8-2-10

SMOKE ON THE WATER

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER"FLY

SLIMY AMPHIBIAN

BEAVER POND

MAMMOTH HOT SPRING

INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN

SMOKE IF YOU GOT 'EM

FUMAROLE

WHIRLIGIG GEYSER RUNOFF -A LIVING THERMOMETER

VIEW FROM NORRIS

WATCH YOUR STEP!

THE FOOD STORAGE LOCKER IS
BEAR-PROOF...BUT IS OUR TENT?

DA' BEARS

There was a ranger guided tour leaving from Mammoth Geyser this morning at 8am that we wanted to join, however there is massive construction on the road from Madison to Mammoth rendering the road closed from 10pm until 8am. Despite this minor setback, we decided to head up to the Mammoth area after the road opened this morning and poke around on our own. There are loads of hikes throughout Yellowstone and we thought it would be silly to leave without trekking one so we headed for the Beaver Ponds Trail, a five mile loop trail through meadows, open mountains, through the forests, and past several ponds. Signs around the hike, and all around Yellowstone, warn of the dangers of bears and alas, this is their land, not ours. Putting safety first, we briefed ourselves on the tips given in case you encounter a bear and how to try to avoid them. The procedural recommendations were ridiculous, telling us if a bear were mauling us, we should lie down on our stomachs and clasp our hands around the back of our necks for protection. Not to be skeptical, but if a bear is attacking, somehow simply lying down spread eagle doesn't seem like it'll save our lives. Luckily, we did not have to employ the "what to do if you are mauled" section, but we did take the rangers' advice and made lots of noise as a precaution. The three hour hike took us into Montana and back to Wyoming; we were told to keep our eyes peeled for any or all of the following: elk, mule, deer, pronghorn, moose, beavers, and bears but whilst hiking we came across mostly other humans. The hike was mostly uphill and moderately strenuous, and we were worn out by the end but very glad we did it.

We stopped to eat the lunch we packed at Sheepeater Cliff, which was formed by hardened lava from years past. The wall of rippled rocks were a beautiful backdrop for a rest and refueling and we saw a marmot slyly sneaking down to try to steal a crumb or two. We then headed off to Norris Geyser Basin to explore some more geothermal activity. Here, we learned about thermophiles, microorganisms which thrive in heat and often live in geysers. A rainbow of colors appear in the run off from the geysers, indicating different temperatures. The red-orange spectrum indicates the hotter water where temperatures range from 122-140 degrees Fahrenheit; it is here that the rust colored "chemotrophs" dwell and feed off iron. In the relatively cooler green runoff, thermophilic algae, including cyanidium, thrive and the "phototrophs" who live here photosynthesize in the 100-133 degree heat. Essentially, different thermophiles prefer different temperatures. If thermophiles were humans, the "phototrophs" would be closer to Eskimos, who like the snowy Artic, while the "chemotrophs" would be closer to the older Jewish folks who migrate to Southern Florida. Seriously though, the environment that thermophiles flourish in is hot enough to scald or even burn humans to death. Our last stop before leaving the Norris Geyser Basin was to check out the Steamboat Geyser. It is nearly impossible to predict this geyser's eruption patterns; the last time it erupted was May 2005. Steamboat Geyser is the world's tallest geyser, boasting eruption heights of more than 300 feet at it's peak. Sadly we were not meant to witness this incredible spectacle, but it did give us a few mini eruptions of over 20 feet during our visit.

Our time in Yellowstone has been incredible and we've learned so much. We are both very glad we have had the opportunity to explore this magnificent wonder of nature for the past few days. But it would be impossible for us not to mention one very large aspect of the Yellowstone experience: the massive amounts of fuel consumption. Yellowstone is so large that it does not offer shuttle buses around the grounds, so all visitors are forced to drive to and from every area. Everything is so spread out that walking is out of the question. Without exaggerating, more than 90% of traffic here is SUVs, RVs, and trucks, despite the paved roads being perfectly suitable for a small sedan. It is only logical that one of the largest parks in America draws the largest crowds, but it seems to us that the exorbitant amounts of fuel pollution somehow compromises the preservationist attitude of the National Park System.