Day42 Indian Creek Campground – Jun 21
Moving day! We are out the door early headed to the North end of the park. All of the Yellowstone campgrounds have been filling by mid-afternoon for the past week, so we are making a bee-line for our first choice. The ranger at Fishing Bridge recommended Indian Creek and in fact stated it was her absolute favorite, so we go straight there.
An interesting phenomenon that occurs at Yellowstone and the Tetons is ‘Bison Jams’ or ‘Elk Tie-ups’ or as I like to call them, ‘impromptu nature events’. Despite all the information that the park service provides instructing people about the courtesies and safety measures to take when experiencing wildlife in the park, there seems to be no shortage of people who fail to grasp that it is not safe to get out of the car and walk up to a bison, nor is it okay to stop the car dead center in the road and take pictures out the window while pointing out the animals to the kiddies like it’s some kind of zoo!
On our trip north we get stuck in one of these INE’s and literally have to sit and wait for folks to watch and photograph a bear. One fella even parks his car dead center in the road and leaves his vehicle to go take pictures. So, the traffic behind him tries to use the oncoming lane to get around him, and of course traffic coming the other direction has to yield to prevent a head on collision. But there are other vehicles blocking the road ahead, so they really have no place to go and so we are all in total grid lock. It would be quite comical if it were not so frustrating.
For the record, we got several shots out of the car window, however we were either already stopped dead waiting for traffic, or were out late on a desolate stretch of road with no traffic around us. Lots of our shots were while away from the vehicle, either during a hike or after we pulled off of the road. Tracey has some great shots from our day hikes and backpacking trip.
You also learn quickly to set yourself up for a quick exit when using the road pull-offs. If you don’t plan accordingly, someone will inevitably pull in behind you and block you in so you can’t leave.
Okay, so I am off of the soap box now . . .
No, I’m not. As a postscript there was an article in the local paper on Saturday that a 10-year old boy had gotten thrown by a bull bison while posing for photos with his family just a few feet from the animal. He was transported to a hospital in Idaho Falls but no report on his condition. Park rules dictate that you stay 25 yards from bison, and obviously his parents are illiterate.
After making camp at Indian Creek, we head up into Mammoth Springs, the northern most village at Yellowstone. We head straight to the visitor’s center, look around a bit, then walk into the Backcountry office for our backpacking permit. Tracey talks over a couple of potential hiking itineraries with the Ranger and we settle on a site just 3 miles in from the trailhead at Hellroaring Creek. I really think she picks her hikes and campsites based on the name alone. Note to the Park Service marketing team . . . .
After we get our permits, sit through the training video, and admire some of our fellow hikers and their hiking choices (hoo boy!), we take in some of the local sites. Tracey walks through the museum, but I decide to take the walking tour about town.
Mammoth Springs happens to be the Headquarters for Yellowstone National Park. It was also the site of Fort Yellowstone, back when the park was in its infancy. The park service did not exist at the time, so the US Army was charged with security at the park, and so stationed two cavalry units here to control access and flush out poachers. Therefore, many of the structures within Mammoth Springs are from that era and have a storied history. Eventually, the Park Service was established, and the Calvary Companies were discharged and hired into the Park Service and became the very first Park Rangers.
After our respective tours we stopped into the local store for some refreshments, and then head to the edge of the village to visit the hot springs. This was a very interesting landscape and included a 250+ stairway climb to some viewing platforms. Many of these provided scenic views of the springs themselves as well as the village.
We make a quick run north into Gardiner, Montana and see the Roosevelt Arch which was once the ‘main’ entrance into Yellowstone. We stop in a local coffee house for coffee, ice cream and some internet time with our computers, then head back to camp for the night.
Fort Yellowstone, USGS Monument (calibrate your GPS folks, 6259.216 feet elevation), Corp of Engineers Building (Reece, you need to look this one up. Hint: Engineer’s office, designed in 1903 by Hiram Chittenden of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and the Roosevelt Arch
Trees in the Hot Springs, View of Mammoth Hot Springs (Fort Yellowstone is to the right behind the trees) and a Coyote (I think Tracey shot this with my Camera)
Day43 Canyon Village – Jun 22
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We head out early and stop in the village for a little shopping before heading to the canyons for some hiking. Tracey and I both pick up some souvenirs, grab a cup of coffee and head to the hiking area. The first pull off is an easy walk and very popular. We walk down the trail all the way to the bridge and take in several different vistas of the river and waterfalls.
We hike back to the car and drive around to the south rim. This area gets even more traffic as there are a number of short easy walks to some spectacular views. We eat lunch in the car, then gear up for a 6-mile loop hike. We start by taking photos at the overlook that a thousand people a minute visit, then walk up the canyon stopping to take in the views and shoot lots of photos. We opt out of the 250 stairs walk down to the base of the falls and continue up to trail. We then cross over the main road and follow the trail through meadows and some hot springs until we once again intersect the river canyon and hike back up to the trail head.
What amazes me about this trip thus far, is that every time I come around a corner and see a spectacular view, I think it just can’t get any better. Then, I turn another corner and I am proven wrong again.
Yellow Yellowstone Bus, and two views of the Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Simply breathtaking!!!
Osprey in Flight, another view of the falls and a Black Bear cowering from all of the tourists attention
Day44 Hellroaring Creek – Jun 23
Today we step out onto another overnight hike. This hike heads downhill almost immediately, and continues all the way to our designated campsite, 2H2 about 3 miles in. The campsite is located at the confluence of Hellroaring Creek and the Yellowstone River. The good news is that the hump in is all downhill, the bad news. It’s a substantial pull out the next morning.
We get out the door early enough and hit the trailhead well prepared. There is just one little glitch. As I head up the road near the parking area, I begin to feel ill as we get closer and closer. I park the Durango and tell Tracey that I am not feeling well. I move over into the passenger seat and she suggests I test my blood sugar. Good idea! 76!! Way too low to start hiking let alone carrying a backpack. We start feeding the monster and recovery takes well into the afternoon, so we wisely cancel our plan.
I take a little nap, and Tracey goes down the trail about a mile or so and returns. While we wait a bit for me to feel better, we observe the usual trailhead activity of coming and going of hikers. One group in particular is three men and a young teen from Louisiana who are setting out on a four-day hike. This is this young lad’s first experience. Watching the packing process is a hoot. They have sleeves of Ritz crackers and baggies of fried fish. Not your usually backpacking fare. We also meet a lovely couple from Holland, and I give the gentleman a ride back to their starting point to retrieve their (Mr Alamo’s) vehicle.
After my return, we head down the road a bit for a bathroom break at the Roosevelt lodge. This particular facility has been host to Teddy (thus the name) and his friend John Burroughs in its day. This is a very historic and very rustic site, but really crowded from so much tourist traffic. This would be a very cool place to hang in the off season.
We head back to camp for me to finish recovery and we both get some well needed rest. We use Tracey’s camp stove to make our backpack dinner and also have a campfire for the first time this trip. All in all, a very relaxing afternoon.
Day45 Mammoth Springs – Jun 24
Day hikes galore!!! To make up for the missed backpacking trip, and to make things a bit easier on ourselves, we decide on a series of short hikes that are relatively close to our base camp at Indian Creek, yet will give us both a bit of a workout, and opportunities for more photos.
We start at Wraith Falls which we find closed upon our arrival for trail maintenance. We move back up the road a bit to Lava Creek for a few pictures of the waterfront and ourselves as we both play around with the auto functions on our cameras. We then move further back to Undine Falls and hike down to the top of the falls for more photo opportunities. Unfortunately, there is no real good way to get down into the gorge, so we make do with top end shots.
We head back to camp for lunch and a quick nap, then go to Sheepeater Cliff just a couple of hundred yards away from the campground entrance. We pick our way down the trail to the top of this gorge and find what I believe to be one of the best views of the trip so far as the falls break out into a sheltered field. Almost looks like an auditorium or stadium when the lighting is just right.
For dinner we make the short run up to Gardiner, Montana again. We take advantage of the time in town to check e-mails and banking then head home to pack up for another moving day tomorrow as we have to head back towards Jackson to prepare for Tracey’s scheduled departure on Friday.
Lava Creek, then two shots of the river above Undine Falls
Above Undine Falls, Undine Falls (tough to get a clear shot of this one due to the canyon and wildflowers
These last five shots are from the hike in Sheepeater Canyon
p.s. A note about Sheepeater Canyon. I had a conversation with a local and it seems that the Sheepeaters where a band of the Shoshone’s. There are apparently 37 different bands and they are each named for their primary food source, thus the Sheepeater’s. Just a bit of local lore for you to digest.