Yellowstone 2023

Time for another adventure as I head to the airport, this time, not alone. Early in the year, an old coworker, Paul, reached out to me and asked me if I had any plans for a hiking trip, and after a bit of talk, we set our sights on Yellowstone. I entered into an early registration lottery to pick my campsites well in advance from when most people can register for a backcountry permit, and sure enough, I was selected to be able to register early and have the first pick of campsites. While waiting for my registration window to open, I researched different routes and decided that Heart Lake Trailhead to the South Entrance Trailhead was the perfect route. We would hike into Heart Lake and stay for two nights, then continue on to the south entrance camping at one more site long the Snake River. Once I secured the campsites, I booked a flight and started to look at car rentals and hotels.

On July 18th, I picked up Paul and headed to the airport, checking our backpacking gear at the counter and making our way to the gate. Our plane left on time for a direct flight to Jackson Hole, WY. The plane landed without issue, but I was surprised at the lack of a jet bridge. It was my first time at an airport that you walked down a ramp to the pavement and entered the building from the outside. Jackson Hole is a small airport located inside Grand Tetons National Park.

We collected our bags from the baggage claim and went to rent our car; however, they were out of the midsize sedan I reserved, so they offered us a Dodge Ram pickup, which we accepted. We jumped into the pickup, literally, and headed into Jackson, WY to find the Mountain Modern Motel. We discovered that maneuvering such a large truck was difficult in the tight corners of the parking lot.

The Mountain Modern Motel seemed to be a bit of an older building that had been very recently remodeled and looked fantastic. Our room was a two-queen bedroom, nothing fancy. We unloaded our gear and looked for dinner at Bubba's Bar-B-Que. The meal was good, and we returned to our room, where we got ready for bed.

The next morning we woke up, showered, and looked for breakfast at the Bunnery Bakery and Restaurant, where I ordered a waffle, which was quite good. It was unique because it had a slightly sour taste, but not like sourdough. We loaded into the truck and stopped at the Teton Backcountry Rentals to rent Bear Spray and buy camp fuel for our stoves and Thermacell. We then drove through the Grand Tetons and on the way to Yellowstone, where I took my photo in front of the sign, and then we entered the park and stopped at the backcountry office for our permit.

At the backcountry office, we watched a video about handling a bear encounter and Leave No Trace principles. The ranger gave us our permit, and we continued to the Old Faithful area of the park. We had reservations at Old Faithful Inn for one night.

We encountered some road construction and backups but parked in the area of Old Faithful Lodge. So many people were around at the gift shops and the geysers. We grabbed some lunch as we waited for the next eruption by Old Faithful. Paul noticed a woman wearing a shirt from a BWCA outfitter he had used earlier this year for his spring trip. We said hello and asked if she was from Minnesota, she was, and we had a brief conversation with her while waiting in line for food. We managed to eat our food and made it to the geyser to get a good spot to watch the famous Old Faithful erupt. The legendary geyser would fill with steam and settle down a few times until the main eruption. The eruption went over 100 feet into the air and lasted about two minutes. Everyone dissipated after it was over, and we walked back to the truck to park it by Old Faithful Inn and checked in. We had booked a two-queen room in the old house, which keeps its log cabin charm with the wood walls and wash basin. The bathroom and showers were down the hall. We brought our stuff into the room and then stopped by the gift shop so I could buy some stickers and postcards and promptly mailed them out.

We then went back to the truck and went to Grand Prismatic Springs, the largest hot spring in the US and third in the world. It is beautiful blue, with an orange rock full of bacteria giving off a distinct rotten egg/sulfur smell. Steam blows into your face as you walk around the boardwalk and take in the sights. We would later learn about the overlook trail, which we did not do. 

We made another stop at Biscuit Basin, consisting of several hot springs and smaller geysers, which I found more interesting than Old Faithful. The geysers were more active, so you did not have to wait so long between eruptions. We walked around the boardwalk counterclockwise and returned to the truck in time to relax and make it to our dinner reservations.

We had dinner at the Old Faithful Dining Room. They served dinner buffet style with short ribs, salmon, and huckleberry chicken as the protein options. They also had a variety of other options available.

After dinner, Paul and I took a late walk around the Upper Geyser Basin just outside the Inn and saw a lot of neat hot springs and geysers. Halfway through our walk, we could see the Inn lit up in the distance. It was dark when we arrived at the Inn and got ready for bed.

The following day we woke up and saw Old Faithful erupt again; no crowds, just a few other people. Morning is the time to visit this iconic geyser erupting. We headed back in for breakfast, another breakfast buffet with the standard fare, and we packed up and checked out to drive to the south entrance hitting the same backups as we did the first time, but it seemed to go much faster this time. 

We parked the truck and stuck out our thumbs when we got to the South Entrance. Many vehicles were entering the park, undoubtedly overloaded with all their stuff for a week’s worth of activities in the park. It was not too long until a gentleman named Doug pulled over, and we hopped into his 92 Jeep with his Australian Shepherd mix named Jack. Doug has been on the road for a while sleeping in his Jeep with his friend Jack. He was very kind for giving us a lift to Heart Lake Trailhead.

We climbed out of Jack’s Jeep and gave him some cash for giving us a ride, and we said goodbye. At the trailhead parking lot, we ran into another couple who was also backpacking around Heart Lake and planned to return to the same trailhead. Also at the trailhead was a group getting ready for a horse trip. Paul and I headed down the trail and came across Casey, a backcountry ranger who was just relieved of his post at Heart Lake and was about to set out on his five days off after working nine days straight. We chatted for a bit, and he gave us some tips and said we had a lot of good campsites, although I suspect that is what they always say. We continued our hike and ran into a gentleman who worked for one of the park’s concessionaires and enjoyed his free time in the park going for a nice hike near Witch Hot Springs. We chatted with him for a bit, then returned to the shade and had a break enjoying a snack and conversation. As we rested, the group of horses came by that we were getting ready at the trailhead, and just as we started to pack up, we saw the couple arrive and chatted with them a bit. Before Paul and I went down the hill to descend to Heart Lake.

We got a good view of Factory Hill as we climbed down. I struggled to get a sound footing on the rocks sliding under my feet. I was discouraged; Paul did not have any issues himself. We slowly descended and finally ran into the Heart Lake Patrol Cabin, where Ranger Casey was relieved. Not much further, we ran into the shoreline of Heart Lake, which was made up of many small rocks that would shift under your feet; it was like walking on sand and took about as much effort. The trail pulled away from the lake, and before you knew it, we were at our campsite 8H4, West Shore, where we set up camp and had dinner.

I could not finish my dinner. It was an Alpine Aire Spicy Pasta Bolognese, which was very good, but my appetite was not there. After downing about half of it, I put the rest away. I would eat more for breakfast. The food was good, very flavorful, and not too spicy. We hung up our food and went to bed.

We woke up, and I was still exhausted. I did not sleep the greatest. I pulled the weather on my InReach, and it said there was a 30% chance of thunderstorms, which never came. Between my exhaustion, difficulty climbing down the 2% grade, and the threat of thunderstorms, we decided to change our plans for the day. Our initial plans were to summit Mt. Sheridan. That climb was about 2800 feet of ascent with a much steeper grade. Instead, we decided to hike around Heart Lake. 

We set out on our hike for the day to return to the same campsite when we ran into the new Backcountry Ranger, a woman whose name I did not catch; we said hello and talked for a bit and continued on our hike. We then ran into three CDT thru-hikers who were making good time. They were far further than I would have expected. The CDT stands for Continental Divide Trail and starts at the Mexican Border in New Mexico and goes to the Canadian border in Glacier National Park; they were nearly finished with their hike. On the other hand, I was not making good time and struggled less than a mile into the day. We turned around, ran into the same ranger, and told her we decided to turn back and take a rest day. 

I ate more of my meal from the night before we got into the midday heat and napped. Paul claims I was out right away, and I stayed sleeping until it got too hot in the tent. We then sat by the lake and chatted.

In Mid-July in Yellowstone, mosquitoes are a huge issue. However, I was ready for them. I brought my Thermacell Backpacker with me. It connects to a standard Isopropane Butane canister that many backpacking stoves use and heats a pad of chemicals that keeps those creatures away. It was very effective, and I recommend bringing one; it made the trip much more bearable.

We went to bed and woke up Saturday Morning, and it became clear why I was so drained. I was showing the classic symptoms of a cold. We had to tear down the camp and pack our backpacks. I grabbed a breakfast bar, and we went on our way. Today was an 11-mile day, much of it through mountain prairies and fields of wildflowers. Not too far from camp, we discovered some bear scat but did not encounter any bears throughout our trip. Unfortunately, after returning home on Monday, we learned that not everyone was so lucky on this day. 

On Saturday, July 22nd, the body of 48-year-old Amie Adamson was discovered just outside park boundaries on the Buttermilk Trail. She had been a victim of an "apparent bear encounter.”

I do not know how Adamson protected herself against bears, but I will use this time to go over what Paul and I did throughout our trip. We rented bear spray. Bear spray is a large can of pepper spray for bears. It causes bears a lot of discomfort and can stop a bear in its tracks and cause them to retreat. The bear spray was always accessible while hiking and around camp. While hiking, we made noise by talking among ourselves or yelling “Hey Bear”; this gives bears advance notice of us so they will move away. Finally, we hung our food as directed by the park service at the pre-established bear poles found at each site and ensured our tents did not have anything to attract a bear.

I also want to put these bear attacks in perspective. The National Park Service reports that Yellowstone averages about one bear attack a year; however, only eight have been fatal since its founding in 1872. More people have died of drowning in the park and from burns from hot springs. In 2022 Yellowstone saw 3.29 million visitors.

Going back to our trip, we continued to go up and down rolling hills through a prairie of wildflowers; we gradually gained distance from Heart Lake. Looking out into the distance, we can see the mountains around us. At one point, our GPS and map were a bit off and did not reflect what we were seeing around us, and we made a wrong turn which we quickly corrected and were back on our planned trail. Before long, we approached the Snake River.

When we made it to the Snake River, we unbuckled our waist and sternum straps and cautiously walked across the roughly knee-high flowing water with our trekking poles. The bottom of the river was full of smooth rounded rocks that we had to secure our feet on before making our next step. When Paul and I reached the shore on the other side, we took a nice long rest and filtered more water, and eventually finished the last mile of hiking to our camp for the night along the Snake River. The air smelled like rotten eggs as a hot spring formed a creek and flowed alongside us. Eventually, we would need to cross the hot creek using a bridge the park service had created. The creek would eventually flow into the Snake River.

As we got near our camp, we noticed many little critters laying out on the rock outcroppings and popping their heads above the tall grass, watching us. At first, we thought these guys were Prairie Dogs, but after looking at them for a while, I noticed they were far too large to be Prairie Dogs. They were Yellow-Bellied Marmots. They did not appear to be particularly scared of us but were also not eager to meet us. They were fine with watching us from a distance but would hide in their holes as we got close. 

We pulled into our campsite and set up camp. We ate dinner, went to the bathroom, and went to bed. This campsite did not have a latrine, so we had to go away from camp and dig a hole to bury our solid waste.

I think my inflatable sleeping pad sprung a leak this night; I had to wake up in the middle of the night and add more air. I deflated my sleeping pad and put it away when I woke up. I started packing the rest of my things and took a short walk. I noticed our Marmot friend dug some new holes along the trail to camp. I waited for Paul to get up while I ate breakfast and finished packing. Before long, we were on the trail again, walking down the thin path with thistle brushing against our legs. Today's hike was just over 5 miles, with another ford across the Snake River.

Today there was a lot more tree cover, and I could keep up a good pace as we hiked through the woods. We ran into some guys hiking in to fly fish on the Snake River. It was only a short time until we reached the Snake River and forded across, but this time with more of an audience. Two women sat at the parking lot on top of the hill, watching us cross one at a time. We made it up to the parking lot, concluding our Yellowstone adventure. We changed clothes in the parking lot and packed up the truck. We donated our half-spent fuel canisters to the park service since we could not take them on a plane with us.

We left the park, entered the Grand Tetons, and stopped by an information center where the volunteer ranger told us about a great pizza place, Leek’s Pizzeria. The crust was thick and crispy on the bottom. It was excellent, although I could have done with more sauce.

We then took the scenic route through the park, checking out the overlooks as we returned to Jackson Hole. The Grand Tetons got their name from the early French-Canadian fur trappers who saw the three towering Mountains and called them “Trois Tetons,” meaning “Three Breasts.” Perhaps these trappers had spent a little too much time away from women.

We drove the Dodge Pickup up Signal Mountain, a narrow winding road with a fantastic view at the top. We could see for miles over the flat land before the larger mountains.

On our way out of the park, we stopped by the visitor center on the south side and checked out their exhibits; we saw some taxidermied Matmut friends and eventually made it back to Jackson. We got to our hotel and took a well-needed shower, and found dinner at Liberty Burger with a short rainstorm as we walked there.

The following day we woke up and boarded our plane to fly back to Minneapolis. It was a fantastic trip, and I plan to go backpacking in Yellowstone again.