The Mary Mountain trail, also known as the Nez Perce trail, is an old stage coach road that is located about 20 minutes north of Old Faithful. I've read that grizzly bears and bison are often seen along the trail. Well, there were four of us, and we each had a can of bear spray. Except for Bill. Always being the Boy Scout, he carries TWO cans of bear spray. "What if you have to use a can? Just because you see one bear doesn't mean you won't see another." He does have a point!
Here is a picture of Bill, Gene & Joyce heading down the trail. You can see how wide and level the trail is. It remained pretty level, but it did narrow as we entered into the forested area.
Our first wildlife sighting was this big guy. He was content to remain where he was. And that is a good thing.
The trail continued along the Nez Perce Creek, until we crossed it on this lovely bridge. Gene went first to make sure it was safe. : )
We gave this guy a wide berth. He kept his eyes on us until we passed.
Yellowstone National Park is famous for all of its thermal features. We have visited all of the geyser basins, but it so cool to come across thermals in the back county. I love seeing them in their natural setting, without all of the boardwalks...and all of the people!
The Mary Mountain trail is 22 miles long and takes you across the park's Central Plateau to the Hayden Valley. Of course we didn't hike the entire trail. We went out for a couple of hours, took a little break and then headed back.
But the fun wasn't over. Gene had arranged dinner at 6:00 with mutual friends, Mike & Lee. All of us worked together at Fishing Bridge RV Park a couple of years ago, and it was nice to be together again. We had a good dinner at the Old Faithful Lodge and enjoyed great conversation. We soon parted ways, and each of us headed back home.
As I've said before, Bill and I love Yellowstone, but it is the great friendships we have developed that make this an even more special place.
0 comments:
Post a Comment