From bottom to top…

Taking a journey in to Wyoming’s Greybull River Water Tower is not easy. First you have to drive mile after mile to what seems like the end of the earth. Then you have to park your vehicle, throw on a backpack, and walk. And climb. And walk some more. And climb some more. And as you walk and climb, you have to suck air. Lots of air. For miles on end. And in the process of sucking that air you sweat. Profusely.

But once in the high country of this water tower, you realize the journey was worth every minute. The scenery is breathtaking. The solitude is comforting and invigorating. The quietness is almost beyond comprehension. In fact, it is so quiet you have to focus on listening, just so you can hear something.

Then you hear it. The high-pitched chirp of a pika congratulating you on your climb. The squawk of a Clark’s nutcracker begging for some of your lunch. The low rumble of the cascading creek far below you, swollen with melted snow as it begins its journey to the sea. And while making that journey, providing a full suite of ecosystem services to you and your fellow man.

The lower Greybull River…

The driving portion of the journey begins at 3,800 feet above sea level, near Greybull. Greybull is a small Wyoming town where the Greybull River joins the Bighorn River and contributes its flow.

In a westerly direction from the town of Greybull, a narrow but unlined paved county road lazily makes its way up valley along the north side of the river. At first the road passes through farm country. Fields of corn, barley, and sugar beets satisfy their thirst with water diverted from the river and fed into furrows between the rows of crop. This water, free as it is, originated high up in the drainage, on public lands managed by staff of the Shoshone National Forest.

The middle Greybull River…

The farm lands eventually give way to ranches, with sprawling acres of irrigated pasture needed to feed large herds of cattle. These irrigated lands are also fed by water diverted from the river; water that, again, originated on public lands. In a good year the ranch managers can put up two cuttings of alfalfa and grass hay. In a great year they may get three. In a poor year they are lucky to get one.

Eventually the winding road leads to Meeteetse, another small Wyoming town along the Greybull. An Indian word meaning “where the chiefs meet”, Meeteetse supports ranching and energy development, as well as diverse recreational pursuits. From Meeteese, the journey continues up river traversing even more ranches, until the boundary of the Shoshone National Forest is reached. It is at this boundary that the road ends and your only choice to continue is to walk (or ride horse back as some do). You are now 7,220 feet above sea level. 3,420 feet higher than when you started.

The upper Greybull River…

A foot and horse trail will get you most of the way to the top of the Greybull River Water Tower. But it’s a rocky trail, steep in places (a relative term because what is steep to me may not be to you and vice versa), with numerous stream and river crossings that can be easy after the annual snow melt or treacherous (and even impossible) during.

Along the way are grizzly bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, elk, deer. There’s also, depending upon the time of year, incredible displays of wildflowers, strutting their stuff in a short growing season.

Traveling up river along the trail, an interesting plethora of stream names are encountered. Betty, Eleanor, Venus, Mabel, and Bonne Creeks. Warhouse Creek, which some say was originally called Whorehouse Creek (the name apparently was changed by the U.S. Geological Survey when it formerly mapped this landscape).

Then there’s Anderson Creek, named after A.A. Anderson, the first forest supervisor for the Shoshone National Forest. There’s also Haymaker and Yellow Creeks. And Cow, Steer, and Calf Creeks. Each one a small tributary watershed feeding cold clean free water to the Greybull. Each watershed with a unique history all its own.

Getting high in a Wyoming Water Tower…

Long ago the trail ended and you were forced to travel cross-country. Eventually though, you reach the top. Tired. No, not tired – EXHAUSTED.

But you are happily standing on top of Mount Crosby, at 12,448 feet above sea level. You look east to the horizon, searching for the town of Greybull, where your journey began. You try to wrap your head around the fact you are 8,648 feet higher than when you started. That’s equal to 1.64 miles, IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION! You suddenly realize 5,228 of those feet you did on foot. There is nothing like getting high in a water tower!!!

As you sit and rest you enjoy the scenery, the solitude, the quietness. You reflect on your journey. Your observations of how this Water Tower drives an ecosystem. As well as a robust and diverse economy. From the alpine area in which you sit, to the sub-alpine forest directly below you. And then the semi-arid and arid environments below that. Ultimately you realize the importance of Wyoming’s water towers and the public lands associated with them. And then you reverse direction and begin another journey. This time in the opposite direction.

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