FREEDOM, Wyo. — Two weeks before the first day of school in Star Valley, summer feels like it could last forever. But in a place where the rivers begin as snow, the season of swimming is short. Even in August, the creeks run cold. Too soon, they will freeze.
Six-year-old Soren Johnson stands on a pebbled beach where Jackknife Creek pours into the Salt River. This creek, this river, and two dirt roads mark the boundaries of his kingdom: Jackknife Creek Ranch, 20 acres of pasture, willows, and aspen groves once part of a working dairy farm. The ranch kisses the western edge of Wyoming.