A Sampler Platter of Yellowstone

July 6

A full week has passed and we are on our way into our second on this trip. So far everyone is still talking to one another and we only smell a little bit.

This morning we all awoke to the condensation that had accumulated on the inside of the tent. B said this was because it was because we were breathing all night while it was cold outside. K said we’d try harder next time to not breath. Outside we were met with the startling sight of our ice covered tarp and tent! That’s right…ICE! In July. Needless to say it was a bit harder getting up and going this morning. Lucky for us we were going to be staying at the campsite another night so we had very little packing to do before we left

We packed a lunch and headed out for a full day of hiking. The first stop on our list was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It is a huge canyon that was formed by the volcanic eruption that created Yellowstone (Yea that’s right…volcano. In fact, Yellowstone is still considered a volcano and the geysers are a side effect of how close the magma is to the surface of the Earth.) The Yellowstone River also cuts its way through this canyon and forms a giant waterfall. To get the best view of this fall we hiked down “‘Uncle’ Tom’s Trail”, which included 328 stairs that descends several hundred feet. (C counted the stairs to make sure the number was correct. Twice.) The view we had was spectacular. The sheer enormity of the canyon was emphasized by the richness and variety of colors. From the blue-green of the water to the yellow and pinks of the cliffs, from the dark green forests and the deep cobalt sky to the snow white mountain peeks, everything around us was picture perfect. Climbing back up took a bit longer than coming down. Altitude and steep stairs meant several stops were necessary to catch our breath.

From “Uncle” Tom’s Trail we set out to Artist’s Point. All along the way we stopped to take pictures of the view. K also snapped several shots of “cool trees.” They were alpine firs that had adapted to the high altitude and fast eroding landscape. Many had exposed roots that clung to the earth as well as twisty, angled limbs and trunks. All of these caused K to exclaim periodically, “Ooo, look at that tree!”

Artist’s Point was crowded with people who had just driven up to the parking lot nearby and hopped out to get a good look at the falls (not hiking like us true campers…). We ate lunch and listened to the dozens of different languages and accents that flew around us; from Swedish and German to Japanese and Australian. We all agreed that we were proud of our country that could attract so many diverse people (USA! USA!).

From Artist’s Point we hiked to Point Sublime (many more tree shots). K’s enthusiasm for the trees resulted in its first casualty when B, responding to an “Ooo look at that tree!” turned too quickly and took a minor spill on the trail. Point Sublime was a wonderful view of the canyon beyond the point where the trees couldn’t grow. We enjoyed the view but decided that it wasn’t as “sublime” as some of the other views we had seen along the way.

From there we hiked into the interior of the forest that was alongside the south rim of the canyon. This part of our day proved to be the most varied of all. From the canyon we came across “Lily Pad Lake”, which was full of lily pads (go figure), and then a barren expanse of geysers and mud pots. We then hiked past “Clear Lake” which got its name from the beautiful clear turquoise waters that you could see all the way to the bottom. This was because there was nothing growing in the lake due to the geothermal activity nearby (geysers and acidic water). Pretty to look at, deadly to swim in.

We then hiked up a hill through a mountain meadow full of blue and yellow wildflowers (and more “cool” trees). Just as we were making our way down the other side we met two people climbing up who asked us if we had “seen the elk”. We were so excited to see our first BIG GAME sighting: a lone male elk grazing not more than 50 yards away from us! Our resident zoologist and big game enthusiast, B, took several up-close-and-personal pictures of the elk (albeit from a safe distance). Another young male elk was also situated just at the end of our hiking trail (more pics by B).

A little drained from our 5-mile hike we decided to check out the new visitor’s center (circa 2006) and learned about how Yellowstone was formed by a volcanic eruption that destroyed an entire mountain range in a matter of hours or days…woah! We then drove around looking for some more big game and saw a herd of female elk traveling with their young calves. One thing that helped with our animal searching was the fact that people collected on the side of the road where an animal was spotted. We came across one such grouping of cars and upon inquiry we learned that a black bear was nearby! We quickly joined the crowd and snapped a few shots before continuing to “Inspiration Point”, a great scenic view on the North Rim of the Canyon

Inspiration Point, we learned, had once had a viewing deck that was 100 feet longer than the one we stood on, however, an earthquake on June 30, 1975 caused severe damage and the viewing deck was shortened as a result.

Tuckered out from our big day we made dinner and a big fire and settled in for the night. While we were roasting by the flames a park ranger stopped by with his dog “Buddy” to let us know that it was supposed to get down to 32 that night. Snuggle time!!

Fun Fact: We only need 6 more states to complete our sightings of state license plates!

States visited: Wyoming

Yellow car count:

C – 75

B – 77

K – 72

Highs and Lows:

Group high – Animal sightings. Two nights in the same place.

Group low – Snores-a-lot staying for another night.

C high – The amazing colors of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

C low – Utah drivers.

B high – ELK!

B low – OTT: people who go Off The Trail.

K high – Cool trees!

K low – Cool but really smelly geysers.