The Nature Guide

Colin Boeh knows these parts like the back of his hand. Piled into the back of his 4x4, we head out of of Jackson and towards Grand Teton National Park. There’s snow on the ground and a pristine blue sky overhead, Colin alternating between friendly chatter, espousing his love of snowmobiles, “I love snowmobiles,” and expertly pointing out the various flora and fauna we see along the way; the birds above, and the occasional moose and elk (apparently there are 10,000 elk in Jackson) grazing contentedly by the roadside. 

A naturalist guide at Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris, Colin has a degree in environmental science and has spent more than a decade learning the landscape of this rugged patch of the West. “One of the first questions I ask people is, ‘What do you want to do today?” He says. “Some people want to drive from hotspot to hotspot, others want to take a little bit more time on something specific. I always get a bit of a thrill showcasing the amazing landscape that we’re lucky enough to call home here in Wyoming.”

We ask for the Colin Experience, which proves to be a sensible call. It’s quickly clear that no question about ‘What bird is that?’ Or ‘What’s that river called?’ is too asinine. “People really want to see bears,” he says, “We have to work that in, but of course this is real-life nature, not a zoo, so you’re not always going to see one. In fact, they’re pretty shy most of the time.”

When he’s not out on his snowmobile, Colin snowboards through the backcountry and has hiked up the Teton range with his young son, more than once. “The joy of living here is that you get to share it all with your family,” he says, gesturing out towards the jagged peaks that flank each step of our journey. 

“I do lot of talking, but there’s lots of opportunity to inspire people, and as you can see, it's an inspiring mountain range. There's not many other places where a flat valley sends mountains straight up to 14,000 feet with no foothills in the way. It just goes straight out of the ground.”

We park up at a ridge that overlooks the Snake River, the scene of Ansel Adam’s iconic 1942 photograph, that runs from Yellowstone all the way to the Pacific. An inquisitive crow bouncing alongside us as we wade through the knee-deep snow. “It has a European Alps feel to it, doesn’t it?” says Colin as we admire the view, and we agree that it definitely does. 

Hearing Colin talk about the shifting seasons and the small details of his surroundings is inspiring stuff. “Fall, or autumn as you call it, is one of my favourite times to be here in the Tetons. By late September, all of our leaves change into a beautiful golden aspen and cottonwood, juxtaposed with these deep green evergreen colours. You can never get tired of it.”

On the way home we suggest a Drake’s end to the day: fried chicken sandwiches and cold beer from a roadside gas station, perched on benches in the brilliant sunshine, those mountains never far from view.”

“Not bad, right?” He says. “I imagine you don’t get this in London!”