Where's Wayno?: Adventures in Wonderland (Part 2)

The summer was pretty short because it was so cold in June. I'm glad that September was as warm as it was. It was an honorary summer month. I finally was able to go outside and do stuff in the Park and have some fun. The beginning of the summer was a lot of work in getting things fixed up at the house.

I was glad last month to see my friends Steve and Carole from Great Britain. They've been coming out here each year. Steve is always excited for his next trip to the Yellowstone area. His wife doesn't really like doing some of the more aggressive hikes, but Steve was up for it. He and I hiked up Mount Washburn on September 15. It was a first time for both of us; I've been here for about seven years and hadn't hiked that trail yet. I know it seems odd since that trail is one of the most popular trails in Yellowstone Park.

It wasn't too bad of a walk! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the area, there are two trails that go up to Mount Washburn. There's one on the north side called the Chittenden Road, and there's a second one on the south side which starts from Dunraven Pass. Steve and I started from the Dunraven Pass side. The entire trail was pretty wide and quite scenic. Having started pretty early in the morning, we were able to see the clouds still covering the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Hayden Valley. The trail wasn't very steep, but the incline was enough that it was a good workout for Steve.

The Mount Washburn Trail and Dunraven Peak

Dunraven Peak and Grand Loop Road

A cloud covers the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and a haze can be seen in the distance.

There was still a lot of lingering smoke, so there was a thin haze that cut our ability to view long distances. The smoke wasn't from any particular fire, though the Point Fire was still burning near Yellowstone Lake. I guess there was an inversion, keeping the smoke from the summer in the Montana/Wyoming area.

Regardless, the scenery was amazing. It's no wonder that there's a fire watch tower at the top of that mountain. It's probably the best place to see the largest portion of Yellowstone National Park. The watch tower is manned by a ranger who sleeps there at night. That would be an interesting job: watching for fires 24-7 and visiting with Yellowstone Park visitors all day long.

The fire watch tower at the top of Mount Washburn

The observation room at the bottom of the watch tower. Steve is getting some food out of his backpack.

From the top of Mount Washburn, Hayden Valley is very visible.

We could see Electric Peak, Sepulcher Mountain and Folsom Peak, even through the haze.

I was amused by one hiker who had signed the guest book in the observation room with an angry note that said that water should be provided at the top of the mountain. What did that person expect: a cantina? Everyone who read the note laughed since it was obvious that this person had no idea what they were doing. All the hikers I met, including Steve and myself, had water with us. Round-trip, the trail is 5 or 6 miles depending on which route one takes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that water might necessary while hiking.

We had a great hike, and Steve felt that this hike was the highlight of this particular trip to Yellowstone National Park.

I wonder what Steve is thinking...

Steve, Carole, and I had dinner together September 22, the night before they were supposed to go back to England. We ate at the Yellowstone Mine and had fish. I thought it was interesting that they hadn't eaten there before, but they enjoyed the food. I was glad to have some time to talk with them before they had to go home.

Carole, me, and Steve at the Super 8

September 30, Jean completed and passed a test to become a certified nursing assistant. I was glad that she was able to do that under the pressure she was under. Celebration was in order. Plus, Jean hadn't had any opportunity to hike with me in the Park this summer. Pearl, one of my Taiwanese friends, is going to leave Gardiner this week. We needed one last time in Yellowstone, so Jean, Pearl, and I hiked to Mystic Falls October 1.

I've been to Mystic Falls twice before, but I still think it's a neat place. The rocks there are just plain weird. There are hydrothermal features in the immediate area--including one that feeds the brink of the falls.

We had to start in the late afternoon because I worked at Super 8 the previous night and Pearl had to work in the morning besides. From Biscuit Basin's parking lot, the hike is only 3 miles, round-trip. We walked through the basin, watching Shell Spring roil (not boil!), and seeing Sapphire Pool's deep blue colors mix with the brown and yellow outer edges.

Black Opal Spring, Wall Spring, and Black Diamond Pool

Sapphire Pool

An unnamed thermal pool in Biscuit Basin

The trail wasn't difficult at all even though it was a narrow trail, because it was level. For most of the way, we were next to the Little Firehole River, which this autumn is very pretty. The weather was perfect, so we had premium conditions.

Little Firehole River

Autumn foliage near Little Firehole River

When we got there, we stayed for awhile. Pearl and I went down to the river and saw a thermal feature that feeds the river at the bottom of the falls. Jean was happy just to look at the falls from a distance. Pearl and I went to the brink of the falls where we could see a hydrothermal spring feed into the waterfall.

A thermal feature feeds Little Firehole River.

Steam from a thermal feature that feeds the brink of Mystic Falls can be seen.

Mystic Falls


Mystic Falls

Mystic Falls

It was starting to get late, but we were able to see a great sunset. The pink clouds over the Lower Geyser Basin area were awesome. We could see Old Faithful in the distance. Getting back to the car, I was a bit more wary because it was prime time for animals. Fortunately we didn't see any bears, and only a couple of grouse scared me on the trail. Grouse do that for some reason! lol. We did have to drive back to Gardiner in the dark since we started so late, but we didn't encounter any problems. I don't really like driving in the Park at night because of the narrow roads and wildlife, so I tried to stay behind other people's cars most of the way.