This is always a conflicting time of year in Jackson Hole. To wit, I spent most of yesterday hiking to Holly Lake in Grand Teton National Park. The twelve mile round-trip adventure departed from the String Lake parking lot and headed up to one of Grand Teton's many high alpine lakes, full of crystal clear, mountain blue, freezing cold water. The weather was warm, despite the occassional scattered thunder cloud. And we got to enjoy heaps of huckleberries along the way. Surprisingly, the bushes haven't been picked over by humans or bears just yet. We followed up the hike with a swim in String Lake to cool off. It was quite the summer day in Jackson Hole.

But this morning, I woke up to some clouds in the sky and a bite in the air. When I logged onto my computer this morning, I was reminded that Powder Magazine's September issue hits stands today. "Powder to the People!" the summary exclaimed. What?! Powder? Already? You can't be serious. It's only... well, it's nearly September, I guess. Maybe powder isn't all that far away.

Which brings me to the question at hand. Which season is it? Hiking in the park and picking huckleberries one day and talking about new ski boots the next. The answer is, it's that time of year. That time of year when we find ourselves gazing up at cascading mountain waterfalls one minute and wondering how long it will be before they begin to freeze the next. After a long hike in the park, we come home and flip through the pages of Powder's latest issue to get editorial advice on which boots we should buy this year. And soon, we'll be presented with the questio as we sit at the top of Teton Pass, "Do I bike down and enjoy the mountain trails or do I hike up Glory and take a few backcountry ski runs?"

Like I was saying, it's that time of year in Jackson. That time of year when we're still enjoying summer, but starting to get our hopes high for the possibility of a mountain top dusting of snow. That time of year when mountain bike maintenance and ski tuning are done in the same afternoon. That time of year when "huckleberry" refers to one of two things: a) the deep purple little ball of mountain sweetness or b) the color trend in ski apparel for the 08/09 season, according to Powder Magazine.

Whichever season it is for you, the days are getting shorter and the snow will be flying soon. So get out and enjoy the tail end of summer while you try to keep your mind from wandering to the early throws of winter.