Backpacking the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

On Saturday, July 6, we started a 3-day backpack down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. While the trail mileage wasn't long, the trail was steep and we enjoyed all of the unusual sights.

Here's a shot of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from where we started:

On our way down into the canyon, we passed a number of geothermal features, but the most unusual was this large sinter cone, formed by some long-dead geyser:

When we reached the river, we were astounded at its power and the colors of the canyon it travels through.  Here is a video of the river running through the canyon.

It's mid-July and the stonefly hatch has started. We met three fishermen – a grandfather, father and 6-year old grandson, who were camping nearby. They live locally, and had hiked in to fish the stonefly hatch. They hooked literally hundreds of trout during the two days they were here. We kicked ourselves the whole trip that we hadn't done more research to discover how good the fly fishing would be. And us without our fly rods. Here is a photo of some stonefly nymph casings, left by the stoneflies when they molt from nymphs – which are bug-like – into flies – which look like buggy biplanes, or dragonflies, as they fly over the river:

We set up camp and enjoyed our first evening with a view of the river. However, no sooner did we get settled, then a thunderstorm blew in, raining hail larger than pea-size down on our dining room under our camp tarp.  Here is a video of the event.

It rained into the night, but the morning of our second day dawned clear, and after breakfast we started out on our exploration of the area.

First, we hiked downstream along the river, to see what we could see and how far we could walk. We spotted lots of pools where trout could hang out, and we saw the three fishermen again. But perhaps most interesting, we encountered a number of geothermal features right along the water's edge. Here's Kathy getting up close and personal with a fumarole:

Hiking back to the area of the river below our camp, we spotted a female mule deer munching on some grass. She was wary of us, but we stayed still and she just kept munching:

We hiked back up to a large geothermal basin we had passed hiking down and in to our campsite, and explored the basin, the trail to another campsite, and the view of the river near that area:

One of the fishermen told us that he had seen a mountain lion in that geothermal basin the prior year, but we saw no evidence of it.

Coming back to the river below our campsite, we saw that the previous night's rain had brough out all of the colors in the canyon. We saw every color of the rainbow in the cliffsides: whites, pinks, salmons, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, purples, blues, yellows and greys:

We discovered a hot spring right below our campsite, next to the river, and it spilled its boiling waters into the raging cold of the Yellowstone. The orange colors on the rocks and soil next to Kathy are thermophylic (“heat loving”) bacteria and fungi that grow in the hot water where it runs down into the river:

The second evening, it didn't thunderstorm until about 7:00 or so, by which time we were tucked safely into our tent. We slept dry and well.

The morning of our third day dawned clear again, with a bright blue sky, and the sun shown up the canyon, reflecting its golden light on everything:

We had breakfast and hit the trail by about 8:15, with a very long, steep climb out of the canyon. Along the way, we stopped again at the geothermal basin, and spotted a fumarole and hot spring, which clearly had once been a geyser due to its sinter cone. Kathy is exploring it in this photo:

The rest of the hike was strenuous but enjoyable. We encountered all of the backpackers and dayhikers coming down into the canyon and shared our information with them. After a quick circuit of the tourist stops at the top of the canyon to see the Upper Falls and Lower Falls, we stopped at Inspiration Point and could barely make out – miles downriver – the area where we had camped the previous two nights.

It was a good backpack, and we're already looking forward to our next one, which we hope will be in the Lamar River Valley of Yellowstone, where a large variety of wildlife is said to roam.

 

July 4th Road Trip to Jackson Hole

Hi Blog! Our friend, Darla Redifer, and her friend, Lee Ann Nachtsheim, are traveling across Wyoming to visit Lee's son.  They planned to stop overnight in Jackson, WY.  We did a little checking and realized that Jackson was only about 120 mile from West Yellowstone, just about a two hour drive.  Can you say road trip!  Rather than take Great White up and down the mountain passes, we rented a sporty little economy car.  Here we are bright and early the morning of July 4th heading to Jackson.

Most of the drive was spent in Southeastern Idaho as we traversed the Snake River Plain.  The farms stretched from one mountain range to the next.

When we arrived at our hotel, our room was not ready.  We decided to walk over to Snake River Brewing Company for lunch.  While there, we learned that they are the major sponsor of Jackson Hole Live, a free concert and Fourth of July party held at the Snow King Ski Resort just a few block away.  Beer and free music, we are so there.

As we walked up to the venue, we noticed the ski lift was taking folks up to the top of Snow King Mountain.  Since we've spent so much time recently walking to the top of mountains we decided that riding up would be a nice change of pace.  Here is the view looking down upon the town of Jackson from the top of Snow King Mountain.  The mountains in the background are the Grand Tetons.

Once back on the ground, it didn't take us long to find a cold beer and settle in on the grass between 1st and 2nd base to watch the show.  Don't let those blue skies fool you.  No sooner did we get settled than a random storm cloud passed over.  We quickly found cover under a picnic pavilion in the playground area.  It was standing room only, as we shared the shelter with a few hundred of our new found friends.

After the brief shower, the sun was shining again.  Darla and Lee soon arrived in Jackson, and we made plans to meet up at the concert.  We walked out to the street to direct them the parking lot at the Fair Grounds.  On the way back to the concert, some neighbors set up a Kissing Booth.  For a small donation to the Humane Society, you could kiss one of three canines.  Dave happened to pick a particularly sexy black haired beauty.  It made him think of Katie's dog, Maggie. The rest of us declined the honor.

Darla took one look at the ski lift and said, "I am so there."  Even though Kathy had already gone up with Dave, it didn't stop her from going up again with Darla.  Lee declined the experience saying something about keeping her feet on terra firma!  While waiting for Kathy and Darla to return from their ride, Dave and Lee were buzzed by a bi-plane!

Darla and Kathy didn't stay long on top of the mountain, as clouds were moving in and it became quite chilly on top.  Here's the view coming down just before another random thunderstorm pelted them with ice balls.

As the storm intensified, the four Merry Pranksters took shelter in the ski lodge.  The storm passed quickly and the concert began again.  We heard Old Crow Medicine Show, Young Dubliners, Parker Millsap, One Ton Pig and Thomas Sneed.  It wasn't long before all that walking, talking and shopping got us mighty hungry.  We received a recommendation for the Silver Dollar Grill at the Wort Hotel. Darla and Kathy had Kobe Beef Tenderloin, Lee had the Kobe Beef Burger and Dave went with the Wild Boar.  One of the best meals ever!  One of the most expensive, too.

After dinner, Dave walked back to the hotel, while the girls headed off to attend the fireworks.  Jackson puts on a good show with over 20 minutes of boomers ending in a grand finale.  What a great way to cap off our visit!

Everyone was up early the next morning.  After a quick breakfast at the Starbucks, Darla and Lee hit the road.  Their drive would take them up the east side of the Tetons and out the East Entrance of Yellowstone.  We crossed over Teton Pass and went back to West Yellowstone along the west side of the Tetons.  Here is our last look at the mountains - for now.

This weekend we will be backpacking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

That's all for now.  Chat at you later!

Eddie and George Wake Up with Darla in Jackson, Wyoming!

Fishing the Madison and Gibbon Rivers

Today was our third and last fishing day from West Yellowstone, although we hope to do more when we spend a week at the North Entrance to the park in Gardiner, Montana.  We explored Ranger Roy's third suggestion:  the spot where the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers join to make the Madison River.

The rivers join in a wide, grassy valley, and for the most part each of the streams is flat and shallow, although there are some riffles and some channels that are deeper.  Here's a photo looking downstream on the Madison...

... and here's one looking upstream toward the confluence of the Gibbon and Firehole:

We were advised to get out early in the morning.  Today, as on the other streams, the flies started hatching just as the sun rose high enough to hit the water, and that's when the fish started feeding.  We found enough feeding fish to keep us busy all morning, although this was the first place we had fished where we had company.  Most of the morning there were three other fishermen within sight.

The fish were also well fed, on what looked like caddis flies, so they could be picky, and while we had no trouble figuring out what they were eating, it was very hard to present the flies to the fish so that the fishies would take them.

So we also had time to gaze around.  Kathy spotted a family, or convoy, or convention, or crowd, of perhaps a dozen Canada geese who just marched in a line up the valley, parallel to the stream.  We're not sure where they were headed.  We think it might have been a goosey backpack, but, wherever they were headed, they were definitely walking and not flying.

We both got hits.  David was able to bag a 14" cutthroat, and even able to get the camera out and take a photo of it before it had recovered enough to swim off:

By 11:00 am, the sun was high and it was getting very warm, which ended most of the fish feeding.  In addition, a stiff breeze kept all the flies down.  So, knowing that our fishing session was done, we waded back across the stream and marched up the hill to the truck and headed home.

Now we have to do some investigation to figure out what streams are good fishing in Yellowstone near the North Entrance!

Norris Geyser Basin

Hi Blog.  As you know, these are the voyages of Dave-n-Kathy.  Our five year mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations.  To boldly go where millions of tourists have gone before.

Captains Log, Stardate 2013.7.2.  We've been in the Yellowstone System for three weeks now exploring the geological features located therein.  Today, the Away Team visited the Norris Geyser Basin.  Here is Dave examining the expansive volcanic area.

The most unique feature of this area is the Pinwheel Geyer.  The runoff channel provides one of the clearest thermal and chemical gradients in the Norris Basin.  The brilliant green belongs to acid-tolerant thermophiles.  The red mats are colored by iron oxide.

Looking back up at the Visitor Center, you can see the Black Growler Steam Vent.  This strong vent of steam has been in different locations on this hill for many years.  No one knows why it disappears and reappears, but Black Growler always roars back.  Further scientific study of this phenomenon is in order.

The thermal waters in this area contain high concentrations of silica giving the water a milky blue color.

There are miles of boardwalks which allow observations of the various features both in the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin.

Norris Geyser Basin is one of the hottest and most dynamic of Yellowstone's hydrothermal areas.  Many hot springs and fumaroles have temperatures above the boiling point. In 2003, one section of the boardwalk had to be relocated because the area became superheated - enough to begin toasting the boardwalks and overheating visitor's feet.  A new feature began throwing scalding, acidic mud on the trail.  Never a dull moment in the Norris Geyser Basin.

Our mission also took us to the Artists Paint Pots.  While not as hot as Norris, this area is full of colorful  features.  The boardwalk takes you up the side of a small hill offering a view down to the thermal features below.

Here is a video link to one of the more active features in the Artist Paint Pots.

Our final stop before beaming back was Gibbon Falls.

Having collected numerous photos and scientific details, the crew is going to take some time off from their scientific study and try their hand at fly fishing the confluence of the Gibbon, Fire Hold and Madison Rivers.

Captain Out.

Eddie and George (FINALLY) Wake Up in West Yellowstone

Eddie and George pulled a Rip Van Winkle and didn't even wake up until we had been in West Yellowstone for nearly a week.

Baxter had had enough and finally decided to wake them up:

Once they woke up, they realized they had to make up for lost time.  They ran out to the back of the campground.  Here they are enjoying the views of the Gallatin Mountains and Idaho to the west:

Our campground has lots of amenities, including cooked breakfasts and dinners (for a price), and a bright yellow coffee wagon.  Eddie and George couldn't resist a shot of caffeine to start their day - especially after that long sleep.  Here they are waiting for their mocha latte orders:

We don't know if they want to meet up with any black bears or grizzly bears, but they seem to be interested in touring Yellowstone.  We have a couple more touring days here, so they may join us.

Fishing the Firehole River and Nez Perce Creek

This morning we decided to follow Ranger Roy's second fishing recommendation and try our luck on Firehole River where the Nez Perce Creek flows into it.

This is a photo looking upstream (south) on the Firehole at the confluence of the Nez Perce.  Kathy is working a channel running along the grassy island.

A shot downstream.  The morning was beautiful and sunny, but it warmed quickly, and most of the fish activity had ceased by 10:00 am.

However, after a few hours on the river, we could report some luck.  Kathy hooked two trout but couldn't bring them to net.  David caught a 9" brown and a 12" brown.  We found two different channels where the slurping went on all morning, but these are very canny trout.  Once you cast, if they don't take it by the second or third cast, they just move on - either just out of range of your casts, or off to another section of the deep water.  This cat-and-mouse game went on all morning.  We kept getting hits as we tried new flies, but then the fish got wise and moved away.  They were so hungry, though, that we never put them down, and we have lots of chances all morning.

As we walked back to the truck, a passerby warned us that we were about 100 yards from a bull bison, who was taking the shade under a tree.  Kathy took David's fishing rod and retired across the stream while David tried a long-distance snap of the beardy fellow.  Of course, every wild celebrity causes a traffic jam, and this was no exception.  Some people pulled their cars and trucks up to within 30 feet of the big guy.  We wouldn't have done that, having just heard a story of someone who, acting similarly, had the door, fender and side mirror of his car smashed by an irritable bison.

After fishing, we dropped over to the Madison Information Center, where the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers join to make the Madison River.  Ranger Roy had recommended this spot as a third productive location, and we wanted to scout it out and decide where to park and start fishing.

Here's a photo of the information station, an old stone building.  This location clearly has been part of Yellowstone for some time, and appears somewhat neglected now, although the location and scenery are spectacular.

Kathy is looking at the channel in the Gibbon River:

Here is where the Gibbon and Firehole join...

...and the Madison takes off through meadows toward the West:

As we were walking back on a bluff above the Madison, we saw this bison ambling along and munching juicy grass where he found it.  He paid us no never mind.

All in a day's work, as they say.  By 11:30 am, we were driving out, and saw a repeat performance of the tourist jam coming the opposite way into the park.  Thank goodness we got out here early!