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"I KNEW PEOPLE WERE MISSING OUT" C lyde Seely places his hands on the weathered wood banister, smiling and rubbing his thumb on a gnarled knot. "There's something warm about recy- cled wood," he says quietly. Soft-spoken, with hair streaked with silver, Seely carefully guides the group through the lodge he rebuilt from ashes. He points out an old snowmobile perched on a sill in the front lobby and the mossy fireplace made with stones from his childhood haunts. Even the picture frames have a story and Seely touches their worn wood with a smile. His own hands have worked here and he know every detail. Barely contained within Seely's quiet demeanor is a fiery passion and deep love for this area, West Yellowstone. He first gained his love for the area's majestic beauties when he began to work at Three Bear Lodge as a young man. Later, in1970, Seely signed the papers and the lodge became his. Then, just months later came the fire, which left a third of his newly-acquired lodge nothing more than smoking ashes. Seely began to rebuild a new lodge and at the same time, began to envision a new Yellowstone—one that stayed open during the long winter months. His vision began with an old snowmo- bile he kept in the back of the hotel. "It was a blast," Clyde says, a sparkle in his eye, while describing his snow- mobile treks through the beauties of Yellowstone. "I knew people were miss- ing out." Seely brought in 15 rental snowmo- biles in 1971 and the business expanded over the years "like a pebble in a pool," as Seely describes it. Visitors returned and they brought friends, each a new ripple in a development that eventu- ally helped the tiny hamlet of West Yellowstone become known as the "Snowmobile Capital of the World." Marge Wanner was one of those rip- ples. In 1974, Seely introduced her to the wonders of West Yellowstone snow- mobiling. "I remember watching the snowflakes out the window," Wanner says. "You could count them." She fell in love with the area and left her native North Dakota to settle in. She is now the town's expert on most activities and events in the area. Wanner is only one of Seely's many converts. There's something about his demeanor that is more warm grandpar- ent than calculating businessman. For Seely, it isn't about the money, but the memories. Unfortunately, a 1995 controversy drastically cut back on snowmobiling allowances in Yellowstone National Park as it was mistakenly thought that bison were following snowmobiling trails out of the Park. The controversy led to Arctic Cat creating a four-stroke snowmobile in 2000 with reduced emissions and noise, especially for the area. It was called the "Yellowstone Special." "I'm all about balance," says Seely. He cares deeply for the preservation of his beloved Yellowstone, but he stands by the common statement that Yellowstone is "the people's park." "The park can be utilized more fully," says Seely. "And people won't protect it unless they can see it and appreciate it." Perhaps snowmobiling is the key to instill in people the same passion for the area as Clyde Seely has for the flame-licked timbers in his hotel and the snowmobiling routes he fights so hard to protect. CLYDE SEELY: BY BRITTANY STANFORD 14 x West Yellowstone WINTER GUIDE 2014-15