Once again I come to you all to tell you of the adventures and happenings that I have experienced here in Yellowstone National Park and beyond. Let me start off by telling you about work.
My work here really has not changed much. There are good days and there are bad days, luckily more good than bad. The only real change around here are the faces I see come and go. People that I have come to consider good friends are either now gone or going to be in the next few weeks. This saddens me. But, I have been making new friends as well. As more people keeping coming here for work, I find myself feeling less lonely here. When it is my time to leave I know I will be very sad to leave my friends here. Thank God for Facebook.
My latest adventure has been my best yet I think. Last weekend I joined a group of my friends on a hike called the Mary Mountain Trail. This has been my longest hike here in Yellowstone by far. Coming in at 24 miles (27 or so if you include all of the wondering we did trying to find the trail again after we had lost it a couple of times) The whole trail was mostly flat with some uphill and downhill areas. We also came across just about every type of terrain imaginable. Hiking the trail made me feel like I was on an epic quest of some sort. The land was so beautiful.
We started for the trail head at about 4:30 AM and were able to see a magnificent sunrise along the way to the trail. We got to the trail head about 6:30 AM and were on our way. Our first wild life encounter was a huge herd of elk. They were so close and every time we got closer they would run over the next hill making their eerily beautiful sounding calls. I had never heard an elk call until then and now I am glad that I did. It some how makes me appreciate them a bit more.
We also came across dozens of male bison scattered all over the landscape. Needless to say, those bison in the way of our paths were given a very wide birth as we passed by. We even ran into a lone coyote and even though we did not see any wolves they indeed had been where we were not too long ago judging from the prints we found. Many skeletons of elk and bison were found along the trail as well. Some bleached from the sun and others with still a bit of meat on them!
After we had past the half way point of the trail (the halfway point being May Lake) things were pretty uneventful., but nonetheless beautiful and awe inspiring. I am glad that I took my camera along for the trip because the pictures I took really are the only way I can show you what I have seen . I have posted the photos from this adventure on my facebook here http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150953027938909.437299.660493908&type=3 .
Towards the end of our journey we were weary and out of water and food. Not a very good thing if you are on an all day hike. And the face that the last part of the trail was pretty much dessert with hot thermal features here and there did not help at all. Luckily we reached the end of the trail before dying of thirst or starvation.
After Mary Mountain I am a bit hiked out, but I have already been making plans for my next big hike which I will share with you all after it happens.
This most recent weekend of pretty chill though. Mainly it consisted of a trip to Bozeman where my friends and I ate sushi, shopped for some needed items for Yellowstone, and watched the new Batman movie. Which is freaking amazing by the way. Oh, and I even got to ride in the bed of a truck to Bozeman too! :D Needless to say I was so excited to do so and I was even more excited to find out that it is perfectly legal to do that in Wyoming and Montana. The weekend also consisted of me having dinner with someone that I have grown rather fond of here. I am hoping a second meeting will be in the future soon.
Things are changing here and I will do my best to make the best of these changes. whatever they may be. I hope that you are doing well at home and that the future holds good things for you. I love and miss you all! See you next post!
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