
The Saint Francis Nature Path is a 1 mile loop around the area of the tree farm. It has an elevation gain/loss of 77 feet and takes approximately a half an hour to hike.
Start at RHQ Cafeteria and look for trail sign towards the tree farm. Currently there are white flags to mark the trail. When you walk around the loop, always keep the flags on the inside. Recommended direction is clock-wise to keep a smoother flow (and there’s no need to double the number of signs).
In May 2010, the ranch opened the Yellowstone Vacation Campground, offering tent and RV sites on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Other amenities include an historic cabin for rent and a shower house. The Summer of 2015 saw the introduction of large teepees to make one’s camping experience even more memorable.
In 2014, the ranch reached another milestone with the piping of hot water from the La Duke Hot Springs up Highway 89 to Corwin Springs. Currently it feeds a small pool for foot bathing; however plans are in the works to build another swimming pool to replace the one used in the first part of the 20th century. Visitors to the Yellowstone Vacation Campground in Corwin Springs enjoy the evenings gathered at the pool after of day of hiking in Yellowstone or rafting the river.
In 2015, volunteers began the exciting Terwilliger cabin restoration project on Maitreya Mountain and making more improvements. Soon to be a pilgrimage destination point all on its own! We will keep you posted on the progress.