Yellowstone trip

I worked in yellowstone on an archaeological excavation for about half of last summer. To be honest the more beautiful parts of wyoming are not in the park. There are significant traffic jams, people being rude and stupid, and expensive food and camping. The terrain of the yellowstone interior is nothing special if you discount the interesting thermal and geological features. I would suggest looking, as suggested by others at the absaroka range. If you have your heart set on packing into the park, remote and dramatic parts of the wilderness can be accessed from outside the park via the sunlight valley, I highly recommend this route. The road to the trailhead is rough and seldom traveled, but the terrain surpasses almost anything I saw within the park's boundaries.
 
Thanks to you all for you advice and time. We are looking at Glacier now; we are adverse to large crowds of tourists.
 
Right on bearhunter,you definitely have the right idea!
I go to the woods to get away from people & NEVER pay to camp!
I also don't pay to hike either.Give me a game trail vs a manicured trail any day.
Having said that,I am a truck camper.I four wheel to camp,then hike around the surrounding area from the comfort of camp.
I've had herds of elk,deer,turkey & bobcats walk by camp & was even woken up one morning by a black bear tearing up some logs & stumps.
I sit by the fire at night (in my folding chair,off the ground) & listen to the Coyotes yelp & Owls hoot.
No tourists & no fees(but taxes) & I'm not even in a designated wilderness,but it's plenty wild & beautiful for me.(& only 2 1/2 hrs. from home)
 
i know..., too many places to go...

but, if you really want to live... step off the beaten path...

and GO...
 
1. Bear Bells, one on you and one on your pack
2. Bear Spray, make sure you know how to use it, get one that comes with the chest rig
3. Pick a route and stick to it and let someone know which route you are taking
4. heavy first aid kit with trauma stuff! to stop heavy blood loss in the event Bears starts to eat you.
 
in my experience, both Yellowstone and Glacier once you're off the roads and on the trail, the people fade very quickly- the backcountry in either is not crowded- the roads are crowded for sure; that being said Wyoming and Montana offer a plethora of hiking opportunities outside their National Parks

bear spray vs guns- the USFWS has been keeping statistics on grizzly-human encounters since 1992, those involving firearms have resulted in injury to the human roughly 50% of the time, with bear spray there has only been a couple of injuries

a lot of this is pretty common sense, when it comes down to accuracy of shooting, a charging grizzly isn't a walk in the park shooting wise- and even if you get a few rounds in a lethal area- a charging grizzly with a full head of steam doesn't simply fall over dead :)

lay a nice fog spray of potent OC and your chances are much better, for both human and bear :D
 
Glacier tips: Polebridge Mercantile makes the best bear claws in the world. $3 each - buy about 2 each. One for now, one for breakfast.

Bowman Lake is up past Polebridge, and is a great place to camp.

The hikes out of the Going to the Sun Road summit are fantastic for wildlife. Marmots, goats, sheep.
 
Thanks guys! Anyone have any specific gear suggestions? Something they wished they would've had their first trip and didn't?
 
Rockywolf said:
Thanks guys! Anyone have any specific gear suggestions? Something they wished they would've had their first trip and didn't?
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a few general ones :)

September in Montana is considered shoulder season, bugs are usually done, but the flip side is you need to expect temps to drop into the 20's at night- so have an adequate sleeping bag AND an adequate pad

have some warmish clothing- see above :)

if you're backpacking and want detailed suggestions, shoot me a pm
 
Rockywolf said:
Thanks guys! Anyone have any specific gear suggestions? Something they wished they would've had their first trip and didn't?
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Really depends on distance you plan to backpack. I go pretty lightweight. I do not take anything I wont use at least once a day. Exceptions for first aide, and navigation. Is this a one and done trip or do you plan to use this gear for the next few years?
 
NevadaExplorer said:
Really depends on distance you plan to backpack. I go pretty lightweight. I do not take anything I wont use at least once a day. Exceptions for first aide, and navigation. Is this a one and done trip or do you plan to use this gear for the next few years?
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Plan to use and reuse it. I hate wasting money, so this stuff will get used...
 
bear in mind my "style" is a little spartan and I usually put in long mile days, for trips in the 3-7 day range, I like something with 45-50-ish liters and lightweight, the Osprey Hornet, Osprey Exos, ULA Ohm all fit the bill

20 degree bag of choice for me is the Marmot Helium, pad of choice for shoulder season is the neo air w/ a thin (1/4") ccf pad underneath- puts the r value right around 3.5 (2.5 for the neo and 1 for the 1/4" pad) which is just about right (foe me anyways :D) for temps into the 20's

shelter choice is a MLD Duomid- lightweight, handles wind, rain and snow- uses trekking poles as part of it's setup, very roomy for one- fits two comfortably enough

shoulder season I usually forego my summer stove (4dog wood stove) and go w/ a canister stove just for the ease (days get shorter in Sept/Oct)- snowpeak giga, solo I use a 700 ml pot, for two a 900 ml pot- the stove, canister, utensil(s), small towel, lighter- all nest in the pot

I like platypus water bottles (light AND tough), varies on which ones and how many on duration and frequency of water

just went to a Steripen last year for water treatment and don't see me changing, usually carry 1/2 dozen micropur tabs as a backup

carry a lightweight bear bag setup, that also holds my food in the pack

along w/ the usual suspects- lightweight knife, redundant firestarters, whistle, headlamp, sunglasses, sunscreen, map, compass, hygiene items, first aid kit, repair kit, camera

clothing carried- wool beanie, wool gloves, down jacket (warmer than I'd carry in the summer), base layer bottom, windshirt, rain gear, pair of extra socks
I don't carry spare clothing (except socks), on trips that last a little longer I'll wash worn items if need be

clothing worn- softshell pants, long sleeve base layer, socks, felt hat, trail runners

puts my base weight (excluding food/water) just a little over 10 lbs, I figure ~ 1.5 # food/day and usually am toting ~ 1.5 liters of water, so loaded up for a five day trip my starting weight is roughly 22 lbs- with the weight dropping each day :)
 
Some buddies and I went to Yellowstone just after 9/11, we had already started a long road trip/backpacking trip. The weather was great, cold at night and in the mornings, like these guys are saying, be ready for snow, rain, or cold weather.
Here's my advice..
Call in advance to reserve you're camping spot. They are like hotel rooms, you get an assigned number for a specific night. We showed up, and had to take what we could get. The first night, we did not have a fire, not allowed, no fire pit. Second night, we had "reservations" at the next camp site, cause it had a firepit.
The bear bag hanging post they have is odd. It's not even far enough from the camp area, nor is it really high enough, IMO very odd. For as much advice they offer you at the ranger stations, seems like they would have executed their own logic in the wilderness.
Once on the trail to Heart Lake, we saw only one person, a female Ranger on horseback. She was nice, didn't hassel us at all. We saw nor heard anyone else, maybe another group on our way out, I can't remember.
I'm glad I went, we drove from Albuquerque to Moab, to Saltlake City, then to Jackson Hole, Tentons for 4 days, then to Yellowstone for 3. While you are there, go on and see Old Faithful, you can tolerate a few tourists. I saw bears, but only on a backroad going into the Tetons, I almost walked into a moose on the trail, luckily she just turned and walked away. We heard lots and lots of Elk, saw a Marmot as well.
In Yellowstone, we heard wolves one night, but no other animals really, except at Old Faithful there were lots of Bison. You should go there, if you plan on backpacking. You may see some people on the trail, but the campsites are few, and spread out so much you won't hear anybody else.
IMO, they don't want guns in Yellowstone because there is no hunting, nor do they want jackasses target shooting, disturbing the peace. If you were to fire a gun, I would expect Rangers to be out looking and asking questions.
Go as light as you can, share a tent, it may rain or snow, so you may be playing cards in the tent. Bivy's are great, if you have a tarp to hang out under, I'm just saying the weather can make you seek shelter. You don't want to be laying in a bivy sack from 5pm till the next morning. We had blowing rain off of Heart Lake on one night, 3 guys were in my tent playing cards, drinking whisky, and staying dry.
 
JV3 said:
i'd like to see how that works out for those that camp above tree line :)




was there a scientific study done as to the effectiveness of bear spray vs. the typical handgun calibers? i don't want to put mtwarden on the spot but he stated recently on another thread that his sidearm is primarily for people and his primary defense against bears is...bear spray. just curious if there's any scientific study to back it up, either way.

edit: found his post.
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As with most weapons/calibers, shot placement is everything. You do not have to be that accurate with the sprey. I have seen people shot with 9mm,40s&w, and 45ACP. even if it is not a direct kill shot everyone I ever saw shot with a .45 was out of the fight. Unless it's a head shot the 9mm is such a fast light round some of the indaviduals I have seen shot did not even know they were hit. I think it goes without saying that a bear has a much tougher hide them a human so I would think all applies with a grizzly as well.

As far as scientific data goes...I know alot of people want to aim for the head when taking a kill shot. Not a very good idea, not only is it a small target but we were tought that even on a human a shot to the forehead can glance off in the right conditions. Thats why you see some targets with a triangle on them going from the top of the nose to the upper lip. Thats the ideal shot placement on a human for an instant kill. I think is is actualy a bit smaller and lower on a bear. With their head down charging I would think it would be near impossible to hit when your blood is pumping that quick. The sprey on the other hand is more of an indirect weapon. Another Idea I have not personaly used but makes sense is a small air horn. I have had good luck with wearing a bear bell and just talking loudly.

pretty good video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFl3yBsqgLQ

I think the caliber required to do decent damage to a charging grizzly without propper shot placement would be so great carrying it would ditract from your enjoyment.
 
Rockywolf said:
Thanks guys! Anyone have any specific gear suggestions? Something they wished they would've had their first trip and didn't?
Click to expand...

For years I did my long backpacking with a USMC ILBE. When I switched to an osprey atmos65 I kicked myself for not having done so sooner. I really like the pack but it is a bit large for the 3-5 day trips I usualy do. If you plan to only stay static at night then just one pack is fine but if you plan to base camp and explore at during the day then I would consider a pack with a lid that converts to a fanny pack. This will also dictate the type of clothing you choose to bring. If you are going to be moving all day then I would still bring warm clothes but not overdue it as moving with a pack will keep you warm, and when you stop at night to make camp more than likely you will either be by a fire or in your bag.

Anything you can get that has more than one use is ideal.
 
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