3/8/2009

This morning we woke at 6am and were driving towards Lamar Valley by 7am. It was truly an amazing experience traveling into the heart of such a wild and harsh place. We saw bison in the valleys...and then in front of our bus on the road.


















We stopped several times on our way to Lamar Valley...watcing coyotes, elk, and big horn sheep.



















Once we got to Buffalo Ranch in Lamar Valley (one of the original sites of Buffalo re-introduction into the west), there was activity from 6 of the druid peak wolves on top of the ridge. They had evidently made a kill an dwere taking turns feeding on the carcass. We only saw them when they came up for air after feeding and walked higher up on the ridge. The snow was falling heavy though and visibility was poor. I only caught a glimpse of a gray wolf through my scope.






A magical moment did occur, though when a lone moose cow walked out into the valley right in front of us! (30 yards) She seemed a bit sad and lost (being that there was no appropriate habitat for her down in the valley at that time of year and that the wolves were so close). She looked thinned from the harsh winter but she was still so beautiful.




We skiid for a few hours after that up towards a place called Tower Falls. It was my first time on cross country skis, but it was so nice. The overlook at the top gave a nice view of the river below and some sulfur deposits where a thermal vent was exposed. There was also a nice view of a rock formation made of columnar basalt...formed when hot magma cooled fast...but not fast enough to form obsidian.







After the ski we returned to base camp and grabbed our swim suits...that's right...in sub-freezing winter at Yellowstone, we all took a dip...in the "boiling river"...the main public hotsprings at Mammoth Hot Springs. The water temperature was around 90 degrees Farenheit while the ambient air temp was around 0-10 degrees Farenheit.