Our internet access here, in this outpost of Northwest
Wyoming, is pretty bad. Our wifi is the Verizon Mifi, as they call it, that
depends on cell coverage which is weak throughout Yellowstone. For the most part, we’ll have to wait
until we get to a park hotel and pay for wifi access to put photos here. Can't wait, we've had a flurry of natural experience our
first few days and the supporting pictures are fun.
Here’s what we’ve seen:
Trumpeter Swan. This graceful paddler also has power in that
thick neck. It is the heaviest bird native to North America. The geese stay
away. The Trumpeter can have a ten foot wingspan.
Grizzly. Surely one of the world’s great beasts. At six
hundred pounds, it can run faster than any human. We purchased and carry bear
spray for this visit. It is a long range spray of pepper concentrate. They
avoid humans, but, if you are hiking into the wind and you come upon one
because there was no scent, well, they do not like to be surprised. In the
Hayden Valley area of the Park we watched one at a rivers edge, fishing. We
were about 100 yards away and gasped as he swiped at the water bringing up a
three foot long fish. Carrying it in mouth, he moved away from the water to a
flatter spot and set about consuming the catch. He’d dig at it with chef’s
claws, dislodge some meat, bend his neck to gulp it down then raise his head to
look back and forth to make sure there was nothing approaching that may
encroach upon his meal. It took about five minutes to devour the good parts,
then our grizzly lumbered off, content with his tummy full of sushi. It took
about half a second for the ravens to zoom in on the fish carcass. The cleanup
crew.
Mama Black Bear and Cubs. Breathtaking and so endearing.
Taking the lead of a couple of first spotters, we pulled into a turnoff in a
hilly area of the Park, to see just across the two lane road this lovely black
bear with her two, absolutely adorable, cubs. A ranger on the scene said they
were about five months old. One scooted up a tree then scooted right down, head
first. Oblivious to the gathering crowd of bear-crazed humans, mom came closer
to us on her family outing in the woods. We watched as she taught them how to
rip apart a downed, rotting tree to get a few licks of the insects inside. One cub took her vacated place to give it a
try. On its first try to rip at the wood it lost its balanced momentarily and
almost fell off the log. Then it turned to see if mom was watching, it seemed,
then went back to clawing at the wood. We had a good twenty minute viewing
session before they disappeared into the thick growth.
Wolves. We had heard there was an observable den in this remote area of
the Park’s northeast. We went early one morning to find a crowd already gathered. The
den was a distance away but we were given views in spotting scopes that
Yellowstone employees had set up. We did spot a grey and white “teenager” and
two pups. Cathy and I have booked a wolf watching trip with a guide next week.
Looking forward to that. I love the
wolf.
Resist the impulse to pick up a bear cub
ReplyDeleteResist the impulse to pick up a bear cub
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