Opening Weekend 2018 Geyser Action

            Once a year there is a time that I personally get very excited for, the opening of the roads into Yellowstone National Park. They close yearly in October or November and re-open towards the middle end of April. During this time the only road that is accessible to regular wheeled vehicles is from Gardiner, Montana to Cooke City, Montana. Not saying this is a bad thing but I have a love that has been built up over the years for one unique feature, geysers.

Beehive Geyser, 4 21 18 10:25 am

            Yellowstone National Park is home to over 14,000 thermal features, the highest concentration on our big blue planet. There are four varieties of thermal features. Hot springs are beautiful to look at but stay constantly the same (although some may become geysers because of the underground working of the Earth). Fumaroles, or steam vents as they are also called have water underground and produce heavy amounts of steam that never reaches the surface; these are the hottest of the features. Mudpots consist of bubbling acidic mud that you would not want to use as a facemask, as the summer moves on they become less active and produce a dried mud shell around their vicinity. Then come geysers.

            Geysers are hot springs that eject water into the air. They come in two varieties, cone geysers and fountain geysers. Cone geysers are the stereotypical geysers you think of like the world famous performer Old Faithful. They water builds up underground and have a cone formation on the surface, this cone is build of siliceous sinter, or geyserite as it is also known. Basically it is a water deposited form of opal that is not gem quality. The cone geysers have beautiful built up cone formations. They will eject water in a single stream with a steam phase to follow. Other examples of cone geysers are Beehive, Giant, Grotto and Riverside.

            Fountain geysers are the other type. They look like your average hot spring pool but there is something different about them. After an eruption the pool will start to fill up until it starts to overflow. Once this happens depending on the geyser an eruption will eventually be attained. The eruptions from a fountain geyser happen in a series of bursts from the pool. Some go for a short time while others go for hours on end. The most famous of these is definitely Grand Geyser, the most predictable of the large fountain geysers.  My personal favorite is Great Fountain Geyser; this was the first geyser that was ever seen by an expedition into Yellowstone in 1869 by the Folsom, Cooke and Peterson party.

            We did have a good geyser day but no fountains in our experience on the second day that the park roads were opened. We did catch a rare performance of the unpredictable Beehive geyser just as we drove up. The beehive has a small geyser that is attached to its plumbing system ironically called Beehive’s Indicator (although its not always associated with an eruption of the big guy), which was going off. It went two minutes after arrival as I scooted as close as possible to get a look, some photos and a bit of video footage.

Old Faithful Geyser, 4 21 18, 10:35 am

            After we watched Beehive do it’s thing we headed towards the visitors center to check on the predictions of other geysers Old Faithful gave us a show, less than ten minutes after Beehive. We then headed into the visitors center where they have a screen that has predictions for the major geysers on it. I always like to take a photo of that so I can look back at it and try to make my way around the Upper Geyser Basin in an orderly fashion to see as many of these wonders of the world as possible.

            We started heading out towards Daisy Geyser and ended up waiting there for about an hour but it gave a good show, we think that the prediction was an hour off, but it was the second day the roads were open. After Daisy we headed towards Riverside Geyser, which is always beautiful, especially when you get the rainbow effect when the sun is at the right angle (which we did not). We waited there for about another half hour and it gave us a show.

Daisy Geyser performs on 4 21 118

            After these beauties danced in the sunlight for us we started making our way back along the boardwalks towards the Old Faithful Inn where or car was parked. We stopped at Spasmodic, which is really fun to watch if it’s going, small but furious. We headed back towards Castle Geyser and saw a second Old Faithful from the bridge over the Firehole River. This was a great first geyser day for the 2018 season. We are hoping that there are many more days just like this or better.

Riverside Geyser 4 21 18

            As we made our way back towards Livingston we took it slow and enjoyed moving along the roads of the park that we love. There is a bit of snow till up there but that never stops those that have a love for this place. The best part of the whole ordeal is that the National Park Service made it possible for us to get thru after they said a couple days previous that the construction zone was impassible. Thanks NPS for protecting these special places and making them accessible. See you in the park!

            

Three Days in the Cascade Corner of Yellowstone National Park

Do you know the best part of Yellowstone National Park? Well, that’s a trick question. Everything is great about this park! Most recently we took some clients on a rather large, epic-backpacking trip into the southwestern region of the park, the Bechler, or otherwise referred, Cascade Corner. This area is known for it’s large concentration of waterfalls, open meadows, epic fishing and wonderful thermal features. Lets take a quick version of our long walk and dip our toes in the waters of the Bechler.

The Beginning

The first day of the trip we met up in West Yellowstone where we hopped in our van. From West Yellowstone we headed south to Ashton, Idaho where a dirt road heads towards the Bechler Ranger Station. It was a nice road where we only met a couple vehicles before we reached the station. When we got to the trailhead we readjusted our backpacks, divvying out the group gear and food amongst all of the participants including yours truly.

Once we got all adjusted we stopped to check in with the ranger in the station.  The original Bechler Ranger Station was built during the army’s residence in Yellowstone from 1886 to 1918, it was built in 1911. There are two more ranger stations that date to that era left in Yellowstone including the Tower Ranger Station and Museum of the National Park Ranger at the entrance to the Norris Campground.

Our first day was very short, just less than 4 miles; it was a flat hike thru some beautiful woods that paralleled the Bechler River at points. We got to base camp and hung out and got acquainted a bit while we set up camp. This was the only campsite of the trip that a fire was allowed at so we took advantage of that. Wood was not too easy to come by as this is a very popular area of the park but we managed enough to have a nice blaze.

Day Two

We woke and broke camp in the morning. Our friends from England saw a moose in the morning that the rest of us missed. The early bird gets the worm as they say. Today was our first big hike of the trip.  As we made our way towards Bechler Meadows we had to cross our first stream. There are many fords of this trip. Where you must cross the river on foot with all of your gear on you.  The major reason that backpacking the Bechler is not advised until later in the summer is high water from spring melt off.

The Bechler Meadows were very large and beautiful but quite brown at this point. It was very dry which is good for hiking this trail. If you hike it in the fall you avoid the high water and also the bugs, mosquitoes and biting flies. After crossing the meadows we came to the Bechler River ford. This was the first of a few fords on this trip. Being the guide I took the lead and found the best route. All made it across with no mishaps.

Iris Falls, Yellowstone National Park. 

Once across the Bechler we started making our way up the canyon where an abundance of waterfalls can be found. The three falls that are seen from the trail are Ouzel, Columnade and Iris Falls in that order. Ouzel is barely seen from the trail but the others are seen more easily in their entirety.

After making our way along the river we came to our next ford of the day, this was the toughest of them all on this trip. The rocks were larger and there were a few deeper holes in the Bechler to avoid. We got advice from some fellow hikers on where the best place to ford would be to our advantage.  Everyone made it across with no problems.

After this ford we made our way further north and uphill on the west side of the Bechler River until we made our way to the final ford of the trip. This was the easiest of the fords and very close to our campsite at Albright Falls. It was a long day of meadows, fords, uphill hiking and waterfalls, well worth every second. We ended the day with some nice freeze-dried meals, which are super light and pack a good caloric punch.  I hope you like a lot of white noise, because the water tumbling down the 260-foot Albright Falls is right in the campsite and rushing like crazy.

Day Three

We woke up early this morning and made our way thru the fog and cool air towards our breakfast destination.   As we hike north we are getting further into the super volcano caldera, which erupted a mere 640,000 years ago and continues to fuel the unique thermal features we see along the trail.  Geologic processes are the reason that Yellowstone as we know it is here.

The Ferris, Gregg, and Phillips Forks create the Bechler River at the Three Rivers Junction. Right near this junction is our breakfast spot of choice, Mr. Bubbles. This legal soaking spot, (one of very few in Yellowstone) is located on the Ferris Fork to the east of the Bechler River Trail on a spur, which is about a half mile in length.

There are some wonderful thermal features along this spur trail on the Ferris Fork.

Most are VERY hot and dangerous.  Mr. Bubbles is a big bubbler type thermal feature in a little cove on the river, there is also a thermal stream that feeds into the same cove, and it’s pretty awesome! These both mix with cold water making it legal to soak in, just like the world famous Boiling River.

Mr Bubbles.

 Mr Bubbles area.

After soaking and making freeze dried eggs burritos with coffee for breakfast we started heading north for another long day hike. We made our way up and out of the Bechler River Canyon and stopped to see Twister Falls on the way. We made our way thru the forests of mostly lodgepole pines and obsidian coated ground where a few mushrooms dotted the forest. Eventually we made our way to a wet meadow that we had to cross. At the far end of the meadow we pumped water from a stream and made our way back into the forest to our campsite which was not too far from the next days destination of Shoshone Lake and Geyser Basin.

Day Four

We woke up and had some breakfast and coffee per regular routine and hit the trail on our shortest day to the campsite nearest the Shoshone Geyser Basin, Basin Bay Point. It was a great campsite located to the east of the basin across a small shallow bay. We were glad to be at Shoshone Lake as everyone took a dip in the waters to cleanse ourselves.

This was the most relaxing and chilled out day on the trail. We took the short trip to the geyser basin and saw some wonderful geysers in actions and other thermal actions. It was very hot so we found a couple of small shaded spots and watched for a bit then headed back to camp. There was more swimming that ensued because to the warmth of the day.

The campsite has a great view to the west over Basin Bay therefore affords nice sunsets. We had a few clouds in the sky and got some pinks and purples, it was nice and pastel like. After sunset we all sank into our tents with an early wakeup call to head out in the morning for an early hike of around nine miles.

Shoshone Geyser Basin.

Make sure to stay on established trails in the geyser basins.

Final Day

We woke up early and broke down camp for the last time on this adventure. Life is different when your house is on your back. If your desire is to get out and see these places that are tucked away deep in the backcountry this is how it happens. You carry your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, snacks, meals, headlamps, batteries, and everything you need on your back. It’s quite the ordeal but well worth it.

We made our way up and over Grants Pass for the last major uphill of the journey.  There was no sign to designate where the pass itself was but once you start going downhill you know you’ve been to the top.  We made our way thru some more lodgepole forests and eventually met up with the Firehole River.

The Firehole River runs thru the Upper, Middle and Lower Geyser Basins and then meets the Gibbon at Madison Junction to form the Madison River. The Madison is one of the tributaries that eventually becomes the much larger Missouri River. Any how this is way further down river than we actually are near Lone Star Geyser.

We eventually make our way to the geyser after passing a few campsites, going across some swampy meadows on wooden boardwalks and walking by a solo very large bull bison. He was not too close to where we were, but if he had been you know we would have used an alternative route to get around him.  All animals in Yellowstone are wild and should be treated that way.

Lone Star Geyser, (no named for the Lone Star State, but for being such an outlier of a large geyser) erupts about every three or so hours. We got there and no one seemed to actually know when the geyser had last had a major eruption. It does have smaller eruptions called minors as well. We waited around for quite a while with some action but none major happening and had to meet our shuttle at 3 pm. We finally decided that it was time to go and a minor eruption happened. It was great to see.

The last lag of the trail is an old partially paved service road that meanders along the Firehole River. It is very easy going and serene to be walking by such a nice river. There were some swimming holes that looked like they could be perfect for a scorching summer day or filled with trout of world renown. This was a perfect way to end the hike, meeting many people along the trail was a great way to ease back into society after being immersed in the wilderness for four nights and five days.

Lone Star Geyser. 

Yellowstone National Park's Boiling River Closed Until Further Notice

This is not the actual sign, but you get the point.

Yesterday marked the time of year that college students from Bozeman loathe, the Spring closing of the Boiling River. No, the super volcano is not getting hotter. The reasoning for the closure is very easy to figure out if you have ever lived in a place that has four seasons, Spring runoff. The rivers are rising which makes them more dangerous. They are being fed by all of that snow that is melting and running down the mountains.

The thing that I find funny is that people will drive 75 miles to soak in an overcrowded place which is only 3 miles from the North Entrance to the park and not go past. A friend of mine said that she had only been to the Boiling River previous to her visit this last week. This saddens me because  Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is one of the most special places in the world in my view.

 The National Park Service does not close this because they fell like it, there are always legitimate reasons for any closure in Yellowstone. In this case it is high water, sometimes there is a animal carcass on a trail, etc. If you are caught in this area while it is closed you will most likely be fined.

YNP is home to over 10,000 thermal features including the highest concentration of geysers on planet Earth. Actually it has more than all of the other geyser fields combined. It is also home to the largest free roaming herds of elk and bison in the world, which is quite amazing. There are also pronghorn antelope, white tail and mule deer and many other small mammals. Not to mention the grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, bobcat, lynx, and many other predators.

If this is not enough for you I'll also mention that there are over 1,100 miles of hiking trails in the park and many more in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem  that surrounds the park.

So if this is not enough for you then I don't know what to say.

Yellowstone National Park is unique and beautiful as well as captivating and dangerous. This place should not be taken lightly. If you live in this region take a trip to the park, watch some wildlife, get the geyser predictions from the Old Faithful Visitors Center or get the NPS Geyser APP for you "smart phone" users.

Yellowstone National Park was set aside "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people" on March 1, 1892 because it is so unique and full of wonder and danger.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. They are pushing the Find Your Park campaign to get people out. Is this your park or are you gonna just drive 3 miles in?

The decision is yours but I beg of you, take a cruise and see what it's all about. It is in fact your heritage!

Thanks for reading and I hope that you Find Your Park! #findyourpark




The Boiling River in 1900

Emmylou Harris and John Prine To Headline "An Evening at the Arch: Yellowstone Celebrates the National Park Service Centennial" August 25th, 2016 in Gardiner, Montana

 

This is a copy of the news release that came out yesterday.

 

Grammy award winning singer-songwriters, Emmylou Harris and John Prine will headline “An Evening at the Arch: Yellowstone Celebrates the National Park Service Centennial” on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 7 p.m. MT in Gardiner, Montana. The event will be broadcast live online.

 

“This very special event will kick off the second century for the National Park Service, highlight the importance of public/private partnerships, and recognize the completion of the Gardiner Gateway Project Phase One,” said Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk.

 

The event features a talented line-up of performers: Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Leyla McCalla, the children’s chorus The Singing Angels from Cleveland, Ohio, and Teddy Roosevelt reenactor, Joe Wiegand, with more performances and details to be announced in the coming months. Local, state, and national dignitaries will also speak at the event.

 

Advance tickets are required. Tickets are free, but limited. The first ticket release will be on Sunday, May 15 at noon MT on https://www.ticketriver.com/event/19359. Additional ticket releases will occur on June 15 and July 15. Event organizers strongly recommend that people secure lodging BEFORE getting a ticket because area lodging is limited. Residents of Gardiner and Jardine are encouraged to get tickets from the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will distribute tickets held especially for local residents as a thank you for their patience and flexibility during the Gardiner Gateway Project construction.

 

For the safety and comfort of all attendees, no alcohol, coolers, umbrellas, or dogs will be allowed at this event. Qualified service animals are welcome; however, they must be leashed and under your control at all times. Additional information about coverage logistics for news media will be released at a later date. For more information, visit https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/evening-arch.htm.

 

The event sponsors include: Yellowstone Association, Yellowstone Park Foundation, Yellowstone National Park Lodges, Yellowstone Park Service Stations, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Cool Works, D&R Coffee, First Interstate Bank, Gardiner Chamber of Commerce, Kendeda Fund, National Parks Conservation Association, National Park Foundation, Sinclair, State of Montana, State of Wyoming, and Yellowstone Country.

 

“An Evening at the Arch” is a great example of the countless ways there are to find your park. Launched in March 2015, Find Your Park / Encuentra Tu Parque is a public awareness and education movement to inspire people to connect with, celebrate, and support America’s national parks and community-based programs. Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial and setting the stage for the Service's next 100 years, Find Your Park invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.

 

 

Yellowstone Roads Open And Geyser Mania Ensues

So every year we have lived in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem we have made it a tradition to head to the park on the opening weekend. This year we took a couple of new friends and headed to Old Faithful. As always it was amazing but this year we had an amazing geyser day in the Upper Geyser Basin (where we spent our whole day).

We pulled up below the Old Faithful Inn and there were maybe ten vehicles. We headed into the visitors center to get the predicted times for the geysers and headed out.

It's always good to know when the predicted times are so you can plan your route through the Upper Geyser Basin.

So we started out on our journey and headed out to get up to Observation Point thinking that it would be a great place to see Old Faithful from. We got to the bridge and our friend noticed that Beehive was erupting! As normal I ran to get next to it and WOW what a great first geyser of the National Park Service Centennial year! After that we caught an amazing show from Old Faithful.

BEEHIVE!!!

OLD FAITHFUL!

After this we headed out towards Morning Glory from Geyser Hill. The boardwalk from Castle to Sawmill Geyser is being redone so you could access the trails from Old Faithful and Grotto Geysers. We did the round and made it to Artemisia and sat there for a while. We decided to head to Biscuit Basin and caught Jewel from the other side of the lollipop loop. We watched some ravens eat a cormorant at Black Diamond Pool and headed back to the trail. I was the first to get back to Artemisia which started erupting upon my arrival. This was my first time as well as all my companions to see this geyser. It erupted for 24 minutes, we stayed the whole time.

Artemisia on the first pass.

Ephydrid Flies on a bacteria mat at Biscuit Basin.

BOOM! ARTEMISIA!!!

Great times with great friends!

After watching this amazing geyser action we headed back towards the main basin area to Riverside which had not gone. It was in overflow when we got there so we waited, it must have just started so we waited almost an hour in hopes that Grand had not gone yet. It was worth the wait because you can see Grotto from the Riverside viewing area. We finally got a show, it was amazing as always.

RIVERSIDE!

We stayed for the majority of the show and headed out to Grand because we had not seen any steam plumes from that area. We waited for two turbans and on the third we got the wave and Grand gave us an amazing show. It had quite a few bursts then paused for an amazingly large explosion of water from below! One of the local Geyser Gazers was super vocal and excited. That made me excited because these people live for these amazing unique features! It was awesome!

This is the large burst! WOW!

On the way back to Old Faithful geyser we were near the Lion Group when Castle Geyser let off a little steam, well and a ton of water. It's always great to see the big, predictable geysers erupt. They are so unique and we should not take them for granted.

Castle Geyser, one of the greats!

After this, on the way back to the car we caught another Old Faithful eruption.

What? No one else is at Old Faithful, this is very strange...

This was the end of our geyser day at Old Faithful but one that will go down in our personal history books as, well an EPIC geyser day.

On the way back home we got another show, thermal in some way but not the same.

Electric Peak at sunset!

The park is opening the roads at the normal rate. Happy hunting!

Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you enjoyed it!

Seasoned Yellowstone National Park Hiker Killed By Grizzly Bear While Hiking Off Trail Near Lake Village

A man whose name had not been released has been killed in Yellowstone National Park by a grizzly bear. The man, a fifth season employee, was found dead off trail near the Elephant Back loop trail which is very popular with Lake Village employees. His body was found partially consumed and cached on Friday August 7th. A preliminary report confirms that the man has defensive marks on his forearms confirming a bear attack. The bears involved are possibly a sow with a cub of the year. There has been a large amout of rain in the park so collecting evidence in the investigation may be very hard. An official autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Here is a list of bear related deaths throughout the history of Yellowstone National Park taken from

(http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/injuries.htm)

During the 140-year (1872-2011) history of Yellowstone National Park, seven people have been killed by bears in the park. More people in the park have died from drowning, burns (after falling into thermal pools), and suicide than have been killed by bears. To put it in perspective, the probability of being killed by a bear in the park (7 incidents) is only slightly higher than the probability of being struck and killed by lightning (5 incidents).

• August 2011 - a day hiker, hiking by himself, was killed by a grizzly bear on the Mary Mountain Trail in Hayden Valley.
• July 2011 - a day hiker in a party of two was killed by an adult female grizzly bear with 2 cubs on the Wapiti Lake Trail in Hayden Valley.
• October 1986 - a photographer was killed by an adult female grizzly bear near Otter Creek in Hayden Valley.
• July 1984 - a grizzly bear killed a backpacker in a backcountry campsite located at the southern end of White Lake near Pelican Valley.
• June 1972 - an old adult female grizzly bear killed a man in an illegally established camp. The man surprised the bear when he returned to his campsite at night. The bear was in his camp feeding on food that he had left out unsecured in the campsite.
• August 1942 - a bear killed a woman at night in the Old Faithful campground. The species of bear involved was not determined.
• 1916 - a grizzly bear killed a man in a roadside camp.
• A possible fatality supposedly occurred in 1907 when a man was attacked by a female grizzly bear after he prodded her cub with an umbrella. The account of the incident appeared in a popular book, "Book of a Hundred Bears" published in 1909 by F.D. Smith. However, the validity of this incident is questionable as there is no mention of it in official park reports or local newspapers from 1907. The "Book of a Hundred Bears" contains many stories without providing back-up documentation. The 1907 story appears to be an unsubstantiated legend.

 

To avoid conflicts with bears always make noise while hiking especially around blind corners and in thick wooded areas, hike in large groups and carry bear spray and know how to use it.

Bear spray does no good in your pack, have it accessible at all times!!!

 

Not a photo of this incident.



Albright Visitor Center's Grand Opening Sunday at Mammoth Hot Springs

Sunday July 12th marks the official re-opening of the Albright Visitor Center. The building has been newly renovated and has actually been open since Earth Day this year, April 22nd to visitors. The Albright Visitor Center is named after Horace Albright. Albright helped to establish the National Park Service in 1916. He then served as Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park for ten years, where he saw his mission as “improving Yellowstone and its services to visitors as the flagship of the National Park Service.”  After his stint in Yellowstone he served as the director of the NPS and drastically increased the amount of NPS sites east of the Mississippi River including expanding the scope of locations included in the system.

This will only happen once folks so if you want to experience a historic event in Yellowstone National Park and are in the area this is your chance.

The celebration is set to begin in front of the Albright Visitors Center at 10 AM or in the Map Room of the hotel if there is bad weather.

Historic photo of Superintendent Horace Albright, don't try this at home folks. You must be 100 yards from bears these days.

Horace Albright.



Memorial Day Openings In Yellowstone

In Yellowstone National Park Memorial Day weekend marks a few different milemarks for the year. Yesterday marked the opening of two favorite drives in the Greater Yellowstone. Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway are now accessible to area visitors. These roads open so late in the season due to unpredictability of weather and the fact that most years there is a ton of snow late into the Spring and even Summer. They are both subject to closures at anytime due to these factors.

 

Starting on Monday, Memorial Day the backcountry permits for the park will have a required fee that will run through September 10th.

The fees will be $3 per night, per person with a maximum $15 fee per party. 

If you plan to stay over 8 nights in the backcountry there is a frequent user card available for $25.

Stock (horse) parties will pay a fee of $5 per person per night with no breaks. 

This is the first year the Yellowstone has enacted backcountry fees.

All the proceeds from fee collection will go directly into the backcountry program.

There are no fees to dayhike just to camp overnight.

Hiking the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River. 2007.

Today marks the opening of the 2015 fishing season in Yellowstone National Park.

 There are 3 day passes available for $18, the 7 day pass is $25 and season is $40.

Be sure to check out the regulations because they are different depending on where you would like to fish.

 

Follow this link to the regulations.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/15FishReg_revisionTW.pdf

 

Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish and Arctic Grayling are all native species and are native species and are catch and release only. The saying relating to Cutthroat Trout is, "if it has a red slash, put it back". 

 

Below are photos of three native species of Yellowstone National Park, catch and release only.

Cutthroat Trout. Source www.tripadvisor.com

Mountain Whitefish. https://wgfd.wyo.gov/fishexam/species/frmMoutainWhitefish.aspx

Arctic Grayling. www.fws.gov



Non-native species in the park include Rainbow, Brown, Brook and Lake Trout.

The regulations are different per watershed in the park.

 Make sure that you know the regulations for the specific waterbody you are fishing!

Always have your permit when fishing in the park. You can get them at any of the backcountry offices.

 

Summer is just ramping up here in the northern Rocky Mountains! Come and play, be safe and know the rules of engagement. This place is wild and amazing! I'm glad it has been preserved for generations to come! Keep up the good work America!!!  Oh and NO the Boiling River is not open yet.  

Copy of Yellowstone News Release Issued Today

Rangers Save Man After Fall into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Date: May 18, 2014 Amy Bartlett (307)344-2015 YELL_Public_Affairs@nps.gov    Yellowstone National Park rangers saved a man from New York after he fell approximately 25 feet into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, a 71-year-old man was attempting to take a picture of a sign at Grand View at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone when he stumbled backwards over a stone barrier and into the canyon. After falling approximately 25 feet, he was able to stop himself at the top of a precipice by bracing his body and feet on opposing sides of a small crevice. A visitor that witnessed the man’s fall ran to a nearby parking lot to call 911. The first two rangers on scene threw looped rope down to the man and secured him to a sign and tree at the top of the canyon. National Park Service employees and members of the Yellowstone Technical Rescue Team responded to the scene and set up a system of ropes and pulleys to carry out the rescue. One harnessed member of the Technical Rescue Team descended to the man’s location and secured him into the pulley system. The man was then able to walk to safety with assistance from the ropes, pulleys, and ranger. According to staff on scene, the man was extremely lucky. The crevice and the angle of his body during the fall helped the man stop at the top of a 200 foot drop. A fall just inches to the left may have resulted in a fatality as the canyon wall is mostly steep loose rock. The man was transported by ground ambulance to a helicopter ambulance for a possible hip injury. Seventeen Park Service staff assisted with this rescue.    http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/15030.htm   These photos are from Yellowstone National Parks Facebook page. Man being rescued in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River Rescued mans location in the Canyon.

Geysers Galore!!!

This weekend marks the opening of Firehole Lake Drive and Fountain Flats Area. They have been closed because the area is considered a Bear Management Area. One of my favorite geysers seen to date is in this area, Great Fountain Geyser! It is a fountain type geyser as the name states. There are two types of geysers, cone and fountain.

 

From www.nps.gov/yell webiste

There are geysers all over the world. Many are still active but other have been wiped out because of geothermal energy research or natural disasters. The second largest geyser field on Earth, the Valley of Geysers on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia was partially buried under a mudslide on June 7, 2003 in an unfortunate event. It was captured on video by film makers of the series Wild Russia.

This landslide covered most of the valley.

 

Luckily there are geyser fields that are still intact like here in Yellowstone. 



From http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/geysers/geysmapw.html

Click on this link to see where the geysers are in more detail.



I have been fortunate to see many great geysers in eruption. These include many eruptions of Riverside and Lone Star, a few Beehives, Castle, Daisy and Grand. I was with my parents their first time to the park and we caught Beehive and Grand! Super great intro for them. The first time my girlfriend came with me we caught Beehive then Great Fountain. I caught a bit of Fan & Mortar and Giantess. Not to mention the countless Old Faithful eruptions. I still have a yearning for Giant and Steamboat eruptions, fingers crossed.

There are more geysers in Yellowstone than all other geyser fields on the planet making this a very special place unlike any other.

So if you in Yellowstone visiting or live in the local area take some time to move past Old Faithful and make some memories you will never forget. Explore the other geyser basins in the park and make sure to stay on the boardwalks because you never know what is lurking just below the surface...stay safe my friends!

 

 

The only thing left to check out are the space geysers such as the ones on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons!!!

 

http://www.space.com/22181-saturn-moon-enceladus-water-geysers.html

Two Guests Gored By Bison In Yellowstone So Far This Year, They Are WILD Animals People, This Is Not A Zoo!

First it's people getting too close to a black bear mother and cubs, now this. Yesterday a girl was gored by a bison in the Old Faithful area. A 16 year old girl wanted to have her picture taken with some bison in the background. She was too close and was gored and pushed to the ground by one of these large animals. The girl is ok and probably scarred for life, mentally and physically. Bison can weigh up to 2000 pounds. There are two times a year when the bison are on edge, calving and the rut. Baby bison or "red dogs" are dropped around this time of the year. The herd are very protective of their young as most speices of animals are. The rut is when the males are fighting for the females attention and they are trying to mate. Yellowstone National Park offers the seasonal newspaper to guests when entering the park. On the front page there are the top 10 things people should know.

PLEASE READ AT LEAST THE FRONT PAGE!!!

A Second incident happened on June 2nd, again at Old Faithful. A 62 year old Australian man was within 3 to 5 feet of a bison taking picture with a tablet of sorts. Suddenly he was thrown in the air multiple times. This is not a zoo folks. These animals live here year round in the WILD...

There are links to stories on these events at the bottom of the page.
 

The ever so popular warning not many people read, maybe this should be on the front page.

 

The bison are wild animals that are very strong and can be bull headed (pun intended). We humans are only guests in their home. They live in the park year round and have to work hard to survive the winter. So when it comes to the more mellow seasons of the year give them a break and their own space. Please enjoy the wildlife in the park but be cautious. ALL of the animals in the park (besides workers pets, mostly dogs) are WILD! They don't rationalize like humans but then again maybe some of them do... Please obey the rules in any national park to keep everyone safe. Keep your distance and yourself safe.

Here is a link to the safety portion of the Yellowstone Website:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/safety.htm
 

Unfortunately this is not my photo, source unknown.


Here is a link to an article on this happening:

http://www.krtv.com/story/29080413/teen-gored-by-bison-in-yellowstone-national-park

The link to the second incident...

http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/15034.htm
 



New Black Bear Video Shows What Not To Do! Be Bear Aware People!!!

WOW! That's all I can say after seeing the video of the mother black bear and her three cubs being harassed by tourists in Yellowstone National Park (YNP)!  Check it out for yourself.

I do not agree with the title of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HslURrpRgGE

Many media sources have reported on this video and said that tourists are being chased by the bears. This is definitely NOT the case. These bears are trapped on the bridge located east of Tower Junction in what is known as a Bear Jam. As you can see from the video there are cars parked on BOTH sides of the bridge. There are no natural escape routes for the bears, they are on a man made bridge over the Yellowstone River. Isn't the point of seeing wildlife in a place like Yellowstone to see the animals in thier natural habitat?

The top ten things to know about YNP are on the front page of thier quarterly newsletter:

1. Give wildlife a brake: Top speed in YNP is 45mph
2. Watch wildlife from pullouts: Don't impede traffic.
3. Campfires in designated areas only.
4. DO NOT APPROACH WILDLIFE.
5. Do not feed ANY wild animals.
6. Stay on designated trails and boardwalks.
7. Unmanned aircrafts (Drones) prohibited.
8. BE BEAR AWARE: Hike in groups, DON'T RUN under ANY circumstances!
9. Control your pet.
10. Cell phone service may not be available.

Three of the top ten things to know were disregarded by the people in the video. This information is offered to everyone coming into the park. I wonder how many people actually read it?

PLEASE BE MORE BEAR AWARE PEOPLE!!!

There are two different kinds of bears in the area. The black bear and grizzly bear. Luckily these tourists did not trap a grizzly bear on the bridge or the outcome could have been very different.

A few Bear Facts:

In Yellowstone National Park you must be at least 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from all other large wildlife. These people look to be 5 feet away and should be fined.
There were two grizzly related deaths in the park in 2011, four years ago.
Bears can run up to 35 miles per hour over varied terrain, much faster than humans.
There are an estimated 150 grizzly bears that make YNP thier home and over 1,000 black bears.
Male grizzly bears can weight up to 700lbs, females up to 400lbs.
Male black bears can weigh up to 320 lbs, females up to 200lbs.
Both are much stronger than humans!
Never turn and run from bears, people in the video were doing the opposite of what they should have.

If you live in the area or are just visiting PLEASE be aware that these are WILD ANIMALS!!! Yellowstone National Park is not a ZOO it's a park set aside "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people". Not the harassment of wildlife.

Yellowstone National Park's Mission Statement is:

 

Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and the majority of the world’s geysers and hot springs. An outstanding mountain wildland with clean water and air, Yellowstone is home of the grizzly bear and wolf and free-ranging herds of bison and elk. Centuries-old sites and historic buildings that reflect the unique heritage of America’s first national park are also protected. Yellowstone National Park serves as a model and inspiration for national parks throughout the world.

Please be part of that model and help preserve this place, it is wild, epic and amazing!!!
Hopefully this video serves as an example of what not to do. People need to respect this place and all of the amazing things that make Yellowstone National Park the place it is so that all generations to come can enjoy it as we do today!