Aug 25 Mammoth, Yellowstone
Postcard:
I'm in Mammoth waiting for the backcountry office to open. That means I'm in Wyoming, right? Sweet! I'll be headed east from here then south down the Lamar. The first day and a half in the park were very tough--hopefully the river trails I have in mind will be cruisier like the Flatheads. In general Montana was totally amazing. Just a tip for visitors--if you want to be liked say, "my dad went to high school in Browning" not "I'd like to see less cattle-grazing on public land."
Phone:
Garret was in Dubois today. He says the route he took made him miss most of the northbounders, but thinks he may be ahead of his friend Andy Skurka (headed south) which would be good company if Andy catches up.
Note to parents:
Greetings from Tower Fall Campground. I'm supposed to be at a backcountry site 6 or 7 miles back, but I couldn't bring myself to stop hiking at 5:00, so here I am. Today I saw The Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. Man, it was HOT there for a while - swimming in the Yellowstone was very nice. Do I have a big Yellowstone fan amongst my friends/family? I'm curious. To me, Yellowstone is cool because it's big. It's -really- big. You won't see a fence or a cow for days. But you won't see peaks or drop-dead gorgeous alpine lakes like you would in practically all designated wilderness areas. Maybe I'm being stupid - parks aren't designed to be thru-hiked, and I'm just a mountains guy, and there are plenty of bison/geyser/big boating lakes/meadows lovers out there. Plus, Yellowstone seems like "the west." When you think of the old West, you probably don't think of the peaks of Titcomb Basin in the Winds, because nobody in their right mind would try to homestead there, but yeah, I could see Native Americans hunting here in Ystone, or an old Army fort or what not.
I should've kept track of the number of blisters I've had. Popped another pinky-toe one today. You might think that my feet would be made of steel by now, but that's unfortunately kind of like thinking my teeth should be made of steel after all this eating I've been doing.
It's 8:30--almost hiker midnight.
I'm in Mammoth waiting for the backcountry office to open. That means I'm in Wyoming, right? Sweet! I'll be headed east from here then south down the Lamar. The first day and a half in the park were very tough--hopefully the river trails I have in mind will be cruisier like the Flatheads. In general Montana was totally amazing. Just a tip for visitors--if you want to be liked say, "my dad went to high school in Browning" not "I'd like to see less cattle-grazing on public land."
Phone:
Garret was in Dubois today. He says the route he took made him miss most of the northbounders, but thinks he may be ahead of his friend Andy Skurka (headed south) which would be good company if Andy catches up.
Note to parents:
Greetings from Tower Fall Campground. I'm supposed to be at a backcountry site 6 or 7 miles back, but I couldn't bring myself to stop hiking at 5:00, so here I am. Today I saw The Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. Man, it was HOT there for a while - swimming in the Yellowstone was very nice. Do I have a big Yellowstone fan amongst my friends/family? I'm curious. To me, Yellowstone is cool because it's big. It's -really- big. You won't see a fence or a cow for days. But you won't see peaks or drop-dead gorgeous alpine lakes like you would in practically all designated wilderness areas. Maybe I'm being stupid - parks aren't designed to be thru-hiked, and I'm just a mountains guy, and there are plenty of bison/geyser/big boating lakes/meadows lovers out there. Plus, Yellowstone seems like "the west." When you think of the old West, you probably don't think of the peaks of Titcomb Basin in the Winds, because nobody in their right mind would try to homestead there, but yeah, I could see Native Americans hunting here in Ystone, or an old Army fort or what not.
I should've kept track of the number of blisters I've had. Popped another pinky-toe one today. You might think that my feet would be made of steel by now, but that's unfortunately kind of like thinking my teeth should be made of steel after all this eating I've been doing.
It's 8:30--almost hiker midnight.
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