Yellowstone National Park

Descending over and down from Red Rocks Pass was a little challenging. It had rained the night before and was raining on the day I crept and slide through the muddy ascent and descent. Yellowstone, the next target, lay before me. Yellowstone was the worlds first National Park in North America (established in 1872). It was one of the first areas of land set aside by government decree for the good of all its citizens. It is also is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is more than doubles the size of Rhode Island. There are mountains, rivers, geothermal features, and wide array of wildlife. Basically, there is too much to on one visit. In a 2008 visit to Yellowstone, I heard a park ranger say: “Yellowstone gets about 3,000,000 visitors a year and only 2% of them go beyond 100 yards from their car.” Several years later, I learned going down dirt roads in parks can lead to some of the most amazing trails. I put both of these lessons to use in Yellowstone. I spent 5 days hiking the backcountry and doing my best to pay attention to everything! What some of the pictures cannot capture is the sound of Sora on a early hike through Beaver ponds, or the wolves howling in the den above my campsites at Slough Creek and Hellroaring Creek, the anxiety of watching a bear come towards my campsite, then turning to cross the river, moving off the path to allow an old bull Bison walk by, and walking through flowered meadows as a chorus of tanagers, flycatchers, and hummingbirds went about their business.

Wildlife

Wild plains bison (IUCN Red List) were hunted to extinction in every portion of the USA except for a wild her that was down to 25.  Through conservation efforts, that herd has grown and other herds have been repopulated around the USA and Canada. In other words the bison in Yellowstone are the progeny and the last remaining wild bison in their original habitat.  Beyond being one of the seven symbols on the National Park Emblem, bison are sacred to some Indigenous populations.  Bears are common.  While many are seen from the road, I saw quite a few in backcountry.  Hellroaring creek and Slough creek were the most productive, although I did also see bears in Hayden valley. Wild pronghorn, badgers, elk, deer, marmots, squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, and birds visited me regularly.

A bison shares a grazing area with a black bear

The next generation

A Williamson Sapsucker peers in a full squirrel’s den. This standoff lasted for almost a full minute and was quite noisy.

A bear hearing something rises up from grazing to get a better smell.

Red Fox hunting in meadow.

Scenery

Hiking in backcountry provides many unique experiences.   Solitude, tranquility, amazing vistas, and a chance to experience some of the wildest parts of the USA.

Grand Tetons

Exiting Yellowstone leads right into the Grand Tetons National Park.

The weather changes quickly.

The rest of Wyoming

Fracking popup towns with their sea-land containers and oil field islands spread out like an archipelago in a sage sea. The Green River Valley weaves through the drab sage sea like a bright green ribbon. Near a popular river crossing for pioneers, Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge was established to both preserve the site and provide a home for migrating birds. Although not dense with life, Ospreys were nesting and hunting.