Day 10 (September 10, 2019) - Yellowstone Wolves

Yellowstone Northeast

Today was reckoning day.  It was the day we finally had to recognize our limitations.  Driving (and riding) takes it toll and inconsistent sleep resulting from unfamiliar beds had sapped our energy.  We were tired.  My original itinerary called for a 4:30 AM wake-up in order to get to Lamar Valley by dawn.  Early mornings were supposed to be the best time to see grizzlies and wolves.  But we decided to sacrifice that opportunity for more sleep.  The prospect of a good - and free! - breakfast also loomed at 7:30.

The weather forecast also helped to make our decision.  There was a call for thunderstorms in the afternoon.  We had several hikes scheduled and didn't want to get caught in a cold rain.  So we also eliminated a 5 mile hike to the top of Mt. Washburn to compensate for our late start.

It was overcast as we left our B&B after a delicious breakfast.  Our room was about 4 miles from the park and the entrance had light activity so we zipped through and reached Mammoth Hot Springs just 5 miles in.  As you might imagine based on its name, Mammoth is massive.  That must be its attraction because it is otherwise not pretty.  Of course, there might be some interest due to its geothermal activity.  That is what makes Yellowstone unique.  We hiked to the top.  It was a lot of steps.

Mammoth Hot Springs

The turn to Lamar is in the Mammoth Village so we headed toward our destination with wolves and Grizzlies ... or not.  As we circled to the top of Mammoth, I noted a large parking area.  Ugh.  After all those steps.  My aching knees.  Anyhow, shortly into the trek we ran into a bunch of stopped cars.  You never know what that means here because people stop for anything and everything.  Of course, I get sucked in, too.

I stopped and asked what the activity was all about.  I was informed there was a wolf.  I was also informed there was a red fox.  I only wish I could know what stories people will be telling their friends and family.  Because it was a coyote.

It took a little less than hour to get to Lamar Valley.  The valley is very wide set between rolling hill-type mountains.  While the hills are treed, the valley is more open grassland with the Lamar River passing through.

Lamar Valley

We quickly came across another bunch of parked cars.  I whipped the 4-wheel drive Jeep into a spot that most cars wouldn't try and talked with a young couple who were using a spotting telescope.  They said that a mother grizzly and cubs had just gone from a carcass and that a wolf was lurking in the area.  We stayed for a while and saw only a bald eagle swoop by.

Bald Eagle

But someone stopped from the other direction and said that wolves were being watched in the next group of cars about 1/2 mile farther into the valley.  We jumped into the car and whipped into another spot.  Susan spied 2 wolves coming across the valley toward the road.  I watched them cross the road among people and cars but didn't get any photos until they were moving across and away from us on the other side of the road.

After they were gone, we drove almost to the northeast entrance to a mountain wall where mountain goats were frequently seen.  We found 3 goats in different locations on the wall face.  This was the best photo I could get.

Barronette Peak is about 1,500 feet tall and this goat was about 1,000 feet from the base.

From Barronette, we retraced our path through the valley and saw that people were still gathered at the same spot as before.  There were 2 more wolves (allegedly) chasing an antelope.  They were pretty distant and I only ever saw 1 wolf and the antelope.  The wolf is the black animal in the center left and the antelope is the brown and white animal above the log in the lower right.

Wolf and Antelope

After that excitement, it was time to move to a more passive area - the Yellowstone Canyon.  The thrills weren't done, though.  The drive to canyon was a mountainous one, meaning more drop offs and terror for Susan.  She asked if we had to return by this same road.  Her eyes widened when I affirmed that was the case.  When we reached the peak at a maximum elevation of about 8,800 feet, Susan yelled at me to turn around.  Of course, being the loving husband I am, we kept going.  Plans are made to be followed after all.  This also was the point where we learned that the trail to Mt. Washburn was closed, easing our decision to eliminate it and to sleep in.

We reached Canyon Village safely, had lunch at a grill and started checking the views of the Upper Falls from the North Rim.

Upper Falls

We tried the Brink of the Upper Falls Trail.  It was a series of 9 switchbacks that took us down the face of canyon wall.  My knees said "that's enough" about 2/3 of the way.  We finished out with North Rim Drive to more scenic views of the Yellowstone River gorge.

We finally moved on to Artists Point, the most famous photo spot of the Lower Falls.

It was now time to make the white-knuckle trip back across the mountain and head toward the B&B.  We made it to Mammoth without incident, although I haven't yet checked the passenger side armrest for permanent finger-grip marks.  I hope the rental company doesn't mind.

Mammoth Village has an abundance of elk that spend all day in the lawns.  We've been through there several times today as it was a junction point for our various destinations Each time we went through the elk were all female.  This time, there was a magnificent bull elk on the hill behind one of the buildings.  I got some good photos.

But the best part of the experience was that the elk bugled twice.  Neither of us had ever heard a bugle and it was one of Susan's wishes to hear it.  Check that one off.

Then we finally headed "home" and stopped in Gardiner for dinner.  We drove by a couple of places recommended by the innkeepers but both were closed.  We (and seemingly everyone in town) ended up at Yellowstone Mine.  We each had walleye and it was OK.

We returned to our room and had to wait for the elk gatekeepers to leave so we could get to our room.  It was a great day.  I had my wish fulfilled of seeing wolves and Susan got to hear her elk bugle.

I haven't mentioned it but there was rain periodically during the day.  We were lucky enough that the showers occurred when we were in the car and it was dry when we were outside.  We can only hope to be so lucky tomorrow given the latest forecast.

Before I close today's log, I want to write a little about the wolves.  We talked with several people about animals in the park.  We and they noticed a discernible decline in most wildlife, especially elk.  There is a dirty little secret that no one wants to talk about and it relates to the wolves.  They were inserted into Yellowstone to control the bison herd numbers by culling the old and infirm.  Instead, they are decimating elk populations and driving them outside the park to areas like our B&B.  The wolves brought into Yellowstone were not the original timber wolves but larger wolves from Canada.  We heard stories about their viciousness that I won't repeat here.  The other side of the story is that visitors come to Yellowstone to see the wolves.  It was one reason I came back to Yellowstone a second time.  I don't know the right answer to the wolf issue but ignoring the problem isn't it.

Susan’s quote of the day:  “ummmmm gasp sigh."  I'm having difficulty finding written words that adequately describe the unspoken sounds that come from my dear partner when she is terrorized by the mountain roads.  When I tell her to close her eyes, I just get another quote.  "I'm not stupid.  I know what is happening."

The highlights - Wolves and Bugling Elk.
The regrets - Not using my video camera more - to capture the elk bugle and 2 bison doing battle.

Today's total miles - 179
Today's miles from start to destination - 0
Today's miles on side trips - 179
Today's miles driven by Paul - 179
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 6
Total Miles Hiked - 2.1

Cumulative total miles - 3,681
Cumulative miles from start to destination - 2,953
Cumulative miles on side trips - 728
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 3,154
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 527
Cumulative hours in car - 67 1/2
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 11.6