In the third installment of Mojo' Hikin's Yellowstone Photo Journal I will take you into the heart of the Greater Yellowstone's beating life force. Many things to many people make this part of America unmistakably the very meaning of America - unspoiled wilderness. Having spent most of my life being pulled into Yellowstone's influence, I cannot deny the profound impact it has had on our lives and those around us. It is a curious thing how many people we meet in our travels throughout the Greater Yellowstone that all seem to be on a similar life journey, with Yellowstone playing a central role in that journey.
More over the next ridge...
First off - for those that followed my last photo journal and have been dying for the answer to my question - it is Chromatic Spring in the Upper Geyser Basin. For a better view you will have to go there for yourself.
Lamar Valley
Journal Note: Another frigid morning in Lamar. Elk and bison everywhere. Grizzlies haunt our mornings. One female and COY on Jasper Bench. Sun rising and catching the peaks. The hot coffee is exquisit. Should we look for Bart?
Ursus arctos: The Grizzly Bear
The day was wearing on so we decided to head back to Lamar Valley to hang out and put up our scopes in the event that grizzlies or wolves were visible. Since we had already hiked most of the day it sounded like a welcome break. We were both getting a little tired.
Lamar Valley is located in the northeastern part of the park and is well known for its rich abundance of wildlife and grand vistas. Several miles long and 3 or 4 miles wide it has one of the largest populations of grizzlies in Yellowstone. The Lamar River flows ever so slowly through its center and exits the valley through a narrow basalt gorge - Lamar Canyon. Through this gorge the river becomes a raging torrent and would kill any poor creature that happened to be unlucky enough to be pulled that far down river.
As we left Slough Creek we wound our way up through the narrow gorge on our way to Lamar Valley. Making the final turn out of Lamar Canyon we were mesmerized by the views that opened up before us - the whole of Lamar Valley with the snow covered Absaroka Range in the distance. This time however, we were in for an even greater surprise. Just yards away from the road was a large grizzly female and her CoY (cub of the year). The little cub was as cute as could be and it was bounding along behind her as she made her way to the shallow bank of the Lamar River. Thankfully, they were headed away from the road.
Female Grizzly and CoY
Journal Note: Female grizzly wanders into sage covered flats. Coy in tow. She pauses and drops to let her cub nurse. Awesome! Images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
What unfolded in the next hour was one of the most remarkable yet wrenching grizzly observations we have ever witnessed.
The female entered the river at a low point along the embankment and began swimming across while the cub stood on the shore growing frantic about the separation. The female tried to encourage her cub into the water but she finally turned and swam back. Climbing out she coaxed the cub into the water and tried again. The cub would have nothing to do with it. It climbed back out and began bawling frantically. Again the female swam back and climbed out. She once again coaxed the cub into the water and swam across. Once again the cub got right back out and ran frantically up and down the bank bawling wildly. This time though the female appeared to have lost her patience and swam back much quicker, climbed out, and then walked over and put her jaws around the cubs neck in an agitated fashion and then growled aggressively. The cub started bawling all over again. The female relented and let the cub nuzzle her closely. She then bent over and grabbed the cub by the back of the neck and moved it into the river. She crossed the Lamar again but this time the cub went for it. It was obvious immediately though that the cub was going to have serious trouble crossing. The current was much stronger in this part of the river and Lamar Canyon was just around the bend a hundred yards or so away.
The river carried the cub far and fast as it swam frantically towards the other side. We could see the bend in the river bearing down on this little guy. We knew if it did not cross soon it was the last thing we would ever see of this cub. The female started running down river towards her cub as the cub bawled and swam. The female made vocalizations as the cub swam. We were glued to the events unfolding before us. The cub swam for its life and at the last minute made the opposite bank. Another twenty yards and it would have been killed for certain. The cub climbed out and the two reunited and cuddled for a minute or so. The female pulled the cub close and leaned down to nuzzle her little wet bundle of energy. Slowly they moved off and went up river.
Journal Note: Female sits down and the cub climbs aboard. You can hear the cub suckling. The female lays straight back as the cub digs in for a meal. Several other people stop to watch. I let a youngster use the scope. They are thrilled. The bear gets up after ten minutes.
Sheryl and I hopped in our vehicle and drove up Lamar Valley to find a place to put up scopes and watch the two bears. We pull off at rock stop and put up scopes. We watch as the two bears wander up river along the embankment. The female stops frequently to paw and dig while the cub bops along behind her. The cub is easily distracted. The female has to stop frequently to go back and encourage the cub to move along. The female seems to have forgotten all about her anger and has been very attentive since the river incident. The cub seems as though nothing remarkable has happened and gets to the business of being a cub. They both go about the business of being grizzlies.
They are approaching a large bench that looms over the river. Suddenly the female stops abruptly and stands up looking straight ahead. She stands there for a few seconds, then drops to all fours and goes into a full gallop up river. The terrifying speed of an adult grizzly never ceases to amaze us. Once seen it is never forgotten! The cub has been left far behind and panics. The cub is now all alone and unprotected in a very dangerous valley. It runs around wildly and noisily looking for its mother and then heads directly up hill away from the river into the timber covered bench. We lose all sight of the cub. The last we saw it was headed into some trees. | |
Meanwhile, the female is running at full speed up river. I swing my scope up river and see the reason for the great bears actions - there are numerous elk and calves at the opposite end of the bench near the river. The length of this bench is maybe half a mile. This is not a great distance for a bear or its sense of smell. In no time the elk figure out something is up but it is too late - the grizzly explodes onto the scene and scatters the elk in all directions. It appears to be chaos from our point of view but to the bear it was well coordinated. The elk are in disarray while the bear starts moving quickly throughout the sage where the elk had been bedded down. In no time a young calf jumps out of the undergrowth and runs for its life. The bear turns and bears down on the calf. The poor creature had no chance. It leaps into the river with the grizzly coming in on top of it. In a few seconds the grizzly emerges from the river with the young calf in its jaws. It holds the calf down until all movement stops and then comes out of the river and lays its kill down on the shore. It all happens so quickly we are speechless. The elk are a short distance away watching the bear and are very agitated. Somewhere amongst the group is a female elk who will wander the area for hours looking for her young calf to no avail.
Journal Note: A crowd has grown. The grizzlies are putting on quite a show. A young girl next to me begins to cry during the chase. Her father consoles her. She walks off agitated. Drama in Yellowstone.
The female grizzly suddenly realizes her cub is nowhere to be seen and tears off downriver at full gate. She has left her kill behind as she runs down river. As she approaches the end of the bench where she first left her cub she starts searching frantically through the terrain. No cub can be found. She goes back and forth and up and down the river. Suddenly, she stops and and puts her head to the ground. In a few seconds she heads directly up hill exactly where the cub left the river. She has found the cubs scent trail. The female disappears into the woods. Sheryl and I are dumbstruck at what we have been able to witness. In a minute or two here comes the female with her little cub in tow once again. This time the cub is glued to her. They proceed back up river at a slow walk with the cub never leaving her side. In a few minutes they approach the kill site and the two bed down to eat. We are exhausted and stay to watch the two for another hour or so and then head off for more adventures. What a day.
Hike around Beaver Ponds
Beaver Ponds is a modest 4.5 mile loop hike but very enjoyable. It should be reasonably high on your list of day hikes. Starting near Liberty cap in Mammoth Hot Springs, the hike begins with a short brisk ascent through a lovely wooded ravine called Clematis Gulch.
The last time we hiked Beaver Ponds it was a beautiful June day with a distinct nip in the air and numerous cumulus clouds drifting across an azure sky. Immediately we passed numerous blooming beauties - Sticky Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), Balsam root (Balsamorhiza sagittata), Rocky Mountain Iris (Iris missouriensis), Rock Clematis (Clematis columbiana) and others. One of our favorite wildflowers, Leopard Lily (Fritillaria atropurpurea) , were found throughout the hike.
| Shortly into the hike we came across a marvelous grouping of Balsam root nestled among some Douglas fir and downed wood. I climbed a small hill to take some photos. As I approached my photo spot I came across a large day bed complete with grizzly scat. I called to Sheryl and we checked it out. Very cool. The scat was relatively recent and the flattened grass was still green. It seems like we find bear evidence everywhere we go in Yellowstone. I take numerous shots and we head back to the trail. Yellowstone is a place of never ending wonders just waiting to be explored.
We crest the small hill coming to a trail sign and an old stump complete with faint trail markings. Branching north (right) through the scattered Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce forest we take in the fantastic scenery. Many of the trees appear to have died in the last few years leaving their standing skeletal remains peppering the forest. The day is shaping up to be a quintessential Big Sky day. The views of the Absaroka Range to the north are magnificent. Getting a bit hungry we stop to rest among some Quaking aspen and amazing Montana scenery. A few bites of trail mix and some water and we are satisfied. Sadly, the aspen are in serious decline in this area with little to no regeneration.
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Journal Note: Uinta ground squirrels abound. Little chirps and scolds that we are invaders. Bald eagle flys towards the Gardner river. Nodding Leopard lilies blend into the grass. Mixed salted nuts and dried bananas go down well.
Many of the aspen are very old, dead or dying. It must have been an incredible grove decades past.
As we sit and take in the landscape a few aspen leaves drift down from the trees above. A Uinta ground squirrel appears from its den and gives us the business when it realizes we are invading its domain. Another ground squirrel further away chimes in and the colony goes to high alert. The high pitched chirping carries throughout the aspen grove. The chirping finally dies down as we pack up and hike off down the trail. One final disapproving long-winded chirping as we fade into the distance.
Beaver Ponds Hike: Uinta Ground Squirrel Montage
The forest deepens in pockets as we get closer to the beaver ponds. Many-flower Stickseed (Hackelia floribunda) and Heartleafed arnica (Arnica cordifolia) bring cheer to these pockets of forest. Occasional sightings of elk stir our awareness but not soon enough. As we pass through a small patch of forest a bull elk suddenly appears and is grazing in some downed timber. We halt our progress and back down the trail a bit. Putting down the pack I pull out my Canon 100-400 and shoot numerous images as the elk glides into a sunny patch of forest. We are amazed at this spectacular beast and how quiet they are as they move through the forest. His rack is well under way and he is obviously moving with great care to protect the delicate blood filled appendages on his head.
Beaver Ponds Hike: Elk Surprise
Eventually the elk wanders deeper into the woods and so we push on. The day is warming and the clouds above are drifting across the sky with considerable speed. Days like this are few and far between so we take in every sight, sound, and smell as we wander towards Beaver Ponds. We hop over a small stream to avoid the mud. Off to the side of the trail are a few columbine (Aquilegia flavescens). Further beyond the trees the forest opens up. A small pond appears apparently formed by old beaver activity. Yellow-headed Blackbirds are raucous as they position themselves around the pond.
Journal Note: Big sky country indeed. Two Sandhill Cranes fly in the distance. We can hear their honking. The breeze is warming. We remove our coats and munch on crackers. Dung beetles navigate the trail.
As we hike on we start noticing more evidence of beaver activity from years gone by. Small ponds with obvious old beaver dams. We stop to enjoy the bird life at each one. Eventually we round a corner and a large pond/small lake appears. It is much larger than any we have seen yet with numerous waterfowl and scores of flowers surrounding the lake. Near the shore is a large interesting rock where we take off our packs and settle in for an hour or so.
Beaver Ponds Hike: Beaver Pond
It feels good to take off the packs and hang out. It has warmed up nicely and the birds are chirping around the pond. Sheryl takes out her binocs and scans the pond. Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, Eared Grebes, Mallards and others ply the waters. We look for Bald Eagles or Osprey but no luck. No matter - I am enjoying taking photos of the flowers around the pond and watching the waterfowl. The Ruddy Duck males are really kicking it up. Racing after one another as they position for females. Their little tales are sticking up and their bills are bright turquoise blue. Cute little guys.
Journal Note: Monument plants bloom across the shore of the pond. Glorious monuments. Some are six feet tall. Bees are hard at work. Skeletal remains of past blooms.
Field Note:
Monument plants (Frasera speciosa) are a curious and spectacular plant. Flower spikes are large (at times as much as 6 feet tall) and grow out of a rosette of lance shaped leaves. Blooming May through August we always manage to find these amazing plants during our June adventures. The flowers are yellowish green with purplish spots. Sometimes we find large concentrations of blooming Monuments but some years we are far less successful.
It has been reported that these curious plants only bloom once in their lives and that it can be 20 to 80 years in preparation for this bloom! I am checking on the source but if that is true then Monument Plant is a very appropriate name indeed. After waiting decades to bloom it leaves behind a course dry stalk which is easily visible a year or two later.
There is a small hidden lake in northeastern Yellowstone that has large concentrations of these beauties. We look for them every year. When you head to Yellowstone this year maybe you too will find your hidden gems. | |
We finally decide to make the turn for home and leave this jewel of a pond behind. Only a couple people of hiked this way during our stay. Even this close to Mammoth Hot Springs and almost no one hikes the trails. Go figure. Crossing a small log near the outlet of the pond is more evidence of past beaver activity but we never see any recent activity. We wonder if the beavers have moved on.
The hike back takes in fantastic views of the Gardiner area and up into the distant Absaroka-Beartooth. The hike along this stretch is much more exposed and dry with western sage and dry rocky soil. The hike takes you along an elongated ridge that gives you occasional views of Lava Creek (great hike there BTW). Along the way are countless Bitter root and Stonecrop. However, the most delightful encounter are the great numbers of Mountain Bluebirds. What a treat.
Beaver Ponds Hike: Mountain Bluebird
The wind gets a bit stronger as the day wears on. We take a few more shots of the bluebirds and make for the final stretch. By now we are getting motivated to break out our spotting scopes to look for grizzlies. The great bear is always on our minds if not in our view.
26 degrees and snow is falling in northeastern Yellowstone today (May 7th, 2010). So what exactly is the beating heart of Yellowstone? Whatever you want it to be. For us it is the intangible feelings Yellowstone conjures up. Can't wait to get on the trail in a few weeks...mojo' hikin'