Yellowstone Is a World Wide Draw

Cheyenne Wyoming Tribune-Eagle ^ | 06-21-05 | Eastwood, Cara

[Theodore R.]

Yellowstone is a world wide draw

By Cara Eastwood outdoors@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

I scoured Yellowstone National Park during the first week of June, surrounded by European and Asian tourists.

At each turn in the road, I found another tour bus squeezed onto the side of the road as its passengers pressed their faces to the windows to ogle an elk, a herd of deer or in one case, a dead bison.

Other tourists I saw drove expensive SUV rental cars to explore the park. They all must have gotten the memo that American schools weren't out yet, and early spring was the time to visit the park.

But instead of feeling annoyed by the throngs of them, I admit that I felt proud.

Proud to be an American and proud of the riches that our state offers to the world.

Every ``ooh'' and ``ahh'' made me grin, since I felt a bit of ownership of the place after spending a few days there.

It had been years since I last visited Yellowstone, and I had never before done it alone.

The first day I dutifully drove the loop, stopping off at the big attractions while looking for the smaller, overlooked ones too.

I had forgotten the eerie feeling of standing on top of an active volcano as signs of its activity boil, burp, steam and sputter nearby.

After a day of doing the typical tiring mega-drive through the park, I realized that instead of trying to see it all, it's probably better to focus on a corner of the park and leave the car locked for a few days.

Now I have a folder of ideas for my future trips to the park, including a backpacking trek through the Hoodoo Basin and a hunt for the hot tubs and waterfalls near Belcher in the southwest corner of the park.

Since I was alone, I kept this trip pretty tame, sticking to developed campsites and hikes that were sure to have other folks on them. I didn't buy bear spray before entering the park, and there were moments when I regretted that choice.

I didn't see any bears, but the imagined ones my mind created were really scary. A can of bear spray on my hip would've calmed my nerves, I think.

Spending time in Yellowstone alone was more satisfying than being with a group - I saw exactly what I wanted to see, hiked where I wanted to hike and sped past attractions that didn't interest me.

But at night, the dark seemed darker without any company, and outside the glow of my campfire I was sure there were bears watching me read.

When I finally was ready to sleep the night I spent at a campground near Mammoth, I crawled into my tent hoping there weren't any food odors or particles sticking to my tent from the week I'd spent there.

I stared at my tent ceiling for a while, sweating any outside noise. I was certain that a grizzly would crash through my thin tent wall at any moment.

My campground neighbors, an eastern European group, lulled me to sleep with what I guessed were folk songs sung in their native tongue around the campfire.

In the morning, I was still in one piece and laughed at my nighttime nerves.

I fished several rivers in the park during my stay and even crossed over into Montana one evening to try my luck in the Boiling River.

Unfortunately, the park's waterways suffer the same fate as those near us at this time of year - the water heavy with sediment means slow fishing.While I fished, several cars of tourists stopped to take my photograph. I guess fly-fisherwomen are as interesting to them as bears, elk and bison.

Or maybe they wanted a photo of someone silly enough to try fishing during the muddy spring runoff.

But standing in the river, I certainly felt like a part of the landscape.And again, I felt proud that although I, too, was a visitor to this incredible place, as an American, part of it belongs to me.

Cara Eastwood is Outdoors editor at the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. She can be reached at 633-3186, by mail at 702 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001, or by e-mail at outdoors@wyoming news.com.

[dsmatuska]

Additional info: an early start is also recommended.

[Theodore R.]

Yes, it is illegal to park overnight, even if leaving early, at a trailhead. No telling what your fine would have been had the rangers caught you, and they do patrol at night.

[HolgerDansk]

Shhhh! The park "up north" is supposed to be secret! ;-)

Bear migration through Essex was pretty impressive this year...

[fr_freak]

Yes, it is illegal to park overnight, even if leaving early, at a trailhead. No telling what your fine would have been had the rangers caught you, and they do patrol at night.

Hmm. I guess I'll start referring to my Yellowstone trip as my "outlaw days".

[GunnyHartman]

"Shhhh! The park "up north" is supposed to be secret! ;-)

Bear migration through Essex was pretty impressive this year..."

I've never seen that migration but I do on occasion catch the sight of a few Griz here in the Mission Valley.

[Myrddin]

Yellowstone is a 2 hour drive from my home. My wife and I visit about every 2 weeks from early April until late November each year.