Yellowstone Trip Report date 10/25

A

againstthegrain

Senior Member
Location
Sun Valley, ID
Here we go on Day 1:

View northwest and the creek is very low, but still flowing nicely. Everything in view is wilderness, so we're parked at the of a road on the edge of wilderness.

north1025.jpg

I was too excited to retake the blurry flower pic, because not seconds later did a find this fresh pile of bear scat.


flowerpoorfocus3.jpeg

This bear scat was deposited the night before our arrival at our campsite. The Campground host told us it was black bear. This sample consists of 3 types of berries, woods rose fruit called "rose hips", snowberry, and chokecherry, and no animal byproducts.

Bearchit.jpg

The view towards the west from the camp site. The previous 3 days had been a rain/snow storm so our timing was perfect. My friend spent the 3 previous days hunkered down in his camper in the neighboring site so when we arrived he was ready to talk.


westview1025.jpg
 

Last edited:
You got my curiosity up & I had to go to the website for your camper. Those are very nice & look comfortable.

Where do you get your power from when your off-grid? Propane or lithium battery?
 
Last edited:
We arrived around 4pm in 2 vehicles taking 2 different routes roughly 335 miles just one car from entering the campground behind each other. We leveled the camper, goofed around for a couple hours enjoying the sun, counting our blessings for the cg reservation, but thankfully got a fire going before the evening down slope, down canyon breeze started blowing.

Cathyfaceblocked.jpg,

The fire is struggling to burn so I added an accelerant, crystalized pine resin off some Lodgepole Pine, bug hit trees in the Sawtooths. However I neglected to set up a fly over the picnic table so we had a rather hurried but delish dinner and then hunkered down for a couple hours. It would be a 6:30am wake up and depart for animal watching at 7:15am the next day. For the record we had steak/swordfish grilled on the fire(hardwood), baked 2024 vintage Idaho potato in foil cooked in the coals, and broccoli.
 
Last edited:
Day 2 up for a drive I can't recall exactly what we saw but did see(besides bison, antelope, mtn goats) a black bear crosses the road in front of of us. We stop and watch it saunter up a few yds and stop. Soon enough the CG host comes running after it. The bear visits the pit toilets so it was being hazed off.

My wife's pic. There he is by the hiker/biker campsite, picnic table and bike w luggage are visible.

Cathybb1025.jpg


Then later on he or perhaps another bear crossed the creek about 50 yds north of us. We were fortunate enough he wanted nothing to do w us or our camp from which these pics were taken.

1bb1025.jpg


2bb1015.jpg





3bb1025.jpg
 
Day 2 continues. Probably messing about in camp working on dinner or getting set up for morning coffee. Tired for sure, the first night's sleep is usually full of concern for how the rig functions.

This big dude pulls up from the south.


1bi1025.jpeg

He was in the lead of a group that eventually turned out to be roughly 80-100 head.

2bi1025.jpg
 
Tuesday we had 2 more arrivals in the early evening, 2 old friends each in their own campers. Cathy and I had premade turkey chili on tortillas w chipotle mayo cabbage slaw for dinner. Breakfast was oat meal w almonds and raisins. Lunch the first couple days was a combo of left overs and cold cuts.
 
These bison are on the trail south of and on the far bank of the river and it's a main migratory route for many species.


4bi1025-jpeg.458219







6bi1025.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 4bi1025.jpeg
    4bi1025.jpeg
    166.2 KB · Views: 22
Day 2 I forgot that me and my wife put on our rubber boots in the afternoon, and crossed the river intending to go for a short hike up a side drainage. We crossed and changed into our hiking boots no sooner did a black bear come from the bank and shoot across the opening at full speed and scrambled up the hillside. The wind was up slope and up canyon in the mid afternoon so the bear winded us almost as soon as we crossed.

We watched it for 15 mins or so w my wife at full panic as we hid behind some downed trees taking advantage of the bears relatively poor eyesight. The bear finally fully relaxed and decided it wanted to go back to the stream bank to continue feeding. It did pass w/in about 150 yds from us.

The wife insisted we cross back and give up on the hike.




Day 3 starts off early, and we are joined by my friend for our morning drive. We spotted the usual goats, antelope, and bison. We also spotted some big horn sheep from the car, a group of about 20 ewes and a few lambs. Pics did not show anything special, accident avoidance is key in the park where many leave their driving skills at the park entrance.

Later on we came on a larger gathering of parked cars, so I pulled in about 1/2 mile past the cars and began walking back towards the mob. It does make me a little sick to my stomach to have to get in with the crowds.

Eventually I spot a grizzly bear below slowly working its way across the side hill feeding.

gb11025.jpeg

2gb1025.jpg


3gb1025.jpg
 
Last edited:
Day 4 After a couple intense days in the close confines of a suv we elected to sleep in and hang out around camp. We had plenty of coffee, made breakfast w eggs, and potatoes served in a covered fry pan, w bacon and toast for 4.

Early afternoon 3 of us headed out on a hike which involved a river crossing to the same spot we spooked the bear a couple days before. Since we only had 2 pair of rubber boots I needed to make 4 extra crossings relaying the boots.

Across the creek we head up to the side drainage.

10925one.jpeg

The side drainage forks making it a very wide boulder field, ankle braking terrain which we don't cross. We do find several places where the bison cross though.

10925five.jpg


Pack string crosses the park boundary to isolated ranches in order to bring out unused supplies. They will be making the round trip taking cargo out.
10925packtrain2.jpg

The flat just screams bear to me.

10925three.jpg
 
Last edited:
After the hike my wife jumped in her car and left for a few hours of peace and solitude. Putting up w 4 men, 2 constant talkers, was a lot. She got a unlimited time shower for $5 and some milk.

I had been bathing 3 afternoons in creek since it was sunny and low 60°s F so I felt pretty clean.

I took these while she was gone.
10925campsitewide.jpg


This pile of wood was needed for the upcoming weekend. It had it's own fly to protect it from 1"+ rain.

flyfirewood1025a.jpg10925flynight2.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Day 5 the wx deteriorated but not as badly as predicted. We hung around camp, had a fire and big breakfast and did chores until the early afternoon slowly packing the suv for an overnight in a hotel to celebrate my wife's birthday the following day. The wx was much nicer than predicted, a brief rain shower around 6:30am lasting just a few minutes.

So we leave camp take our time glassing at various places looking for animals. No sooner did my wife mention rainbow this one appeared as we traversed a sage brush meadow near Hellroaring.


101125rainbowpartial.jpg


101125rainbowpartial.jpg



Some mule deer does grazed near the road. No place to stop so the deer pictures are lame.
101125muledeer.jpg


Go through Mammouth oddly empty of elk on the way to the motel. The food is good in Gardiner MT as long as one like's burger and fries. We were beat so we skipped the hot springs north of town.

Shower felt good after 7 nights w/out one - the 3 trips into the creek water to bathe saved me.
 

Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top