Here in Star Valley, WY everything is so far away! Sure, our town has a few local restaurants and shops, but many residents still have to travel to Jackson for work or even further to find specific stores and services not available here.
Commuting to Jackson Hole for work or sports (like baseball) involves a 90-minute drive each way, and in the winter, it becomes even more challenging. The roads are often treacherous, with semi-trucks, cars, and trucks regularly sliding off the road, making frequent travel not only time-consuming but also dangerous.
I have to travel to Jackson Hole in the spring time everyday after school to attend baseball practice. Traveling to Jackson by myself can be dangerous at times because there is wildlife constantly on or near the road that can cause accidents. Travelers of the canyon are always at risk of hitting bears, elk, and deer causing wrecks and injuries.
Junior Wyatt Collins, a teammate of mine, has to travel to Jackson for baseball as well. He lives in Thayne so he has to travel even further than I do. “Leaving school early doesn’t let me finish my work or let me learn new material,” said Collins. When we leave school early, we have to bolt to Jackson because practice starts at 4:30 and we end at 6:30. I get home at around 7 or 8 o’clock making it hard to do homework study and eat all before 9:30 which is when I go to bed. I try to get a full 8 hours of sleep, so I’m ready for the next day, but traveling to Jackson everyday makes that hard.”
Even some students who do not have to drive to Jackson everyday still face a long, dangerous daily commute. Alpine kids who have to travel to Afton each day must complete and almost 60 mile round trip drive often on busy, icy roads.
Students from Alpine who play sports and participate in activities not only have to travel for school but also for their extracurriculars. Junior Amelia Green said, “I spend almost two hours a day driving to and from school and everything after school related like sports and community service in Afton.”
Sophomore Dustin Wortman also must make the long drive from Alpine daily. He said “Living in Alpine and going to school in Afton sucks because I have to wake up mad early and I get home late.”
A long round trip is the best students from Alpine can hope for. If something happens, like a student gets sick or needs something from a parent, things get complicated and inconvenient in a hurry. “Parents have to get you its at least a 1 hour and a half out of their way,” said Wortman.
Until a better solution comes along, it seems that students who must commute to Jackson for their activities or to Afton for school must rely on good music, audio books, and the driving skills of others to get to school sanely and safely.
