It was an early morning as we left Valley City at 6:00AM on Wednesday, but my excitement grew knowing where we all were headed. A couple hours after being on the road, we decided to stop in Bismarck for a quick breakfast to fuel our long drive ahead. Painted Canyon, found in the south unit of the badlands, was one of our stops along the way to stretch our legs. Miles City, MT was our lunch stop, and we traveled up until Livingston, MT to get groceries for the days we would be in Yellowstone. We finally arrived in Gardiner, MT and got settled into our rooms at the hotel. Yari and I had a nice supper of elk lasagna and chicken at The Raven. It was so nice to see the mountains once more, and it made me excited about what the next day would bring!
Day two consisted of introductions between everyone and our tour guide Mike. He wanted to ensure everyone got at least a chance to see what they wanted on the trip, so he asked us what we were looking forward to seeing. These varied from grizzly bears to Yellowstone Lake. We all loaded up in the bus and headed to Mammoth Hot Springs to listen to Travis Wyman speak about bears and elk management and its history within the park. After listening to Travis, we then viewed elk, Clark’s nutcrackers, and magpie at Mammoth Hot Springs. This gave our tour guide the chance to talk to us about elk rut.
We then made our way up to the boardwalks on Canary Springs to talk about geology and its role in the park. We also tested the pH of the water coming out of the springs, and related that to the acidity within some areas of the park. On our way into Norris Geyser Basin, we tested another spot for its pH level. The first spot we tested was drastically different than the second, as Canary Springs had pure water, while the second spot had very acidic water with a pH of about 1-2. Once we finished with the pH testing, we headed off to have lunch. Within our lunch spot, we found wolf, coyote, and elk tracks.
When lunch was finished, we made our way to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This is an amazing area with a beautiful waterfall. We hiked a short way up the trail and learned about bear safety, different types of pines, and even a plant that does not photosynthesize. This plant stood out to me since it was red in color. I immediately asked our guide what kind of plant it was, and he was delighted that I pointed it out. The plant lives off of the other trees by using their sap for nutrients (I cannot remember the name). Once our hike was over and our pictures were taken, we headed back to Gardiner to listen to another speaker. Mike Tersec and his wife spoke to us about climate change. Climate change is a big issue, especially when you ask the people living within the Yellowstone Ecosystem and Gardiner, MT. They spoke with heart and one could tell they really cared about the issue. They also told us the story about when the hiked to The Trident, which is the most remote place in the lower 48 that one can visit. It is 35 miles away from any roads or civilization. Maybe I will hike there someday! It was great hearing some of their bear encounter stories as well. It was a nice way to end the night, followed up by some supper. Tomorrow we are planning on going to Hayden Valley bright and early, hopefully we will see some cool wildlife! Stay tuned!