Today can be summed up by the title of this post. We went to just about every thermal formation we could, as well as some waterfalls. We visited the Upper, Lower, and Gibbon Falls. Each of them was quite magnificent. The hike to the summit of the Lower Falls was down a zig-zag trail that descended about 600 feet. It was easygoing on the way down, but everyone was winded after coming back up.
After visiting the falls, we headed straight for Old Faithful. When we arrived, we had just missed an eruption, so we had about an hour and a half until the next one. Myself and one other person decided to take the boardwalk and see all the other springs and geysers in the area. We saw Castle Geyser and Grotto Geyser, as well as some hot springs including Beauty Pool and Morning Glory Pool. By the time we made it back to Old Faithful, it was about to go off. It was cool to watch, but I personally like looking into the hot springs and seeing all of the different colored thermophilic bacteria.
After Old Faithful erupted, we headed to Black Sand Pool. When we got to the pool, we all laid down next to the fence around it. After about five minutes, we began hearing and feeling the earth rumbling beneath us. It pulsated sporadically for a minute, paused for another few, and did it again for another minute. It felt as if the earth had a heartbeat. As I mentioned to those near me, I was getting some serious Jumanji vibes.
After that, we visited the rest of the geyser basins. At the Midway Geyser Basin, we struggled to see the Grand Prismatic Springs because it was cool, windy, and there was a blinding amount of steam flying through the air. Later in the day, we stopped in Norris Geyser Basin to see the Steamboat Geyser and the Porcelain springs. Our last stop was the Terraces in Mammoth Hot Springs.
Today was harder on my feet than any of the other days, probably because we were walking on wooden boardwalks and concrete rather than on dirt and grass. Although it was cool to see all of the thermal features of Yellowstone, I’d have to say the wildlife and the landscape were much more interesting. Jumping from hot spring to geyser all day made me feel like a general tourist rather than a student learning about the ecology of Yellowstone’s ecosystem. But in the end, I had fun.
