) No more than 5minutes down the trail we came around the corner and were hit with one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. We were about 200 feet above Mystic Lake and there was no question where she got her name. It was still almost totally frozen over from the winter so the water had an amazing blue tint to it. There were mammoth, almost tooth like mountains surrounding the lake resembling the name of the mountain range… The Beartooths.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Montana: 4/20/2010 Mystic Lake hike
) No more than 5minutes down the trail we came around the corner and were hit with one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. We were about 200 feet above Mystic Lake and there was no question where she got her name. It was still almost totally frozen over from the winter so the water had an amazing blue tint to it. There were mammoth, almost tooth like mountains surrounding the lake resembling the name of the mountain range… The Beartooths.
Montana: 4/19/2010 Hellroaring Hike
) It took us about 30min but we made it to the top of the ridge line where there was no snow because the rocks were so steep that not even snow could make its home there. I saw Shelli looking up at the vertical rocks that were about 100yards above us and knew exactly what she was thinking, and she said it, “Hey, let’s go up there”.
We finally made it down to the road and started walking back to the car. We got down to the main road and stopped in Red Lodge to return Erika’s snowshoes and get some coffee. Once back to Billings we all grabbed showers and went out to eat with Jesse. When we got back we were pretty beat and went to bed.
Montana: 4/18/2010 Yellowstone
It was a 6mile hike to a petrified forest which was supposed to be really cool. When we pulled into the parking lot there was a herd of about 100 Bison about 30yards in front of the car, but since they seem to be comfortable with humans and were just grazing we didn’t think much of it. A park ranger stopped and we asked her what the best way to get to the petrified forest was because our book did not have the best directions. So she started talking about going to the top of this peak, and following that ridge, climbing this pile of rocks… etc, etc. So we listened and when we were confident that we knew where we were going, she headed on her way. We started putting our hiking boots on and preparing our daypacks, forgetting that the bison were so close. When we were ready to go we realized that they had totally closed in on us, which was ok because like I said earlier, they seem to be ok with humans. There was one bull however who must have had a bad experience with some of our kind because he started walking toward us shaking his head up and down violently. He got closer and closer and Jesse and I were just making jokes about him ( Erika was already backing up) not thinking that he meant business. When he was about 5 or 6 feet from us and we could truly understand how big he was, and that he was serious about us going away, we started to back up as well.
We had already gotten more exercise than we could handle for one day and the air at 7000 feet is much thinner than at 100 feet (Orlando). We headed back down to the base of the mountain and made our way to the car. We figured that since we had more time we would drive to the north ease entrance to the park where there is a very small town called Cooke City. Jesse has wanted to go there because everyone told him that it was a great place so we started heading that way. We ran into another… you guessed it… Bison herd. We stopped and snapped some pictures and then were on our way again.
When we got back Jesse and Erika started making dinner and I went to the airport to pick up Shelli who was flying back from Vegas where she had her bachelorette party. We had a good meal and caught up with each other, then it was off to bed.
Montana: 4/17/2010 Yellowstone
Last night Erika and I arrived in Billings, MT and Jesse picked us up from the airport. Since it was such a long day of traveling we pretty much hit the sack as soon as we got to his house. This morning we woke up pretty early and started the 2.5hr drive to Yellowstone National Park. The drive was pretty uneventful but even in the plains it was a nice change of scenery from Florida. Once we got into the little town at the Mammoth Hot Springs entrance we stopped at a small information station and got some information about what roads were still closed and where there had been wildlife sightings. We finally got into the park, which was actually free because this whole week at all National Parks there is no fee to enter as incentive for people to visit. We started driving into the park and were immediately flooded with large mountains, rivers and low running valleys. We decided to go to a waterfall overlook that was pretty close and when we got there it was nice to just sit and listen to the water. We decided that since the weather was looking a bit harsh, we would put off hiking until tomorrow and just drive the park seeing the things that could be easily accessed from the car. We started at the Mammoth Hot Springs which have a wooden trail winding around and through them because the ground is so unstable from the volcanic activity that much of the seemingly stable ground is really just a thin crust and would quickly give way to the weight of a human body. The hot steaming water was flowing from the springs down the side of the rocks and over time has left sulfur deposits that range in shape and color from bright red, round bubbly looking terraces to dark grey, steep ledges that look like stair steps build by a blind man. We walked around for about an hour looking at the variety of shapes, textures and colors that were presented by the flowing sulfur water. We left the hot springs and started making our way to the Old Faithful Geyser which was about a 2 hr drive away. Along the way we stopped at various geysers and hot springs that were accessible from the car, stopping in many areas to take pictures of the plethora of Bison that were roaming the fields, or even roaming the roads. We finally arrived at The Old Faithful Geyser and when we got there they said it was going to be about 30min until she would erupt again so we made our way over to a little cafeteria and got something to eat. We made it back to the area where the great eruption is supposed to occur and sure enough about 2min after we arrived (along with about 150 asians) we saw what many people come to Yellowstone for, but to us it was slightly anticlimactic. I mean, the fact that it has been erupting on a schedule for so long is impressive, but the eruption itself is hardly anything to get excited about. We left that area a little disappointed and made our way to what is known as the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone”. When we got there it was a pretty big canyon with a large waterfall falling into it. We drove around the top of it and took a few pictures and then made our way back to the entrance of the park. We went to our hotel and checked in where the small town hotel manager asked if Jesse had a genuine credit card, to which Jesse responded… well, he wasn’t exactly sure what the guy was asking so he just gave him the card. We dropped our bags and then went to eat at a bar/pool hall/ casino/restaurant. We had seen so many Bison that they were starting to look yummy, so in good taste we each got a large Bison burger, which was delicious. We headed back to the hotel and crashed.