Why sleep the woods?

Lake Shoshone Geyser Basin

 

People have always walked to get places and luckily, we haven’t built roads to every pretty spot. Did the Hayden Expedition that explored Yellowstone discover all the geyser basins? No, of course not--they mostly followed the paths that had been used by the Native Americans for thousands of years. There is something special about walking on a trail that has been traveled for years and years by all kinds of people. In addition to the history, most of the trails preserved and maintained by the national park system are very scenic, so almost any hike in a national park will be special.

2nd night camp setup

We just returned from our first backpacking trip of the summer. On day one we hiked 6.5 miles to our first camp.  The next day, went on to the Lake Shoshone Geyser Basin.  We planned  this trip so that we could see of all the geothermal activity without all of the crowds around “The Loop.” We had never hiked around any active geothermals, plus the basin is on the edge of a beautiful, large, high-country lake. Of course Colene spotted an osprey flying across the lake towards us. We followed its path to a nest in the top of a tall pine tree. Its mate and baby ospreys were waiting.  We then headed back, made camp a second time closer to the trailhead, and finished our return today.

Is hiking a walk in the park? No, first you have to be in decent condition. Second, you need to assemble all the necessary gear. Then you have to decide which half of the gear is really necessary, otherwise you won’t be able to lift your pack let alone carry it eight or more miles a day. You also have to ask yourself if you can deal with millions of mosquitoes at times--usually dinner time. There’s also the risk of chiggers, ticks, or even a bear--you have to be prepared or live with the consequences. Can you go three days without a shower? Can you sleep on 1.5” on padding? All these things make backpacking difficult, but at the end of the trip, all of the inconveniences seem to fade from memory. All we can remember are the birds we spotted, the gorgeous meadows, the lazy creeks, and the beautiful wildflowers.

Above & below
Lake Shoshone Geyser Basin

 

Lone Star Geyser