JACKSON, Wyo. — In true Wyoming fashion, the first Wyoming Public Lands Day on record was sprinkled in snow.

That didn’t stop volunteers from being good public land stewards. While a handful of volunteer projects scheduled for Saturday took a rain check, others weathered the storm.

Friends of the Bridger-Teton, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Bridger-Teton National Forest, awarded the “toughest Wyoming Public Lands Day volunteers” award to the Blackrock Ranger District volunteers, who spent the day on a snow-packed Togwotee Pass.

 

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And the winner of the toughest Wyoming Public Lands Day volunteers goes to the Blackrock Ranger District CDT Re-route! (Stay tuned for Cache Ck and Sheep Gulch photos- it was a close competition!) #thatswy #wpld #npld #neef? ? ? Reposting @terra_cassini:? …? “Happy (Wyoming’s first) Public Lands Day!!! Had a ton of fun working on a CDT reroute project with the Blackrock Ranger District trail crew today! Mother Nature did surprise us with a wintery wonderland but with enough layers, pie, and determination nothing can stop you. ? #NPSVolunteer #FindYourPark #NPLD #conservation #continentaldivide #continentaldividetrail #cdt #wyominglife #wyoming #winterishere #volunteer #leavenotrace #togwotee”

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If other volunteers had it easier, it wasn’t by much. Snow fell as low as the Cache Creek trailhead Saturday morning. Volunteers from BTNF and the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance bundled up and worked to clean up the popular recreation spot.

Volunteers also battled rain and mud to help install fencing around the new access trail at the Sheep Gulch boat ramp.

Still, the only things dampened by the winter weather were the ground and some outerwear. Spirits remained high thanks warm layers, snacks, and some good ol’ Wyoming grit.

Photos: Buckrail // Sarah Averill