- Joined
- Aug 24, 2003
- Messages
- 1,461
I just got back from eight days in and around Yellowstone National Park. In a nutshell, it was an amazing trip I shared with an old friend. I hope to be back many times before I die as it is an over 2 million acre slice of heaven with several million more acres of national forest surrounding it.. Here are a few of the highlights and links to photos and video
Sleeping under the stars. Average temps in upper 30s at night and 70s during the day.
Not knowing what day it was
Handling the altitude quite well (average in the park is 8,000)
Being a few feet away from Elk and Bison on multiple occasions.
Watching an adult wolf from the Slough Creek Pack jump on a boulder and howl. He was all black. His friends over the hill howled back. After a few minutes of howling he loped over the hill towards the others. Words cannot truly explain this experience.
The Obsidian Cliffs
Driving Hwy 212 from Red Lodge, MT back into Yellowstone one, if not the most scenic drives I have done.
Hiking to a vantage point above the Lamar River to see a grizzly bear eat on a bison carcass. Video is here http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/?action=view¤t=MOV03164.flv
We found a large meadow near Otter Creek that was off the beaten path (not marked and no trail to the meadow). The first time we visited it there were about sixty elk and numerous bison. The second time we got there in the afternoon, we expected to see more wildlife on the hoof. Instead, we had two black bears (mother and cub) almost come sit with this. As you can see in the picture and short video below, we were sitting on a knoll above the meadow and the wind was blowing strong from right to left. The adult black bear (blond in color) came within about 35 yards before going to our left. The touchy part was when her cub stayed to our right. We were starting to move back (when the video ended), when the cub moved to the left alleviating the problem. With both bears out of sight, together, and around the knoll we thought a confrontation would not happen, however, as soon as she winded us, she came running upwind straight toward us over the knoll. As soon as she saw us (at about 50 yards) she stood straight up making herself wide and spreading here paws. After a moment of determining what we were, she ran into the timber. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/DSC03476.jpg -------------- http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/?action=view¤t=MOV03496_NEW.flv
Watching a coyote hunt for ground squirrels and catch one. They are incredibly fast. They move like a cat which makes sense as they walk like one.
We spent several mornings and evenings on a hill overlooking an eastern section of the Lamar Valley. A spotting scope is a must for this endeavor. This is truly a magical place as we saw not only many animals, but their interactions. Specifically we saw the Druid Peak Pack of Wolves. Much has been documented on the Druids and can be found here (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/in-the-valley-of-the-wolves/introduction/212/). This pack includes wolves both gray and black, and some of the black had white blazes and chins. There were also many puppies. Watching the puppies play and seeing the socialization with the adults was awesome. There was also a bison carcass we would watch them feed off of. On one occasion around the carcass, we witnessed them being joined by two bald eagles and a golden eagle. On another day late in the morning, a grizzly and her cub came out of the timber near the pack. For about five minutes we watched as five of the adult wolves went after the cub all the while the adult grizzly spun around defending her cub. Eventually the wolves gave up and went back to a small hill in the valley to lay down and/or play. I tried to take a few pics through the spotting scope which would only do a silhouette for the most part. If you ever go to YNP, you gotta have a spotting scope.
Here is short slideshow
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/?albumview=slideshow
For my gear head friends out there, my constant companion was a Maxpedition 10x4 Waterbottle holder with a Janus Pouch, Rolly Polly, and Bark River Mini Canadian attached. Here are the contents
Guyot SS Standard
GSI SS Cup
Integral Designs silnylon 5x8 Poncho Tarp with 48 of cord (in Janus Pouch)
Adv. Med Kit Emergency Bivy (bottom of bottle holder)
Cotton Bandana (bottom of bottle holder)
First Aid Kit
Fire Straws
Fire Steel
Fresnel Lens
Eze-Lap Sharpener (pen form)
SAK
Fox 40 mini
Fenix LOD flashlight
Suunto compass
Simonich Bitterroot in Talonite
Food, binocs, etc. fit in the Rolly Polly
Sleeping under the stars. Average temps in upper 30s at night and 70s during the day.
Not knowing what day it was
Handling the altitude quite well (average in the park is 8,000)
Being a few feet away from Elk and Bison on multiple occasions.
Watching an adult wolf from the Slough Creek Pack jump on a boulder and howl. He was all black. His friends over the hill howled back. After a few minutes of howling he loped over the hill towards the others. Words cannot truly explain this experience.
The Obsidian Cliffs
Driving Hwy 212 from Red Lodge, MT back into Yellowstone one, if not the most scenic drives I have done.
Hiking to a vantage point above the Lamar River to see a grizzly bear eat on a bison carcass. Video is here http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/?action=view¤t=MOV03164.flv
We found a large meadow near Otter Creek that was off the beaten path (not marked and no trail to the meadow). The first time we visited it there were about sixty elk and numerous bison. The second time we got there in the afternoon, we expected to see more wildlife on the hoof. Instead, we had two black bears (mother and cub) almost come sit with this. As you can see in the picture and short video below, we were sitting on a knoll above the meadow and the wind was blowing strong from right to left. The adult black bear (blond in color) came within about 35 yards before going to our left. The touchy part was when her cub stayed to our right. We were starting to move back (when the video ended), when the cub moved to the left alleviating the problem. With both bears out of sight, together, and around the knoll we thought a confrontation would not happen, however, as soon as she winded us, she came running upwind straight toward us over the knoll. As soon as she saw us (at about 50 yards) she stood straight up making herself wide and spreading here paws. After a moment of determining what we were, she ran into the timber. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/DSC03476.jpg -------------- http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/?action=view¤t=MOV03496_NEW.flv
Watching a coyote hunt for ground squirrels and catch one. They are incredibly fast. They move like a cat which makes sense as they walk like one.
We spent several mornings and evenings on a hill overlooking an eastern section of the Lamar Valley. A spotting scope is a must for this endeavor. This is truly a magical place as we saw not only many animals, but their interactions. Specifically we saw the Druid Peak Pack of Wolves. Much has been documented on the Druids and can be found here (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/in-the-valley-of-the-wolves/introduction/212/). This pack includes wolves both gray and black, and some of the black had white blazes and chins. There were also many puppies. Watching the puppies play and seeing the socialization with the adults was awesome. There was also a bison carcass we would watch them feed off of. On one occasion around the carcass, we witnessed them being joined by two bald eagles and a golden eagle. On another day late in the morning, a grizzly and her cub came out of the timber near the pack. For about five minutes we watched as five of the adult wolves went after the cub all the while the adult grizzly spun around defending her cub. Eventually the wolves gave up and went back to a small hill in the valley to lay down and/or play. I tried to take a few pics through the spotting scope which would only do a silhouette for the most part. If you ever go to YNP, you gotta have a spotting scope.
Here is short slideshow
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Yellowstone/?albumview=slideshow
For my gear head friends out there, my constant companion was a Maxpedition 10x4 Waterbottle holder with a Janus Pouch, Rolly Polly, and Bark River Mini Canadian attached. Here are the contents
Guyot SS Standard
GSI SS Cup
Integral Designs silnylon 5x8 Poncho Tarp with 48 of cord (in Janus Pouch)
Adv. Med Kit Emergency Bivy (bottom of bottle holder)
Cotton Bandana (bottom of bottle holder)
First Aid Kit
Fire Straws
Fire Steel
Fresnel Lens
Eze-Lap Sharpener (pen form)
SAK
Fox 40 mini
Fenix LOD flashlight
Suunto compass
Simonich Bitterroot in Talonite
Food, binocs, etc. fit in the Rolly Polly
