The Yellowstone We Wanted

For more than a year and a half we planned. Phone calls, saving money, assembling gear, reading endlessly. We were seeking a set of experiences we could call wholly our own.

To find them, we would cram into a rented car and drive across nine states, into the 2.5 million acres of Yellowstone National Park. Whenever possible, our plan was to avoid the areas typically visited by roughly 5 million people a year. Most of whom see only what is visible from their vehicle.

 I'll tell you what is hidden here...intimidation.
Spend any amount of time in the back country and you quickly learn your meager place. I distinctly remember my first walk away from the roads and towards a body of water to capture an image. The immense silence a place like this brings to your ears is stunning. All around my feet were the signs of apex predators and evidence of consumed prey animals was often easily found.

You can read about bear attacks forever. You can bring along bear spray and be proficient with a firearm. It all goes out the window when you show up to your trail head and find this sign. Even more chilling with the hand written dates of other adventurers decorating it. I am proud to report of my family, that bearly (pun indented) a second thought was given to the task at hand. Into the back country we went! We were rewarded with amazing views, hidden mountain ponds, and not another soul for miles. We hiked this trail smack in the middle of the scribbled dates.

We were privileged to spend a day with MacNeil Lyons of Yellowstone Insight and Emil of Yellowstone Wild
We were educated and ushered into experiences only a few will ever see.

After watching this mother nurse and feed her cubs for over an hour, I said, "how can it get any better than this?!" The wolves answered my question in short order.

                               

The struggle for simple survival was placed on grand display for us. No theater has ever been more elegant. This pack of wolves had been on the move all morning, and apparently all that running makes a wolf hungry.

Amidst all the pageantry I was able to see my boys grow. Aiden expressed an interest in fly fishing. Being among the more technically demanding of outdoor pursuits, I was hesitant to foster his interest within the confines of a vacation. However, his persistence won out.

Having never fly fished before, we has able to land four trout in just a few outings during our stay. This is a MAJOR accomplishment for any fisherman, much less at eleven years old.

Evan can be seen in the following photos carrying an overnight pack equal to his own body weight. At 8 years old, he can now lay claim to two overnight treks into the back country with full packs.


Our additional explorations included the Badlands, Devils Tower, and Custer National Cemetery at the Battle Of The Little Big Horn.

This trip was the experience of ten lifetimes for my family.
We have a saying in our home..."Learn to be comfortable while being uncomfortable"
This trip taught us there are great rewards to be had if we can live this when it counts the most.