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Wild and Remote

The first thing I noticed this morning was the stars.  I haven't seen stars in weeks.  A clear, cloudless, blue sky followed.  We continued on Sportsman Lake trail which was a steady climb up to the lake.  You can fish if you wish, catch and release only.  There was a patrol cabin there but we didn't stop.  Then more uphill.  Actually I'd say most of our day was spent going up.  There was a trail junction that gave us two possible routes to Shelf Lake.  One went through a river valley and one went by lakes and followed a ridge.

 

We've been hiking through river valleys since Dubois and wanted something different.  So we took the ridge route and were soo glad we did.  We've been talking about why we're still out here, hiking.  Two more hikers went home.  Both of us agreed we don't know why and couldn't tell you if you asked.  For myself, I just keep lacing up my shoes and taking that first step.  I'm always glad I did especially when I get days like yesterday and today.  The views today from the ridge were amazing.  

Our efforts and perseverance does get rewarded.  Shelf Lake is our last camp in Yellowstone.  We ranked the climb up the third hardest of the hike and we deserve a gold star.  Parkview mountain in Colorado gets first prize.  Happy and content.

Yellowstone IV

Gardiner, MT is right on the edge of the park and on the Yellowstone river.  As you leave town you drive (or walk) through Roosevelt arch and then there is the park entrance.  

After resupplying we walked to the entrance and then took the Old Gardiner road into Mammoth Hot Springs.  Today is the park's birthday and it was free to all.  I've never seen anything like these hot springs.  

The flow of water and springs created these terraces which look like marble and gold pyramids and moonscapes.  

After Mammoth we took the Sportsman Lake trail west and northwest.  It wound through some beautiful forested mini canyons and past a couple of meadows. We only had thirteen miles to our reserved campsite which gave us time to enjoy the park and not feel rushed.  It's getting dark sooner though.  I'm feeling sad cause I lost my warm hat and I really liked it.  It's probably at the hotel.  It's harder to keep track of stuff when there are four hikers crammed into one tiny room.  Still, a great day with no rain.

Yellowstone III

Unbelievable!  I woke up to a dry sleeping bag and tent.  No condensation!  We continued on the Yellowstone river trail all day.  It is by far the most stunning river canyon I've seen on this hike.

 This part of the river is called the Black Canyon due to the abundance of black rock.  There are pine trees as well as sage and cactii all in the same area.  Sometimes the trail climbed along the rocky hillside and sometimes down low.  We saw a carnage of deer, elk, and bighorn sheep bones.

 A bear or wolf had good eating last year.  We were graced with an overcast sky and occasional drizzle.  We had lunch at a waterfall.  BB and Wantsome  are hiking with us again which is great because it's nice to have other people to talk to and BB is always smiling.  

We hiked the trail straight out of the park and right into Gardiner, MT.  Our first Montana town!

Yellowstone Nero

We are back on trail!  After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed for our trailhead.  

On the way we stopped at upper and lower falls on the Yellowstone river, checked out Canyon village then continued up to Tower Junction.  

There's a historic lodge there with a restaurant where we ate lunch.  And surprise - Nick, Faye, and. Uncle Gary were having lunch there as well.  It was great to see them.  Chris was not with them as he had to go home to England.  It was still raining but we couldn't dally any longer.  It was time to hike.  So we said our goodbyes and left the warmth behind.

 However, the guys gave us thier umbrellas and they make a big difference.  Our trail was the Garnet mountain trail which we took to the Yellowstone river trail.  The suspension bridge over the river was awesome as it was high up and the canyon below was beautifu.  The river rushes down it and the rock walls are shades of rust, yellow, tan, and cream.  Very wild looking.  We had to ford hellroaring creek before getting to our campsite which was cold.  But the rain stopped.  Our big wish was a good campsite and dry conditions for tent setup and we got it!  Ok I had to stop typing because a mouse was in my tent!  It was cute but it scared the crap out of me at first and I screamed.  The zipper on my tent screen door is broken so I have three strategically placed safety pins that apparently don't keep out interested critters.  There's no food in the tent as it's hung.  Ha ha ha.  It was a short hike since we have to stay in our reserved backcountry campsites but it sure felt good to move.  We've done a lot of sitting and eating the last few days.

Tourists

We visited Old Faithful, ate lunch at the Yellowstone Inn, checked out the mud pots and a couple of waterfalls.  

Lots of driving made for stiff muscles but it was a fun day.  Nugio and Firepit were with us.  Then it was dinner back at the RV with Sleeping Bare.  It stopped raining and warmed up.  Yesterday I was so cold it felt like I'd never be warm again.  This time in the hike is when the mental aspect of a thru hike gets tough.  I know it's seeped into my blogposts especially since I have to get off trail for a bit so close to the end.  But the rain does stop, the sun shines, the shoes and socks dry out.  I'm determined.  I got this.  So does Pounce.  One step at a time.

Yellowstone II

A fellow hiker wrote that "the divide is relentless".  It is.  The weather is low fifties, rain, and snow forecast for tonight.  Tomorrow is the same with the addition if thunderstorms.  That's hypothermia waiting to happen.  And yet I continue to be inspired by people I meet out here and it motivates me to hang in there and press on.  Today it was two guys in a pickup truck who gave us a ride back to Yellowstone.  They were ski lift mechanics and took us all the way, further than originally planned, because they wanted to help us on our adventure.  We've modified our hiking plans for the weather.  Sleeping Bare is still in the park so we have connected with him and will sleep in the RV tonight and tomorrow and play tourist.  We will continue hiking Sat the 23rd as it will begin to warm up.  It's nice to have this option to make a little progress but have a warm place to sleep.