Walking In A Winter Wyomingland

Wednesday, October 1, 2014 

Winter temperatures have arrived! There is a little snowflake on the rear view mirror. In two weeks, we have experienced a thirty degree difference in temperature! From one layer of clothing to several! 

We drove to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and saw the upper and lower falls.

These are some views from our drive.

Then, we hiked Elephant Back Trail.  This is a view from the trailhead.

                                                                         Snow!

                                           It seems these logs were cut for trail access.

Admittedly, I was a little overdressed! After 20 minutes into the start of the hike, I started peeling the layers!

                                                               Starting to warm up!

We were looking forward to the view at the top, but we stopped and enjoyed the view about midway into our hike.

                                                    At the top in the midst of a snow fall!
                                 

Good thing we took these photos at the midway point! This is Snowy Yellowstone Lake.

These two photos show Jonathan rescuing Tripper from his fall down a ravine. Mish suggests that Tripper was deliberately attempting to get back into the wild.  Perhaps, Tripper's observations of red squirrels in the forest may have got his mind racing. But considering how cold he was after J's rescue, if he does plan any other escapes, he'll wait for warmer weather.

                                                                    Yellowstone Lake
After experiencing a microclimate of winter on the trail, we have now returned to fall.

                                                               
                                        Our photo only captures half of this hotel's length.
                           http://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/lake-yellowstone-hotel-and-cabins/

                                                   This is where the hotel shone.

                                                                  Lobby fireplace

                                                                     Clear skies
Between Canyon Village and Fishing Bridge, on our way to Elephant Back Trail, we saw several herds of bison on fields to the left and right of us. On our return trip, the herds were gone, except for the occasional solitary bison. We neared parked traffic, both on and off the road, which alerted us to an animal sighting.  Jonathan slowed the truck and we watched a wolf cross in front of our truck, then amble into the forest. Twenty minutes later, we saw more traffic congestion. At this scene, several rangers were trying to keep the traffic moving. We saw lots of serious cameras and serious intent, people stretching out of their vehicles for photos and and others leaving their vehicles for a view from the roadside. A bear was walking through the field, we think a grizzly, based on previous reports of sightings in this section.
J and I wondered how, in this huge park, does word spread so quickly about animal sightings.  Initially, I thought of texting, then I wondered "is there an app for that"?
http://goodnature.nathab.com/smartphone-apps-pinpoint-wildlife-sightings-in-yellowstone-but-is-that-a-good-idea/
The next day, we spoke with a store clerk and fishing guide. We talked about technology's role in wildlife sightings.  He commented that before the internet news still seemed to spread quickly. Every sighting is recorded so people know the hot spots in the park.