Norris Geyser Basin, Canyon, and Chittendon Road

9.29.07
We broke camp in the cold rain, which started overnight. Before departing, I sat on the pit toilet and the deer stared boldly at me. Mt Sheridan was still in the clouds.

Rain changed to snow as we made our way out of the valley, a welcome alternative to the icy rain. A bear bellowed from across the meadow and we stopped to listen. A short while later, we rounded a corner and surprised two great horned owls at close range. They turned their heads and stared wide-eyed at us before screeching and alighting into the forest. Munching on trail mix and beef jerky, we made our way to the van.

Ranger Roy discussed his favorite campsites at the backcountry office, all fishing holes. After 20 years in the park, Roy and his wife were still avid anglers. We were hoping to hike into the wilderness again, but the weather forecast was cold and wet. Tim and I agreed on a tentative itinerary for tomorrow. We would camp tonight at Grebe Lake Trailhead.

On our way to the Grebe Lake we met a herd of bison. We waited patiently as they cleared a path for our vehicle. We stopped at a nearby thermal area to see the “Dragon’s Mouth.” One of the more interesting features(and arguably the smelliest), “Dragon’s Mouth” is a roiling mud pit that erupts from a cave, spitting gallons of scalding muddy water with each belch. A worthwhile side excursion.
That night we camped in the VW at the Grebe Lake trailhead, thankful for the roof over our heads.

9.30.07
In the morning, we opted for a guided tour of Norris Geyser Basin. The rain and snow kept us out of the deep woods. We met our tour guide/park ranger a few minutes before the tour began. Anticipating his return to Iowa, Curtis was finishing his last day (and tour) of the season. After finishing his degree in geology, he volunteered for the national park service in Hawaii for a year. He was surprised when Yellowstone responded to his resume and he accepted the position in the park for this summer.

Tim and I made up his audience. He cleared his throat and introduced himself to us again. We followed him along the boardwalks in the basin for an hour while he discussed the different thermal features and their histories.

Next we headed to the Canyon area, known as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. There we found a handful of paved hikes that led us to different viewing areas of Yellowstone Falls and breathtaking views of the canyon. The waterfalls are amazing.

Somewhere along the way we picked up a freeloader, which we concluded was a chipmunk. Known as “chippers” to the rangers, this bold ground squirrel jumped into our camper and dined on our granola bars, raisin bread and cheddar potato chips before silently exiting the camper at another stop. We stowed our remaining food items inside the fridge to prevent another incident.

We chose scenic Chittenden Road as the route to our next stop, Mammoth campground. The roadways inside Yellowstone offer some of the best wildlife viewing. Generally, you can determine the species of animal by the number of cars parked on the side of the road. We assumed there was a bear before we exited the car. A black bear and her two cubs grazed on the hillside while we (and many others) watched from a safe distance.

The restaurant at Mammoth was bustling with well-groomed visitors when we arrived around 8:30 P.M. We washed our faces and hands in the bathroom and ignored the stares while we sat at our candlelit table. The unappetizing smoked trout and cream cheese appetizer was overshadowed by a glass of red wine and an Irish coffee. It was nice to be back in civilization.

Mt Sheridan

9.28.07
My feet were still cold the next morning. The temperature had dropped into the twenties overnight and the humidity was high. A layer of ice clung to our tent and the surrounding foliage. Tim woke me to a warm breakfast and a fire (insert note about how awesome he is).

Mt Sheridan trailhead was about a mile from 8H3. The trail climbs 3,000 feet in 3 ½ miles and makes its way in switchbacks up the mountain face, exposed to the wind. Almost all of the trees are burned. We started our slow ascent into the wind. Shortly thereafter it began snowing. Near the top, the trail wound around the backside of the mountain. Just below tree line the summit and the ranger station came into view.

Bill stayed late into the season, living in his aerie atop Mt Sheridan. His former life as a smoke jumper qualified him as a forest fire spotter and landed him this coveted position, allowing him to spend 12 weeks of each summer on top of the mountain. His 15 X 15 house sported a 360 degree view of Heart Lake, Yellowstone Lake, and the Grand Tetons. He used specialized instrumentation for precisely locating forest fires and determining their size and movement. He reported his data to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks.

We entered his house without invite, interrupting an impromptu photo session with the female hitchhiker we encountered along the road. She told us her name, “Susan Monroe, like Marilyn,” and explained that she was an aspiring travel writer. She had spent the last two years traveling in New Zealand and Antarctica. Tim photographed her standing outside of the building with her camera and she made her way down the mountain. Bill stepped outside to weigh a pile of logs, determining the current humidity.

At first he was quiet and aloof, but quickly charmed by Tim, he opened up. Over the course of two hours we talked politics and shared our views of the world. Bill told us about his dream of retiring next year and his other life on his sailboat. He was intrigued by our road trip and told us that he had always wanted a Eurovan. He asked Tim for pointers on how to “wheel and deal”, which was not his forte. “Everything is negotiable,” Tim started. (If there is a discount available Tim will find it.) When we purchased our Nissan Xterra, the salesman thanked Tim for teaching him how to buy a car. He will secure the lowest possible price for any product or service, period.

We guessed Bill was in his mid-fifties. He was fit, tanned but surprisingly unweathered from 13 consecutive years in the high UV exposure. Slight, he stood around 5’ 6”. His blue eyes focused intently on us while we spoke. He brewed a pot of coffee on his wood stove to warm us up. It was hot and dry so we peeled off our layers of clothing.

Bill’s travel log listed 244 visitors this summer and few, he explained, had been interesting. Tim asked if he had any funny stories to share with us. He told us about a grizzly bear that had ambushed and killed a deer at 8H3 (our site) and started feeding on it just outside of a tent. When the camper unzipped his tent, the startled grizzly ran off. Several hours later he was awakened again by a black bear feeding on the carcass.

After parting ways with Bill, we playfully descended Mt Sheridan through the barren landscape of burned trees. The charred forest didn’t shield us from the wind, but we were excited, and distracted ourselves by recounting our encounter with Bill. By the time we made it to the trail intersection at the bottom, Mt Sheridan was shrouded in clouds.

The deer were used to people. They hung around our campsite and made me think about Bill’s “funny” story. That night Tim took photos of the moon rising over Heart Lake. Meanwhile, I burned a hole in my sock drying it over the campfire. We saw the space station again at 8:30 P.M. It wasn’t as cold, but I stuffed the handwarmers Bill had given me in a fresh pair of socks when we entered the tent.

Heart Lake

9-27-07
We stood on the boat launch at Lewis Lake early in the morning taking in the sights before driving to Heart Lake trailhead. Lewis Lake was still and dark. As we pulled out onto the main roadway we came upon a young woman hitchhiking. She was her mid-twenties, and blonde pigtails hung from her winter hat. She carried a large backpack and a 35 mm camera. We offered her a ride, but she was going to Grant Village, past our turn off, for a backcountry pass. She too, was headed to Heart Lake.

At the trailhead parking area we were met by this sign,“Warning, ravens have acquired a taste for windshield wipers”. Two ravens stared at us, one from the bumper of the car next to us. Our wipers were promptly removed by Tim and placed in the camper. We donned our packs and started the hike in, which was relatively flat through partially burned forest.

It wasn’t long before we met Laird from Ft Collins, CO. Father of two boys in college, Laird had been carefully planning this trip for years. Alone in the wilderness for a week, he was very happy to see us. During his trek, Laird had watched a bear in a meadow from about 200 yards and had seen three wolves, which had circled back behind him at one point and unnerved him. He asked us if we wanted his bear pepper spray. He was only a mile and ½ from the end of his journey. I happily accepted his offer and smiled on our luck.

The trail wound in and around wooded meadows and climbed gradually to its apex, about 6 ½ miles in. There the trees broke and a valley stretched out before us. At the bottom of the valley, Heart Lake was a blue dot in a sea of green. Beneath our feet the ground was warm and steam rose from surrounding thermal areas. The thermals dotted the landscape stretching all the way down the valley, ending at Heart Lake, a mile and ½ from where we stood. Up and to the right loomed Mt Sheridan, our planned hike for the following day. There was a dusting of snow on top of the 10,500 ft mountain. The forest stretched in every direction, as far as we could see. We descended into the valley, following the hot springs and warm streams, which fed the lake.

We met two part-time park rangers who were departing the ranger cabin at Heart Lake for the season. We asked them how they came to be rangers. They explained they had both volunteered with the park service for two seasons before they were hired on. When we returned to the VW two days later we found a note in a ziplock baggie addressed to “the couple from Colorado Springs” encouraging us to contact them for more information on becoming park rangers.

At Heart Lake we turned right, heading toward site 8H3 (recommended to us by Ranger Milo). We walked along the gravely beach, which crunched beneath our hiking boots.
We were amazed to see so many animal tracks en route, especially wolf tracks, but thus far, we had only seen squirrels, birds and the occasional darting lizard.

The campsite was tucked into the trees at the water’s edge ¼ mile off of the main trail. We crossed a stream via a split log. After the nine-mile hike, my feet were sore and I was a little off balance carrying my 30 lb pack. I had to remind myself to look forward and not down.
The site had a fire pit/cooking area, bear food hang area, tent site, and pit toilet with a view. Several deer grazed nearby. We pitched our tent, gathered wood and rehydrated our camping food. After dinner we walked 50 yards down to the lake and gazed at the stars. At around 8:30 P.M. the space station hurtled across the sky. It was a very cold night.

September 26, 2007

Awoke at a rest stop somewhere in the middle of WY, my first night in a camper. And not just any camper, so I've learned. After weeks of intensive research, late-night discussions, and debates on the merits of different camping vehicles we finally made our move. Thanks to Tim, I have uncovered all of the secrets of the recreational vehicle industry. I am impressed with our decision, and so it seems, are most of the people we've met on our travels. Our 2003 Volkswagon Eurovan Camper is a much coveted item.

We are off to Yellowstone National Park, the first of many stops on our U.S. and international adventure. World travel has been a dream of Tim's since he was a boy. He planned to take his trip around the world right out of college, but after falling ill he spent his savings on a piece of real estate. I have long been interested in visiting faraway places, and feel fortunate and excited to be caught up in Tim's whirlwind.

We've made our way from Colorado Springs to the northwest corner of WY and head for Yellowstone's south gate, which takes us up through Teton National Park. The Tetons are a sight to behold, with their steep craggy, snow-capped peaks and technical looking ascents. It was too late in the season for us to attempt to summit one of the Tetons, but I imagine myself climbing up there. We stop in Teton National Park for lunch and dine in a lodge-style hotel restaurant. Our waiter is finishing his summer job in TNP, heading for South America in a week and very anxious to get there. He is the second of three travelers we've met who are headed to Peru or Argentina shortly. To me these travelers are a different breed. They jump from park to park, live overseas for years at a time, wandering the planet. While most of us thrive on stability, they seem to be happiest knowing they will be experiencing profound change.

Our National Parks pass has paid for itself now. We've visited the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mtn National Park, Teton, and now Yellowstone. At the gate we are directed to drive north to Grant Village to obtain our backcountry permit. About 100 yards from the gate we are greeted by a buffalo grazing on the shoulder of the road. Buffalo appear to outnumber people around here, wandering the roadways at their leisure. Elk, deer, bear (black and grizzly), chipmunks, squirrels, ravens, wolves and a multitude of other creatures roam the park. I was lucky enough to spot a yeti, but Tim wasn't fast enough.

The predominant tree is the lodgepole pine, in various states of growth because of regular fires. According to the pamphlet we received at the gate, lots of folks are alarmed at the sight of thousands of acres of burned pines, but the these forests have been reseeded by the fires. The pine cones need the heat of the fire to open and release their seeds. Our efforts to control forest fires for many years created an overabundance of fuel, dead and dying trees and brush, which went up in an inferno in 1988, burning a large percentage of the park. Nowadays, these fires are allowed to burn, and sometimes intentionally set. Most of the lodgepole pine is newer growth, standing less than four feet tall. Towering above these trees are burned remnants of older forests. In high wind areas, most of the pines have been felled, and lay atop one another in stacks, resembling a forest graveyard.

We met Ranger Milo at the backcountry office in Grant Village. In his early sixties, Milo has been a park fixture for three decades. His friskier years were spent at Heart Lake, which happens to be our destination for this backpacking excursion. We selected Heart Lake in part because it is a well known bear frequenting area. Milo had plenty of "bear stories" to share with us and was sorry that the park had sold out of bear pepper spray. At the end of the tourist season, many items were hard to come by. After selecting our camp site, Milo told us to "go on back and watch the video", which turned out to be a backcountry safety video from the early 80s. I Squirmed in my seat most of the time, but paid close attention to the bear section. We were subsequently awarded our pass, allowing us three days in the wilderness.

Old Faithful geyser is arguably the most popular attraction in the park. Because we weren't hiking to Heart Lake until the following morning, we decided to drive over see why. There are hydrothermal areas all over YNP and Old Faithful basin area is in no short supply. YNP's thermal features include geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. Some geysers erupt steam and water hundreds of feet above ground while others spurt only a few feet into the air. Old Faithful is renowned primarily because of it's predictability, thus the name. The ranger station posts Old Faithful's eruption times (10 minute window) at the nearby station and the tourists stand around oohing and aahing when she lets go. Some geysers erupt every few minutes while others can be inactive for months and years. The Hot Springs can be beautiful multi-colored pools of warm, hot or boiling water. Sulfur, bacteria, and plankton help to color the water a clear carribean blue, edged with red, yellow, orange and green. The pools are filled with sulfurous water which seeped into the ground years ago as rain or snow and eventually reached the molten magma thousands of feet below the surface. In some places, the water is heated to 400 degrees before it makes it's way toward the surface through narrow cracks or fissures in the earth. Yellowstone is a giant volcano and we were hanging out in its caldera most of the time. Again, most of my expertise on the geology, local flora and fauna, etc. can be credited to the informative glossy pamphlets found throughout the park.

As luck would have it, we were witness to the River Geyser's eruption, which can be predicted within a four hour window. This geyser, which shot out of the edge of the Fire Hole River, was magnificent. Its steam and water blast shot 60 feet into the air, arcing with the wind, and the sunshine created a rainbow clearly visible in the steam. We did see Old Faithful erupt, but it was anticlimactic in comparison to the River Geyser.

We made our way to Lewis Lake campground after dark, two miles south of Heart Lake trailhead. The stars were incredibly bright. I held Tim's hand as we walked from our campsite to the self service pay area. The sky was dazzling and our breath hung around us in the cold still air.