Land Under Pressure - Yellowstone

My first trip to Yellowstone ended with a trip to the hospital and a broken shoulder due to an unfortunate meeting of my snowmobile and a lodgepole pine.  This time around I stuck to hiking and had a much less eventful trip.  We did have a bison take a stroll through the campground, but it stuck to the lower loops and left us alone.

Yellowstone has been ravaged by wild fires, and contains large areas of hostile and caustic geothermal features, but if you look, you'll see new growth and life thriving in the unlikeliest of places.  We learned all about thermophiles (organisms that thrive in heat), extremophiles (organisms that thrive under high pressure and temperature), and acidophile (organisms that thrive in acidic environments).  Lodgepole pines fill in the burn scars and provide new layers of soil to nurture other plants.  Bison, bears, wolfs, marmots, beavers, and other wildlife seem unfazed by the inhospitable environment and flourish.

You are constantly reminded that the ground underneath the park is still very active and what you see could change dramatically at any time.  An earthquake in 1959 significantly shifted many of the thermal features in both location and activity.  It is highly likely that a similar event will happen again in our lifetime.  I was continually amazed (and a little frightened) at the beauty and power of the geothermal activity that shapes Yellowstone.

Upper and Lower Geyser Basin including Old Faithful

Artist Paint Pots

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Falls and Gibbon Falls 

Mammoth Hot Springs

Examples from Norris Geyser Basin, West Thumb, and Grand Prismatic Spring

Charismatic Megafauna - Grand Teton National Park

Hiking in Grand Teton I was strongly encouraged to carry bear spray and have it handy.  Both Grizzly and Black bears are present in the park and they were competing for scarce food with new cubs in tow.  While our only bear encounter was a mama grizzly with her two cubs crossing the road, we did have the opportunity to see moose, elk, marmots, chipmunks, ground squirrels, hawks, and many other birds.

I was a little disappointed to not see a bear in the wild, but the dichotomy of Grand Teton made up for it.  We enjoyed hikes along grassy plains and lakes that abruptly stop at towering peaks.   Head out to Jenny Lake to capture the classic reflection shot.  For a better chance at viewing charismatic megafauna, try Two Oceans Lake in the early morning or late evening.

Jenny Lake - South Shore

Jenny Lake - Near String Lake Cutoff