huckleberry season

The month of August is huckleberry season. I spent one day hunting for huckleberries in Grand Teton National Park.  It was a gorgeous mountain summer day...sunny with a few clouds, slight breeze and not too hot.  Huckleberry hunting is an annual event I share with my in-laws.  We pack up various sized containers, our lunch and head off to our favorite places in the park.  This year was especially fun as I included my (then) 2.5 month old daughter.  Strapped in a front carrier, she and I headed off into the forest with a backpack filled with baby needs (plus the containers, lunch and water).  Hunting for huckleberries can be tricky.  First, you must know where to find them and second, you need a keen eye to spot the berries on the bush.  The berries are small (like a tiny blueberry) and range from deep red to purple when ripe.  They hide under the leaves making it hard to spot them.  Getting down to the ground to pick berries while holding onto my daughter was tricky.  I have now mastered the art of deep knee lunges and squats!  We didn't find much that day so I wondered if we were too early or too late in the season?  Some berries were old and brown while others were still green.  Our bounty we gathered will go in the in the freezer until Thanksgiving when my father-in-law will make ice cream for the holiday. 
If you happen to be in Jackson Hole around mid-august, consider huckleberry hunting.  The bushes can be found along the trails near the lakes in Grand Teton National Park.  It is an easy hike that most can handle including young children.  Here is a brief explanation of the huckleberry:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry