Patty McDonald hails from Jackson Hole, WY. Originally from Michigan, she spent several years as a child living in England and Switzerland with her family before studying journalism at the University of Michigan. During college summers she worked in several national parks and promptly fell in love with the American West, moving to Wyoming after graduation to work as a newspaper reporter/photographer in Jackson and a seasonal backcountry ranger in Grand Teton National Park. She later spent 20 years working in Washington, D.C. before returning to Jackson in 2002. Patty enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, country western dancing, golfing, and exploring the globe, and has been a member of the Sierra Club since 2016.