After packing up I headed to the West Thumb Geyser area along the western shore of Lake Yellowstone. This area can be best described as a thermal garden that thrives on the delicate balance of heat and moisture. Many of the geysers were constantly being lapped by the lake water. One, obviously called fishing cone, was a tourist attraction in the early years as it was one of the few places in the world where a person could catch a fish from the lake and then cook it by placing it in the boiling waters without taking it off the line.
It might have been worth mentioning the high sulfur, lead, and even mercury, but who cares when something is that cool? There were of course dozens of unique features there that individually would be the pride of nearly any state and worth of gazing for hours, however when literally surrounded by such things, how can one choose? I liked the 'Black Pool' the most as it just looked so clear and tempting as if one could just ease in to clear the pores as if in a sauna, though the boiling water would do more than just open them I suppose.
I sat at the edge of the 'Abyss Pool' for a while and watched the elk walk around the area looking for a vegetarian breakfast.
Though somewhat cautious, they really didn't seem to take much notice of anyone walking by. I walked the outer and inner loop of the boardwalks and got to the ranger station just as it was opening so I could grab my stamp for this section of the park. From my research, I understood there to be another thermal garden called the Potts Hot Spring Basin just north of West Thumb that was not on any map or trail. Apparently the only way to access it was to park a distance away along the road and bushwack a bit through the forest area. It was very much off the beaten path and though there were no signs tell one to stay out, I was a bit nervous to poke around for a while.
When I got to the clearing I found a pretty heavy and sturdy limb to use a ground tester and would make slow cautious steps everywhere I went to test for solid ground. I did not want to fall through some light moss or a weak spot and slip into anything that could pretty quickly kill me. I checked out several of the mudpots and small pools. The best part wasn't some particular feature, it was the chance to really see what the natural view would be sans any wooden boardwalks marring the view or trash sitting on the ground.
After leaving West Thumb I quickly hit Grant village to grab a park stamp at the visitor center followed by a stop at the Snake River Ranger Station at the park's southern entrance. After leaving the park I was heading south along the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. After a quick stop near Flagg Ranch for one of the three stamps for the Memorial Parkway, I headed off towards Grand Teton National Park. I had to stop at several of the vista to marvel at the classic postcard views and Colter Bay Ranger Station for another stamp and view.
As soon as I got to the Jenny Lake Ranger Station for the park I had to keep busy. I had to get my hiking permit, pack all of my supplies in the now unorganized car, and somehow find a way to get to the trailhead. This would be one of my most ambitious hikes yet since the key was just getting to where I wanted to start. I wanted to do a loop hike, so I planned to start at Teton village that was more then 45 miles away. I got my gear together, made a short hike to the road, and with my pre-made sign, stuck out my thumb for about 10-15 minutes when a couple coming out of the Jenny Lake visitor center offered me a ride to at least the next ranger station, about 30 minutes down the road.
They were teachers at Golden Gate High School in Naples, Fl where I think one of my hash friends teaches as well. As we drove I told them a bit about myadventures so far and my future travel plans. As contrast to the long
wait for a ride I had in the Smokey Mountainswhan I was waiting for nearly 2 hours. The park headquarters and visitor center was right at the intersection of a small side road that would go right to Teton Village and it was conveniently the couple's next stop anyway. It was a bit of a gamble to wait here since I figured this road wasn't often used, but I also figured my best bet would be to chose a path likely used by fellow hikers on their way to various trail heads.
Not long after waiting a young lady named Katrina on her way home picked me up to take me as far as her own path would go. I found out that she had been coming to the area every summer for years during her break as a teacher to volunteer to be a part of the Death Canyon trail crew. After she had dropped me off to take her side road home, only a few cars passed until my final ride arrived. This was an older lady on her way to a music festival at Teton Village, so she was willing and able to drop me off right at the spot I needed. Without the support of these kind strangers, I would not have been able to have the grand experiences that lay ahead.
In order to spend more time enjoying the hike rather than just attempting to gain altitude and distance arduously, I planned to cheat a little by taking the gondola up Bridger Mountain. The longer, higher gondala that I wanted to take to Rendezvous Mountain was closed for rebuilding. Although it cost me about $16 bucks, with internet coupon, it was a nice ride and provided a much needed vertical boost of at least 2800 feet that I really needed as I was already going to be chased by the sun on the way to my first campsite.
As it was I had to descend a bit along the maintenance road and then head back up along the Rendezvous Mountain road. I passed several of the avalanche guns used during the ski season and finally got to the trailhead after an hour and a half of some tough.
I had to hoof it a good bit and since this is some decently dense bear country and I was solo hiking I was doing a good bit of singing and whistling along the trail as I covered the 4 miles towards the first site. Unfortunately I just could not make it to the campsite and had to throw up the tent in a meadow. After a decent rehydrated meal, I hauled my back up a hang line out of animal reach and walked back to the tent 100 yards away [never cook at your tent in bear country] and promptly crashed.
This morning I started pretty early (~6:30AM) as I knew I had a lot of ground to cover to keep with my schedule. When I got up I grabbed my camera and headed over to the Old Faithful platform to check out the next eruption. It was early enough that there were few people out so I was able to enjoy the display without the crowds. With the golden hour of sunlight, few people walking around, and crisp morning air, it was a wondrous sight. After it was finished, I called Angie to hopefully catch her before leaving for work since she was 3 hours ahead. Under the auspices of getting her to check the eruption schedule for me, I had her log on to the website for Yellowstone National Park and click on the webcam link since they have the schedule posted there. She was surprised to be able to see me and saved a couple of pictures, so at least now I could prove to my friends that I was there and not just sitting at the casino in Vegas gambling all month!
After packing up I headed to the West Thumb Geyser area along the western shore of Lake Yellowstone. This area can be best described as a thermal garden that thrives on the delicate balance of heat and moisture. Many of the geysers were constantly being lapped by the lake water. One, obviously called fishing cone, was a tourist attraction in the early years as it was one of the few places in the world where a person could catch a fish from the lake and then cook it by placing it in the boiling waters without taking it off the line. 
It might have been worth mentioning the high sulfur, lead, and even mercury, but who cares when something is that cool? There were of course dozens of unique features there that individually would be the pride of nearly any state and worth of gazing for hours, however when literally surrounded by such things, how can one choose? I liked the 'Black Pool' the most as it just looked so clear and tempting as if one could just ease in to clear the pores as if in a sauna, though the boiling water would do more than just open them I suppose.
I sat at the edge of the 'Abyss Pool' for a while and watched the elk walk around the area looking for a vegetarian breakfast. 
Though somewhat cautious, they really didn't seem to take much notice of anyone walking by. I walked the outer and inner loop of the boardwalks and got to the ranger station just as it was opening so I could grab my stamp for this section of the park. From my research, I understood there to be another thermal garden called the Potts Hot Spring Basin just north of West Thumb that was not on any map or trail. Apparently the only way to access it was to park a distance away along the road and bushwack a bit through the forest area. It was very much off the beaten path and though there were no signs tell one to stay out, I was a bit nervous to poke around for a while. 
When I got to the clearing I found a pretty heavy and sturdy limb to use a ground tester and would make slow cautious steps everywhere I went to test for solid ground. I did not want to fall through some light moss or a weak spot and slip into anything that could pretty quickly kill me. I checked out several of the mudpots and small pools. The best part wasn't some particular feature, it was the chance to really see what the natural view would be sans any wooden boardwalks marring the view or trash sitting on the ground.
After leaving West Thumb I quickly hit Grant village to grab a park stamp at the visitor center followed by a stop at the Snake River Ranger Station at the park's southern entrance. After leaving the park I was heading south along the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. After a quick stop near Flagg Ranch for one of the three stamps for the Memorial Parkway, I headed off towards Grand Teton National Park. I had to stop at several of the vista to marvel at the classic postcard views and Colter Bay Ranger Station for another stamp and view. 
As soon as I got to the Jenny Lake Ranger Station for the park I had to keep busy. I had to get my hiking permit, pack all of my supplies in the now unorganized car, and somehow find a way to get to the trailhead. This would be one of my most ambitious hikes yet since the key was just getting to where I wanted to start. I wanted to do a loop hike, so I planned to start at Teton village that was more then 45 miles away. I got my gear together, made a short hike to the road, and with my pre-made sign, stuck out my thumb for about 10-15 minutes when a couple coming out of the Jenny Lake visitor center offered me a ride to at least the next ranger station, about 30 minutes down the road. 
They were teachers at Golden Gate High School in Naples, Fl where I think one of my hash friends teaches as well. As we drove I told them a bit about myadventures so far and my future travel plans. As contrast to the long wait for a ride I had in the Smokey Mountainswhan I was waiting for nearly 2 hours. The park headquarters and visitor center was right at the intersection of a small side road that would go right to Teton Village and it was conveniently the couple's next stop anyway. It was a bit of a gamble to wait here since I figured this road wasn't often used, but I also figured my best bet would be to chose a path likely used by fellow hikers on their way to various trail heads. 
Not long after waiting a young lady named Katrina on her way home picked me up to take me as far as her own path would go. I found out that she had been coming to the area every summer for years during her break as a teacher to volunteer to be a part of the Death Canyon trail crew. After she had dropped me off to take her side road home, only a few cars passed until my final ride arrived. This was an older lady on her way to a music festival at Teton Village, so she was willing and able to drop me off right at the spot I needed. Without the support of these kind strangers, I would not have been able to have the grand experiences that lay ahead.
In order to spend more time enjoying the hike rather than just attempting to gain altitude and distance arduously, I planned to cheat a little by taking the gondola up Bridger Mountain. The longer, higher gondala that I wanted to take to Rendezvous Mountain was closed for rebuilding. Although it cost me about $16 bucks, with internet coupon, it was a nice ride and provided a much needed vertical boost of at least 2800 feet that I really needed as I was already going to be chased by the sun on the way to my first campsite. 
As it was I had to descend a bit along the maintenance road and then head back up along the Rendezvous Mountain road. I passed several of the avalanche guns used during the ski season and finally got to the trailhead after an hour and a half of some tough. 
I had to hoof it a good bit and since this is some decently dense bear country and I was solo hiking I was doing a good bit of singing and whistling along the trail as I covered the 4 miles towards the first site. Unfortunately I just could not make it to the campsite and had to throw up the tent in a meadow. After a decent rehydrated meal, I hauled my back up a hang line out of animal reach and walked back to the tent 100 yards away [never cook at your tent in bear country] and promptly crashed.
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