Communications and outreach liaison Dina Mishev moved to Jackson Hole because of the Tetons. She’s stayed for 20+ years because of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. “I love adventuring in the Tetons, but it’s the BTNF that is the soul of my Jackson Hole,” she says. “Most of my favorite things in Jackson are on the forest—Snow King, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Teton Pass, Sleeping Indian, Granite Hot Springs, Cache Creek, dispersed camping areas.” In 2013 she met her now-husband while skinning up Snow King, one of the three ski areas on the BTNF. They married on the King’s summit in 2022.
She joined Friends of the Bridger-Teton because, “to me, the BTNF—its easy accessibility, the range of adventures you can have on it, its wilderness areas, and its importance to wildlife—are a huge part of what makes Jackson Hole the special place it is. And the Jackson Ranger District is just one of the BTNF’s six districts!” Dina loves exploring all of the BTNF’s districts, especially backpacking and hiking in the Absaroka Mountains (Blackrock Ranger District), the Wind River Range (Pinedale Ranger District), and the Wyoming and Salt River Ranges (the Kemmerer, Big Piney, and Greys River Ranger Districts). “I’m excited to see the increase in users on the forest, and want to be a part of helping make sure the BTNF is a place we all can enjoy well into the future.”
In addition to working with the Friends of the Bridger-Teton, Dina is a freelance writer and editor. She has written three books: Wyoming Curiosities, Best Easy Day Hikes Jackson Hole, and Roadtrip: Yellowstone. About half of the hikes included in Best Easy Day Hikes Jackson Hole are on the BTNF. Dina is a former volunteer EMT with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS and a former member of Teton County Search & Rescue. She has also participated three times in Womentum, a 9-month long professional women’s mentoring program.
“Even after 26 years exploring the BTNF, I feel that I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg,” she says. “One of my husband and I’s favorite things to do is pore over maps looking for new places to explore on the forest.”
Dina’s favorite backpacking items:
1. “The Nemo Tensor sleeping pad is lightweight, warm, and quiet,” she says. “Quietness in a sleeping pad isn’t something you appreciate until you’re sharing a tent with someone who moves all night long, their sleeping bag scratching against their pad like nails on a chalkboard.”
2. “I used to think carrying a camp chair was excessive. Now I never head out without Helinox’s Chair Zero, which allows me to relax comfortably in camp and only weighs 17 ounces.
3. “My knees love hiking poles and Black Diamond’s Distance Carbon FLZ Trekking/Running Poles are stiff, adjustable, durable, collapsible, and lightweight.”
4. “Available for men and women, Stio’s Eddy Shirt is made from stretchy fabric that is wind- and water-resistant and quick-drying; wherever I backpacking, I find myself wearing this long-sleeve shirt every single day (so it’s good that it doesn’t hold bad odors, either),” Dina says. “It’s also great for spring skiing.”
5. “Between us, my husband and I backpack with a traditional hard-sided bear-proof canister in which to store our food, and also an Ursack Major, a lightweight bear bag,” she says. “It can hold about 10 liters—about four days of food and snacks for one person—and weighs only as much as an adult hamster. One warning about it, though: While certified bear-proof, ground critters can eat through this bag, so we still hang ours from a tree.”