I've spent two summer seasons now in Saratoga, Wyoming. the Platte River Valley is maybe not the most stunning part of Wyoming - Jackson takes that prize easily - but don't get me wrong, it's far from boring. Brush Creek Ranch, which is where I worked the seasons of 2021 & 2022, is nestled in the foothills of the Snowy Range. looking out over the rest of the valley, you can see the Platte cutting through the sagebrush & the herds of pronghorn & mule deer grazing across the plains. on the other side of the valley is the Sierra Madres. gorgeous in the summer but even more so in the fall. even from across the valley you can see the groves of aspens change to a glorious yellow & light up the mountainside. back behind the ranch is Medicine Bow National Forest, which covers 2.2 million acres between Wyoming & Colorado, & Medicine Bow Peak. sitting at just over 12000 feet, you can see all the way past Laramie from the top (I wouldn't recommend hiking it if you're recently arrived from lower elevations, unless you're into raising your heart rate almost as high as you're climbing - trust me).
not to be outdone by the natural beauty, the people are just as incredible. my first season I didn't get to meet very many locals. part of that was because of how insular we were all living on the ranch - we didn't venture much into Saratoga or Encampment beyond getting dinner or doing some light grocery shopping. my second season though, I lived in town & what an experience that was. the property manager of the rv park I lived at was an absolutely delightful old man who insisted I call him Grandpa Tom, dogsat Dally for me, & regaled me with true stories & tall tales about all the happenings in the valley over the last half century. although I didn't go back for a third season I did go back for a week long visit (something about this valley makes it impossible to stay away for longer than nine months at a time). this past season two of my closest friends started dating local kids & in my brief visit I feel like I experienced as much new Wyoming as I did my two full seasons combined.
there is such a strong community in this valley, but it extends even beyond the valley. on my recent visit I got to go to & participate in a charity roping put on by the His Cavvy Foundation. the charity hosts an annual event that includes a pasture roping, a goat roping, a silent auction, & a live auction. the proceeds go into a fund that helps families & individuals in the ranching community with medical issues. the roping is in Walden, Colorado, but there were contestants from as far away as Texas & Washington. two of the live auction items were a headstall & a pair of spurs from a young man who passed away. an older man paid almost $2000 for the pair of spurs, only to turn around & give the spurs right back to the family. that's not something that happens in most places, but it happens in this little valley.
the people who come to work at Brush Creek are special too. it's not easy to bring together a group of 20 strangers & ask them to work 10-12 hour days six days a week & still get along at the end of it. somehow though, we always figured out how to get along & then some - we routinely spent at least an additional four hours after work together. some of the other ranch employees used to make fun of us for traveling in a pack but we really did become a little family.
little Caroline who started at Brush Creek waaay back in May of 2021 never could've imagined how much this valley would change her life. I never could've imagined that the friends I made my first season would come back together for a second season (& then a third season that I got to visit for) & that they'd become some of my closest friends in the world. everyone returns year after year & it's hard not to feel like there's something that drew us all to this valley & maybe to each other.
I've watched friends have their hearts broken & put back together in this valley. I've watched couples who met in this valley get married, have babies, & I've watched those babies start to grow up. my life has changed in this valley - tiny stories photography only became what it is today because of the content I got to create there, but even more because of the friends I made who have supported my creativity unconditionally.
to make a long story short, this little valley is truly such a special place. should you ever get the chance to visit, take it! you never know, it might change your life.
xo, Caroline
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