Jellystone

After graduating college, I was at a loss.  I decided to go adventuring, so I got a job bartending at Yellowstone National Park for the summer.  It was a lonely summer, because Captain wasn't with me, but it was still a lot of fun and I made some great friends.  The highlight of my experience was when Captain visited me.

When I picked him up from the airport, it was the hottest day yet in Boseman, MT and Yellowstone.  Because of this, Captain thought the nights would be just as warm. We hiked a few mountains, visited some key waterfalls and decided to go backpacking for the first time.  We learned a lot from this experience.  Very ambitious, we planned a 3 night - 4 day backpacking adventure through the backcountry in the Northeastern quadrant between Fishing Bridge and Canyon.  We chose this particular area to see the wolf packs, and this spot was infested with grizzlies and other bears.  So much so that half the area is closed off after 7pm and before 8 am.

When we were buying supplies, Captain refused to spend money on a sleeping pad, saying that he had a sleeping bag and he doesn't care about rocks.  Little did we know that sleeping pads help more against the cold than the rocks.  So he went without and we started off on our first backpacking adventure.

The first day began well.  We met a teacher from Manitoba who hiked with us on the first part of Pelican Valley, and together we saw an enormous black bear.  Captain insisted on getting closer, until we ended up practically on top of the bear.  We were at the top of the hill, and the bear at the foot.  I didn't realize how big they were.  Very fluffy looking.  After awhile, we separated from the teacher and went deeper into the back country.    Then the rain started.  It is dispiriting to hike for hours in the wetness, and at several points we lost the trail and had to backtrack. It being my first experience in the wilderness, I would constantly freak out that we had lost the trail, only to find it a few minutes later, 100 yards from where we lost it.

The rain started to let up, and I looked up and saw a big thing in the middle of the path, more than 2 football fields away.   "Captain!  It's a bear!  I think it's a grizzly!!!"  (direct quote)  Since the bear was in the middle of the trail, we decided to watch it and eat some trail mix while we waited.  We munched and looked on, and then realized that the bear was being very still.  Too still.  We groaned, got up and put the backpacks on and realized that that bear was a bear rock.  Captain took a picture of ourfirst grizzly bear rock.   We saw bald eagles that day, and some Sandhill cranes, which were doing an intricate dance - very interesting.  We thought they were crazy birds.

Broad Creek

The camping site that night was wonderful, next to beautiful Broad Creek which zigzagged through tall grasses, and pine trees crested the hills, making it one of my favorite places in the world.  I have since learned that on every camping trip, the place I camp is generally one of my favorite places in the world.  Captain started a fire after much perseverance (since it had been raining all day, the wood was wet).  We ate, my first meal in the wilderness, it was delicious - something about the fire and the outdoors makes anything taste good.

That night, Captain froze.   His sleeping bag was was very thin and since he had no sleeping pad, he was sleeping directly on the cold ground.  When I woke up and started getting things moving, Captain rolled onto my sleeping pad and got a few minutes of sleep, the only sleep he got that night.  We started again, and as we climbed the hill Captain whispered harshly "It's a wolf!" I turned, my heart in my throat, and there he was.  All white and gray and absolutely beautiful.  It turned out to be a coyote, but still amazingly beautiful.  He kept staring at us, and we stared right back.  Eventually he turned and ran off, but Captain and I lingered, enjoying the memory of where the coyote was.  We never got a picture though. :(

We moved on, going into burn areas, grassy valleys, and some forested areas.  We found several enormous skulls of elk with huge antlers attached, Captain and I could easily fit in the antlers they were so big.  They were bleached from the sun, and reminded me that this truly is the wilderness, and no one would come to save us if we got hurt.  We climbed up a steep slope, and saw a lake - full of fish, but we weren't allowed to take them because they were Cutthroat Trout and endangered.  We went on, only to get attack by mosquitoes, so much so that I cried.

We continued on, about to head up into the rockier highlands.  We crossed another grassland area when I stepped into what looked like firm sand - it was quicksand.  My leg went in all the way above my knee and I screamed as I fell.   Captain had to come back and pull me out - we had to take my backpack off! I was covered in mud after that.  It was a rough day, especially because we lost the trail  again, finally finding it high on a ridge.  We hiked closer to the Canyon area; the soil became rockier, with big boulders sticking out.  It was beautiful.  When at last we reached out campsite, it was by far one of my favorites. It was right next to Wapiti Lake.  The water was crystal clear, the pine trees tall and green.  It felt like I was seeing my soul for the first time.  The campsite was covered in pine needles and just smelled delicious.  Everything was so sublime, more so for all the hard work we put into it - carrying about 40 pounds each for about 15 or so miles.  I never slept better that night.  Captain never slept worse, again because of the cold ground.
We got up slowly the next day and headed South through mostly grasslands.  We saw some steam rising off in the distance, and went off the trail in search of the source.  We came across the coolest thing ever.  It was a mud pot, a huge hole in the ground where mud lay bubbling and boiling.  We climbed a pine tree nearby to get a closer and safer look.  It's never safe to walk where there are no trees growing in Yellowstone.  The magma chamber is always less than 5 miles below the surface and it is no fun to fall into a steam vent or mud pot.  We took some great photos, then continued south in Pelican Valley. 

We came across some more bones and boiling streams where gases seeped from below, with crazy colored thermophile covering the ground.  Thermophiles means bacteria that can live in extremely hot conditions.  We saw an enormous steam vent, and another huge mud pot.  After 18 miles, we finally came to the main Pelican Valley and  turned Northeast to get to our next campsite.  As we were walking, we saw the reason why Pelican Valley was closed from 7pm to 8am.  A huge grizzly bear was running away from us.  Directly where we were supposed to go.  We couldn't find the trail though, and it was after 7pm, so Captain and I decided to go home.  That meant another 5 miles in the setting sun, through mega bear territory.  I sang Disney songs the whole time home to keep the bears away.

When we reached the road we were so exhausted we needed to hitchhike.  Captain literally stepped in front of a car, and the Mormons in it gave us a crowded lift. They actually knew where we were from too, because home is near the Mormon Temple in DC.  We got back, Captain took a much needed hot bath to warm his soul, and we went to the pub and got a huge pizza with everything on it.  What an awesome first backpacking adventure.