Tukudika
It’s America’s first National Park, and certainly one of its most famous. People make a pilgrimage to it from all over the country, even all over the world. Not only that, but lately it’s made headlines as a ticking time bomb. Regardless of whether the supervolcano ever erupts, a trip to Yellowstone is worth it. Some might even say it’s our patriotic duty.
The history of Yellowstone begins with the Native American tribe Tukudika. The name means “Eaters of the Mountain Sheep”, referring to their main source of protein, the Bighorn Sheep. They traveled around the park area, hunting, gathering, and camping. In addition, they quarried obsidian and turned it into arrowheads and tools. Like modern day humans, they loved dogs, and there is some evidence that man and man’s best friend burial sites.
I traveled to Yellowstone with my parents, Norm, and Saul back in 2008. In Montana, near the park entrance, we learned my friend Carl was riding his motorcycle with his father Skip in the opposite direction. We pulled over on the highway for the serendipitous moment, chatted for a bit, and then moved on.
Old Faithful
The weather was downright chilly, even though it was June. Snow remained at the East Entrance, meaning it was closed for cars, so we entered from the North. We lodged at the Old Faithful Cabins. In the evenings we spent time at the Old Faithful Lodge, where we bought a goofy book about the history of Mountain Men.
During the day we explored the park, starting with the glory that is Old Faithful geyser. Folklore holds that Old Faithful erupts “every hour on the hour”. In reality, it’s more like every hour and a half to two hours. Still, park staff can predict the eruption to within +/- 10 minutes, which I’d say makes the geyser worthy of its name. We stood out there on at least one occasion and watched the powerful blast of water come out of the ground.
The Park’s unique geological activity is due to the fact that it sits atop a supervolcano. Another eruption would be catastrophic, sending pyroclastic flows into surrounding states, spreading ash across the continent, and changing the global climate for years to decades. Similar to the geysers, the hot springs are another result of the volcanic activity. These are not for bathing; scalding hot, filled with thermophiles, and even some so acidic that they dissolve the surrounding rock.
My favorite features though were the mudpots. Bubbling like a witch’s cauldron, these mudpots emit lots of vapor, smell of rotten gas, and mesmerize passing tourists. They are also highly acidic, so don’t get any goofy ideas of going for a mud soak. It’s one of the only places on Earth where mud comes to life. One of my favorite activities was to walk into a cloud of steam with glasses on, and then run out, hands waving and yelling “I can’t see! I’ve got foggy goggles!”
Cold is no deterrent
Yellowstone is much more than a place to gawk at volcanic phenomenon. Its area is greater than 2 million acres, there are over 70 mountains with elevation greater than 8000 feet, and over 900 miles of hiking trails exist. Despite the cold, we did the best we could to hit the trails.
Here is the complete list of places we visited, or hikes we accomplished: Mammoth Hot Springs, Roosevelt Arch, Bunsen Peak, Petrified Tree, Tower Fall, Norris Geyser Basin, Artists Paintpots, Gibbon Falls, Fountain Paint Pot, Midway Geyser Basin, Fairy Falls, Mystic Falls, Old Faithful, West Thumb, Fishing Bridge, Mud Volcano, Red Rock Trail, and Upper/Lower Falls. Most of these were short hikes, less than 0.5 mile, but a few were ~5 miles.
Most of many memories were of the geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and lodges, not so much the longer hikes. However, I do have one photograph that shows an alpine landscape with barren trees, low lying shrubs, and patches of snow. Many of the trails go to waterfalls, which are voluminous and mesmerizing. One of America’s crown jewels of long-distance hiking, the Continental Divide Trail, passes through Yellowstone.
I definitely advocate for hiking in Yellowstone, but there’s no shame in sightseeing from the road. At two pull-offs we saw bears. One was a mother and cubs climbing a hillside, and another was a lone bear running off in the distance. In addition, the road runs along the beautiful Yellowstone Lake. Pulling over to take a look at the lake, with the Yellowstone Rockies looming in the distance, gets right to the heart of why Yellowstone is such a revered place.
