Yellowstone 8/5/2016

When we arrived at our campground in West Yellowstone the other day, we knew that we needed to get laundry done. By the time everything was clean and folded and the sheets back on the bed, it started to rain hard so we just chilled for the rest of the day.

Monday, the day dawned sunny and cool, and when we set out for the Norris section of Yellowstone, we noted that we could hardly see the mountains for the smoke. On Sunday a new fire had started west of here. That, combined with windy conditions, made for a smoke-filled park.

Norris is south of Mammoth Hot Springs on the west side of the park. One thing that strikes you immediately about Yellowstone is its sheer size. The drive from the West Yellowstone entrance to Norris took at least 30 minutes without traffic. When you look at a map of the park, you realize how small a fragment of the park that is.

Our first stop was a hiking trail to Monument Geyser Basin just south of Norris that promised geothermal features at the end. With not a lot of information about the trail, we started up. The first part was pleasant and followed the Gibbon River. Not far along, the trail headed up. And up. And more steeply--up. Switchback after switchback. The views as we ascended were great--the valley

below with the meandering river below and views of a mountain in the distance. Almost at the top of the trail, the view to the south opened up to reveal the a different section of the Gibbon River below. At this lovely spot, we sat and ate lunch. A little further along, the trail ended in a geothermal area that was alive with the sound of percolating geysers. What makes this area unique is that there are no restrictions to where you can

The view from our lunch spot

walk, and because of the difficulty of the climb, we were pretty much alone. Steam rises from scattered vents in the ground and the white billows fluctuate in intensity. Clusters of dormant geyser cones are dispersed along the white crusty ground, and some chimneys are still churning out steam. Water bubbles up in shallow pools and flows down the mountainside.

As difficult as the ascent was, the descent was all about keeping from sliding down the loose gravel trail by the pull of gravity, and saving our knees. Small steps, small steps.

We then drove over to the Norris Geyser Basin and took the trail around that area. The geothermal stuff is interesting, but I was

entranced by some grass by the side of one colorful thermal pool. It was stunning, like peacock feathers: almost iridescent--green and red and purple all at once, and moving with the wind.

More photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/miwjFdX6hozGF4JC9