Yellowstone, Part 5

Stay with me, now!! Almost done …

Well, last but not least, our final day in Yellowstone. Once again fun things found us all day.

We started early, again, but this time it was solely my fault. I had arranged a half-day, ranger-led hike in the northern most part of the park. That meant we had a lot of driving to do … before 8 a.m.

Driving 20 miles in Yellowstone takes an hour. The speed limits are set low, to save tourists from driving off the road while they stare at gorgeous landscapes … and to spare everyone from injury or death, should car and large animal meet suddenly.

Ranger Amanda O'Neill points out our path before the half-day hike begins. We would trek 8 miles in about 4.5 hours.

So, rewind to the day before and repeat: Up at the crack-before-dawn, wash, eat and pack into the car before 6 a.m., then drive two hours to our destination, this time: Mammoth Hot Springs.

I made sure to drink lots of coffee at the cozy cabin. I wanted my body to be READY for 5 hours of hiking in the woods with nary a bathroom in sight.

Sure enough, the coffee worked like a charm. With two pit-stops made along the way, I was somewhat relieved (ahem) to know the hike wouldn’t require extra time in the woods, hiding behind a tree.

Again, Marla and I marveled at the golden shroud that hung over Yellowstone. Frost sparkled on fields as the sun rose to our left. We stopped for more photos, saw more elk, and eventually made our destination with time to spare.

On a gravel pullout in a mountain’s shadow, a small group of people waited in cars. It was a chilly 32 degrees outside and nobody wanted to leave the heated interiors quite yet. This was our starting point, where we’d connect with a ranger, then hike for miles through fields, up a mountain and down again. I chatted with a couple from the Washington, D.C., area. Shelly and Steve brought their son Noel along, who looked a bit bleary eyed.

Shelly shivered a bit in the morning chill. Her luggage had been lost en route to Bozeman, Montana, so she was working with limited supplies.

She’s so chipper

Soon enough, our ranger, Amanda O’Neill, arrived, bursting with energy in her military-inspired uniform. She was fired up and ready to run the 8-mile trek. Marla and her sleepy kids departed the scene, and I turned my attention to Amanda and her introduction.

Dead trees burned by the 1998 wildfires stood among new growth.

We had been told earlier in the week to wear layers and sturdy shoes. Each hiker was required to bring 2 liters of water. My backpack was heavy with water bottles, lunch, binoculars, camera and extra recharged batteries, some snacks, Band-Aids, a waterproof poncho, and a notebook.

The group set off in good spirits. There were two children with us, and they seemed eager to spot wildlife, as was I. I asked Amanda if she would whip out a gun if a bear charged us on the path. She showed us her bear spray instead.

We laughed and everyone exchanged amused glances: 12 ounces of pepper spray would save us from a 2-ton, clawed creature? Amanda went on to explain that a noisy bunch of visitors in the woods was not what a bear wanted to tackle for breakfast.

OK, I can do noise. Noise is my specialty.

I hate peeing in the woods

Not long into the trek, we stopped for a bathroom break. I waited my turn and headed into the woods. Unfortunately, I was followed by another hiker, a man, and he had me scrambling for deeper cover. Problem was, the cover wasn’t deep enough.

I wound up dropping my pants in the vicinity of two big rocks on the back side of the tree break. Lucky me, as I sat there urging my body to participate, two other hikers made their way toward our group. Oh dang … I guess you’ve seen one pale behind, you’ve seen them all, right?

Whoa, was that a leg?

The leg of a bison is a clue to more remains, just down the hill.

The hike continued and before long, we stumbled right past some bones.

A hiker behind me, visiting Yellowstone from England, quickly called me back. He’d spotted the bright white items nestled in tall grass. I ooh’d and ahh’d and grabbed my camera. How often do you see bones on a morning walk?

Not far ahead, we found an even bigger bone, this time it was a leg, with hoof attached, along with some brown fur.

Cool!

Amanda told us to look down the hill, to our right. And there he was. A dead bison … head.

There wasn’t much left (head and a leg still attached to shoulder), but Amanda reckoned he’d been there since the winter previous. Often, she said, animals at Yellowstone are weakest in the dead of winter. There isn’t as much food to graze or hunt, so eventually many succumb to what she called “winter kill.”

The elements win here, and I can see why.

The tourists had a juicier story, of course. We imagined this bison was walking along, enjoying a beautiful winter day, while above him, along the mountain top, lurked a vicious predator: a massive, hungry grizzly bear.

He made his approach, slowly. At just the right moment, the bear launched his attack … down the mountain, atop the bison. Feast for everyone!

A plethora of animal parts: elk vertabrae, bison pooh, skull-plus-bones, spine, (flowers), bison head.

Lunch time!

The hike was easy, so far; we stopped often to take pictures and breathe deeply.

The mountain plant life mixed up a fantastic perfume of scents around us. More than anything, the air was just pure and sharp. The day was warm and the sky almost cloudless. We walked through fields and then found respite in the shade of a dark forest. At an overlook we stopped for lunch and grilled our ranger on Yellowstone lore. The fires of 1998 had left telling marks everywhere, and we were curious to know more. The questions kept coming and Amanda did a great job filling in the blanks:

• Were all the dead trees being left to rot? Yes, back to nature they go.
• Did a lot of animals die? Not as many as people expected. They had room to run.
• How much burned? Almost 39 percent of the park was touched by fire that year.
• What did the experts learn? Let the fires burn. Scientific study of sediment proved that huge fires were part of the natural cycle of life here for thousands of years.

My hiking comprades go round the bend.

A passing hiker told us a herd of elk was spotted grazing in the wooded area ahead of us. We didn’t get there in time, though, and had to settle for butterflies.

My time spent on the Uncle Tom’s harrowing steps the day before had left me a nagging reminder on the back of my right heel. I had been babying that foot along this hike with Band-Aids and several sock adjustments when fellow hikers saw my frustration. A big thanks to Bob and his wife, Sue, from Michigan. They introduced me to Dr. Scholl’s Mole Skin.

Note to self: Buy Dr. Scholl’s Mole Skin!!

A view from our lunch spot, high above the trees.

With my heel repaired, we began an upward climb. The strain was worth the view at the top. The trail snaked through an old slide of massive rocks, which gives this region of the park its name, Mammoth Hot Springs. The rangers and local hikers call the big rocks Yellowstone’s Hoodoos. While not true hoodoos, the bus-size travertine chunks are impressive and a shocking white against the green backdrop of trees and plant life.

By 1 p.m. we’d walked almost 8 miles and scaled a mountain to almost 9,000 feet. I was invigorated by the whole journey and wished there was more time for more ranger-led hikes. They’re a bargain at Yellowstone, costing $15 per person. I’d recommend them to anyone who likes to get away from the crowds.

I stand next to giant travertine rocks that give the region its name: Mammoth.

Ranger Amanda told us we were part of an exclusive 2 percent of park visitors who actually take these tours. I was shocked to hear this, but apparently not everyone is up for tromping down trails and schlepping their own water and food.

Our group dispersed quickly once we hit the starting point. I had a short wait for my ride, so I walked around a river bed and sat to enjoy the scenery. I couldn’t get enough of it.

A family of ducks swam past, and for the first time I got out my iPod. The scenery needed a soundtrack. Before the first song was finished, Marla and the kids were there to scoop me up.

Not-so-grand finale

We ran out of gas somewhere around the famous Mammoth Hot Springs. I knew our collective souls were tired from so many days of stimulus. We stopped for a snack and nobody wanted to move. We bypassed the old fort museum and took a lazy drive around the hot springs.

A beautiful spot to rest after a long hike in the woods.

There was a two-hour drive ahead, and no telling how many animal jams in our path, so we opted to turn the car west and get back to the cozy cabin.

I was a tad wistful to exit the park for the last time. During the hike, my friendly companions from Michigan said this would be their only trip to Yellowstone. We’re getting too old, they said, and this is all the time they had for this park.

Hopefully, this wasn’t my first and only visit to Yellowstone. I’d like to see it under snowfall, and perhaps catch a peek of wolves running free.