Yellowstone National Park

by Mike Graf

  “Hi, Tom,” James said, then introduced himself, Morgan, and his parents.

  The family watched Doublet Pool for a moment longer. “You’ve given us some good advice,” Mom said. “Thanks.”

  3

  James crawled out of the family’s tent and sat on the picnic table bench nearby. He gazed through the binoculars at the meadow beyond the campground. So far, though, James saw nothing moving.

  James opened up his journal and wrote.

  This is James Parker reporting.

  It’s an icy morning in Yellowstone. There’s frost on the windshield of the car, and I even have my gloves on. But I guess that’s what it’s like when you’re camped in the Rocky Mountains at 8,000 feet. It doesn’t matter that it’s the middle of summer.

  My parents are letting me plan out what to see in the park. It’s quite a responsibility! But I’m following the park map and our guidebook for suggestions. The main park road is like a figure-eight loop. We entered the park from the west near Madison and are leaving toward the south near Lewis Lake. Hopefully, we’ll get to see many of the sights in between.

  I feel like we are on a wilderness safari trek. I’m up early this morning, keeping an eye out for wildlife. Which I think I just spotted …

  I’ll report more soon.

  From Yellowstone,

  James Parker

  James picked up his binoculars and scanned the horizon.

  On the far side of the meadow, a brown dot had emerged from the trees. James focused the binoculars on the animal. “Hmm,” he muttered.

  “What’s up?” Mom asked from inside the tent.

  “Sorry. I was trying to be quiet,” James responded. “But I think there’s a bull elk off in the distance. I can see its antlers.”

  “Really?” Dad asked. “How far away?”

  “On the far side of the meadow,” James answered.

  “I want to see it!” Morgan called out.

  In a minute, Morgan was bundled up, sitting next to James. James handed Morgan the binoculars.

  Morgan spotted the elk then began searching the rest of the area. “That’s not the only one.” She pointed to another part of the meadow. “See?” She handed James the binoculars.

  James saw a herd of female elk, also called cow elk, scattered about. “I can’t believe I missed them,” James said.

  The elk took off running. They bounded through the grass and in an instant were in the forest.

  “I wonder why they all ran away,” Morgan said.

  After breakfast, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad got ready for sightseeing. James highlighted areas on the map near where they were camped. He showed his family all the places he had circled.

  “That ought to keep us busy,” Mom commented.

  “And if we have time at the end of the day,” Dad said, “I have a surprise place to take us.”

  “A surprise?” James asked.

  “You’ll see,” Dad answered.

  Dad parked the car at Biscuit Basin. The Parkers piled out of the car and headed onto the boardwalk. They approached Sapphire Pool. A cloud of steam blew up into the air and drifted onto the family. An instant later, the steam cleared.

  Shell Spring, Biscuit Basin

  They gazed into a large, deep pool.

  “It looks like a giant swimming pool,” James said.

  “It’s way too hot to swim in there,” Dad reminded him.

  Morgan took a picture. “I wonder how deep it is.”

  James noticed a small spray of water in the distance. “Hey, there’s a little geyser out there!”

  The family watched the small geyser.

  James looked at his map. “I think that might be Jewel Geyser.”

  They walked along the path and passed by Shell Spring and bubbling Avoca Spring.

  “These thermal things are everywhere!” Dad exclaimed.

  Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad reached the end of the boardwalk. A dirt trail led toward Mystic Falls. On a nearby tree, a posted sign read:

  WARNING: BEAR FREQUENTING AREA.

  THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF YOUR SAFETY ON THIS TRAIL.

  “Well, that’s a bit unnerving,” Mom commented.

  James looked back toward Biscuit Basin. “It seems like everyone’s over there and there’s hardly anyone out here.”

  “Yes, we are entering the Yellowstone wilderness for the first time,” Dad stated. “I guess it’s time to get ready.”

  Dad took off his pack and laid it on the ground. He pulled out the two bear-spray canisters and handed one to Mom.

  Mom and Dad each clipped the canisters onto their belts. Dad slipped his pack back over his shoulders, and the family headed out on the Mystic Falls Trail.

  They quickly entered a small canyon with a gurgling stream running through it.

  “We should make noise to alert the bears,” Dad said. “Hey, bear!” he shouted.

  James copied Dad. “Hey, bear!”

  The canyon narrowed. Soon they approached an area with sculpted rock formations. Just beyond was Mystic Falls.

  Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad stared at the 100-foot-tall water-fall. “There’s steam coming out of the top,” Morgan realized.

  “Not just there,” James said. “All over it.”

  Mom looked at the unusual waterfall. “Maybe that’s why they call it ‘Mystic.’”

  They walked to the bottom of the falls. A trickle of water seeped from some rocks alongside the trail into a tiny pool next to the stream.

  James reached down and put his finger in the water. “Ow!” he exclaimed. “It’s hot!”

  Morgan put her finger in the large stream below the falls. “It’s cold over here.”

  “We should be careful where we put our hands, then,” Dad said.

  The family sat down on some rocks.

  Dad took off his pack and opened it. He pulled out some trail mix and passed it around. Morgan took a small handful of the snack and put it in her mouth. Then she stood up and walked around, hoping to get different angles for pictures.

  After snacking, they climbed the switchbacks above the falls.

  “Hey, bear!” Dad shouted.

  “Hey, bear!” Morgan echoed.

  Soon they came to an overlook.

  “There’s the Old Faithful area,” Mom pointed out. “And all the places nearby we’ve been seeing today.”

  After spending time at the viewpoint, the family hiked down the trail and back to their car.

  Next, they hiked to Fairy Falls and ate a picnic lunch at its base. Many other people also stopped there, took pictures, and sat by the small pool of water underneath the falls.

  On the way back, Mom noticed a faint path up a small hill. “I wonder what’s up there.”

  Mom led her family up the trail. Once at the top, they got a bird’s-eye view of massive Grand Prismatic Spring.

  “That pool is huge!” Morgan exclaimed.

  “How did you know to come up here?” Dad inquired.

  Mom shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, just a hunch.”

  The family continued sightseeing. They visited the Fountain Paint Pot Trail and Firehole Lake Drive. James kept track of the sites they went to on the map.

  “It’s endless, the things we could see here,” Mom commented.

  “But now,” Dad stated enthusiastically, “our little secret adventure.”

  Morgan and James looked at Dad.

  They drove toward Madison Junction. Near the junction, Dad turned onto Firehole Canyon Drive. They entered a scenic canyon with a small river running through it.

  “It’s pretty remote in here,” Morgan commented.

  Dad smiled. “Exactly.”

  The car climbed a narrow, winding road. They came to a parking area.

  “Get on your swimsuits and grab your towels,” Dad announced. “We’re going in!”

  After quickly changing, the Parkers piled out of the car. At the top of some wooden stairs, they looked down at the Firehole River. Dozens of people were wadi
ng, walking, and swimming in it.

  Grand Prismatic

  “This is one place where they allow swimming in Yellowstone,” Dad explained. “So it’s not totally a secret.”

  Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad headed down the stairs and put their towels down near some rocks.

  James took a step into the water. “It’s warm. Like a pool.”

  Dad explained, “This water is heated by the thermal areas we just came from. By the time the water gets here, it’s the perfect temperature for swimming.”

  “How did you know about this?” James asked.

  “The guide-book!” Dad replied.

  For the rest of the afternoon, the family swam and rested alongside the Firehole River.

  4

  “That video we had to watch at the permit office was interesting,” Morgan commented.

  “I’ll say,” Dad replied. “And even though this trail was an easy three miles, now we know how to backpack in bear country.”

  James tied the end of a rope to a large rock. “That’s why I’m doing this.”

  James slung the rock up toward a pole fastened between two trees. The rock slammed against the pole and fell back down to the ground.

  James smiled. “I’ll get it next time.” He picked up the rock and threw it higher. This time the rock sailed over the pole and came down on the other side with the rope still attached.

  James tugged on the rope and began to lift his backpack off the ground. Morgan came over and helped by pushing the backpack up until it was out of her reach. Then Morgan helped James pull on the rope. Soon James’s pack was with the others’, snug against the bear pole, twenty feet off the ground.

  “That ought to keep the bears out,” Dad commented.

  They walked over to Grebe Lake.

  The lake was surrounded by forested hills. The family found a place to sit down near the rocky shoreline to enjoy the sunset.

  Mom fixed the binoculars on a large bird as it drifted in circles above the lake. The bird suddenly plunged toward the water and disappeared beneath the surface. An instant later, it came up with a small fish in its talons and flew away.

  “Ospreys sure know how to fish,” Mom said.

  Morgan pointed to another bird soaring overhead. “Is that an osprey too?”

  Mom looked up with the binoculars. “It’s hard to focus because it’s moving so much.” Mom watched the bird a moment longer. “I think it’s a bald eagle!”

  “How do you know?” Dad asked.

  “It’s larger than the osprey, and I can see its white head and tail.”

  Mom passed the binoculars around. The family continued watching the birds and the sunset. Big billowing clouds had formed in the evening sky.

  BIRDS OF A FEATHER

  Three hundred twenty types of birds have been spotted in Yellowstone, and 148 of them nest in the park. Some of the birds seen in the park include the whooping crane, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, brown pelican, trumpeter swan, osprey, loon, harlequin duck, and great horned owl.

  Adult bald eagles are completely white on their heads and tails. Immature bald eagles may not be totally white and are often mistaken for golden eagles, which also live in the park.

  Ospreys are slightly smaller than bald eagles. They have white bellies and white heads with a dark streak through their eyes. Their wings are narrow with dark patches, and they have a bend at the wrist of their wings.

  “I wonder what other animals are out here,” James said.

  “We did see an awful lot of poop along the trail,” Dad added. “Scat,” Mom corrected.

  Dad smiled. James and Morgan laughed.

  James picked up a smooth rock. He aimed low and skipped it across the water.

  “Three!” Morgan counted for him.

  Morgan flung a rock and James counted. “Six!” he announced.

  Morgan and James skipped several more rocks before the family climbed the hill to their campsite.

  Once there, Morgan turned on a lantern inside their tent. They each started getting ready for bed.

  Sometime during the night, Morgan woke up. There was an eerie whistling sound outside. She sat up and listened. “Do you hear that?”

  “Yes,” James whispered. “What do you think it is?”

  The whistling sound continued.

  “It kind of sounds like howling,” Morgan said.

  Mom raised her head. “I think it’s the wind blowing through the trees.”

  “It sounds spooky,” James said. “Like there are ghosts out there.”

  Suddenly, light flickered outside. For a brief second, the family’s shadows were silhouetted on the walls of the tent. A few seconds later, there was a distant rumble of thunder.

  The wind picked up and lightning flickered again. Thunder boomed more loudly. A few raindrops began to pelt down.

  Morgan scrunched closer to Mom. “That one sounded like it was close to our tent.”

  The family listened to the storm. The tent rattled in the wind and the rain fly rustled continuously.

  At some point, they fell asleep.

  • • •

  The morning weather was calm. James elbowed his father. “Come on. You wanted me to wake you up early to go fishing.”

  Dad yawned and blinked his eyes. “Is that what I said?”

  Morgan, James, and Dad put on warm clothes and trudged down to the bear pole. Dad lowered their packs and got out the fishing gear. He hoisted the packs back up. They took the three fishing rods to the shore of Grebe Lake.

  “This spot looks as good as any,” Dad announced.

  Dad set up his fishing rod. He tied on one of the flies he had purchased in West Yellowstone then pulled out ten feet of line.

  “Watch this.” Dad whipped the line back and forth in the air. “See the backward motion I’m making that creates an S in my line? That’s when you cast forward.”

  Dad cast his line. As it lowered to the lake, the fly gently dropped onto the surface of the water. Dad let it drift for a few seconds and then slowly eased in the line a few inches at a time. “That’s the technique,” he said. “Let the bait act like a real fly landing on the water.”

  Dad helped the twins set up. Eventually, they were spread out, fishing. Each time they cast, they slowly pulled in the fly, just as Dad had explained.

  Two birds with oval-shaped heads and long, pointy beaks swam together near the lakeshore. “I think,” Dad called over to James and Morgan, “that those birds gave this lake its name.”

  “Those are grebes?” James inquired.

  “I think so, but Mom would know for sure.”

  James heard some footsteps crunching behind him. He quickly turned around. A man in a ranger uniform walked up.

  “Good morning,” the ranger said.

  “Hi,” James answered.

  Dad put down his rod and signaled for Morgan to do the same. Dad and Morgan walked over to join James and the ranger.

  “How’s the fishing this morning?” the ranger asked.

  “So far we haven’t caught a thing,” James answered.

  “Just remember, it’s catch-and-release only here. Unless you snare a nonnative trout,” the ranger said.

  “Got it,” Dad replied.

  “By the way, do you have a backcountry permit?” the ranger asked.

  “It’s attached to the outside of our tent,” James answered. “We’re camped right up the hill from those bear poles.”

  “You’re in 4G3,” the ranger stated. “It’s a fantastic site. Lucky you.”

  HEALTH FOOD

  Yellowstone’s trout are very important to the animals that live in the park. Bald eagles, ospreys, otters, pelicans, and bears all eat fish. Since no waters in Yellowstone are stocked, adult fish are necessary to keep populations healthy. Therefore, native fish such as the cutthroat trout, grayling, and mountain whitefish are catch-and-release only.

  “By the way, the far end of the lake near the lily pads seems to be the hot spot lately,” the ranger suggested.
“You might try over there.”

  “Thanks,” Dad replied. “The fish weren’t biting here anyway.”

  Morgan, James, and Dad walked back to the trail. Mom was climbing down the hill with her art supplies.

  “Good morning!” Mom said cheerfully. She kissed Robert and hugged her children. “I’m going to sketch the lake while the water is calm.”

  “Sounds great,” Dad commented. “We’re going to try fishing in another spot for a little while.”

  Dad and the twins tromped toward the place the ranger had suggested. They soon spotted a part of the lake full of lily pads.

  “I guess this is where the ranger meant,” Dad said.

  They left the trail and walked toward the lake. Morgan stopped. “Wait!” she warned.

  A large moose was wading near the shore. It dipped its head below the lily pads and came up with a mouthful of wet grass. The moose slowly chewed on the grass while water dripped out of the sides of its mouth.

  “It’s too bad Mom isn’t seeing this,” Dad stated.

  “Do you want to fish here now?” James asked.

  “Not really,” Dad said. “I don’t want to bother the moose, they can be quite aggressive and dangerous. We should keep our distance.”

  Dad looked at his watch. “It’s 8:30 already. We’ll have to fish again somewhere else on the trip.”

  After breakfast, they packed up and hiked back to their car at the trailhead. When they arrived, Morgan opened up the trail registry. She read the notes about animals that other hikers had spotted. “Wolves, bison, black bear, and deer,” Morgan said. Then she signed the registry and wrote, “Bald eagle, osprey, and moose.”

  “We saw animals no one else did,” Mom stated. “That’s great!”

  5

  Dad drove toward the Mammoth area while James caught up with his map.

  Dad slowed the car down behind a line of cars.

  Morgan leaned forward. “I wonder what it is this time.”