(2018 Alaska Ep 19)
Heels
There are great day hikes throughout Yellowstone. We enjoyed a couple.
After a visit to Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of Yellowstone where we saw lots of buffalo and a group of big horn sheep, we decided on the Lost Lake Hike.
From Roosevelt Lodge, we followed a series of switchbacks as the trail climbed more than 400 feet to the top of a mountain. A short ways further we found Lost Lake, a quiet lake in the cradle of several surrounding mountains.
The trail continued along a creek to the parking lot for a petrified tree. This was a bonus as we didn’t associate petrified trees with Yellowstone.
From there, a very steep 300-foot climb led to a mountaintop meadow. The view of the distant mountains was spectacular.
Hikes don’t always yield the expected.
We hiked the Elephant Back trail later in the week for a grand view of Yellowstone Lake and the distant mountains.
The trail was muddy and as we neared the top, we discovered it was covered with deep snow! We were unable to continue. When it started to rain, we put on ponchos and trudged back to the parking lot, muddy, cold and tired.
We caught a glimpse of the lake and mountains part way up the trail. A more interesting find was a small pine tree growing on the top of a rock. This reminded us of the perseverance and faith needed when facing day hikes in the rain, long trips to Alaska and the challenges of life. Praise God for His presence and steadfastness in every situation!
Wheels
We learned about and rode several bike trails added to Yellowstone in recent years.
Our first ride took us 2.5 miles to Lone Star Geyser.
A few short sections of the trail were still covered with snow and we had to walk our bikes through them.
We parked our bikes when we arrived at the geyser and to our delight, Lone Star geyser began to erupt!
A couple days later we rode four miles down another road to the backside of one of the largest and most beautiful thermal springs in Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic Spring. We parked our bikes and followed a short trail to an overlook with a phenomenal view of the spring.
On the way back, we rode close enough to a group of buffalo to hear them grunting and snorting! Fortunately we passed by safely.
Take the LONG Road... 