Osprey Falls

Today Erica and I hiked to Osprey Falls. We started at the Bunsen Peak Trailhead and walked on a double wide dirt road towards the falls spur trail. At the beginning of the hike, we saw a large bird waddling on the trail in front of us. As we approached he walked over to a nearby pond and started swimming. About a mile into the hike, we saw a calm pond and soon afterwards the trail started following alongside an amazing canyon. 

After four miles of hiking, we came to the Osprey Falls spur trail, which switchbacked 1.4 miles into the canyon we had just seen. The switchbacks were steep and numerous and they allowed us to quickly descend into the canyon. Soon we reached the falls, which were absolutely enormous and beautiful. The falls were so big and powerful that we were soaked with the mist standing 40 yards in front of them. We enjoyed the falls for a while and then started heading back up the steep switchbacks of the spur trail. 

Osprey Falls was down at the bottom of this canyon

The trail descends into the canyon

Osprey Falls

We worked hard on the way up, but managed to get up the canyon quickly. When we reached the end of the spur trail, we continued on the double wide trail we had been on before, which led us back to our dorm. The rest of the trail was wooded with bright green grass growing in between the trees. There were lots of beautiful wildflowers growing along the trail. After a mile or so, we got a great view of the terraces, Mammoth, Gardiner, and the dorms. Within a half mile from the dorms, we hiked into a flat green field with an elk feeding and a view of the mountains in the background. 

Mammoth and the terraces in the distance

A pretty stream along the trail

Elk near the dorms

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What I've Been Up To

So I haven't hiked in over a week because the weather has been cold, rainy, and snowy all week. Yesterday and today the sun finally came out a little, but it has been chilly and windy. Today is my Friday (I work 10 hours M-R and have a three day weekend) so I am hoping for good hiking weather all weekend so I can get out into the backcountry. 

After work yesterday, Erica and I drove through Dunraven Pass which connects Mammoth and Tower. I had not yet driven on that road and I was not disappointed. We saw tons of wildlife, including buffalo, elk, deer, coyote, and most exciting, a moose! There was a bit of a "moose-jam" along the road where the moose was standing in a pond eating. I am pretty sure this is the first moose I have ever seen, and it was really close to the road. It made me wish Colin's mom, Cindy was there to see it, as moose are by far her favorite animal. We stopped and observed the moose for about 20 minutes before continuing on down the road. 

We also stopped at Tower Falls and it was really beautiful and dramatic. From there, we drove to Canyon, in the hope that the outfitter store there would be open. I really need rain covers for my hiking packs, as it has been raining a lot here. Unfortunately, the outfitter was closed, so we got some ice cream to cheer ourselves up and then headed back towards Mammoth. The drive between Tower and Canyon was really beautiful, climbing up and over a mountain pass. There was still lots of snow along the road and in the mountains and it was even more beautiful to drive through that area as the sun was setting. 

Tower Falls

The beautiful pass between Tower and Canyon

Beautiful sunset

This morning I noticed a beautiful sunrise and took some pictures. Today definitely started off on the right foot. Today at work we drove all around the park to pick up a Moran journal from a courier and modify an exhibit in Fishing Bridge. To read more about this in detail, check out my internship blog here. We did stop for lunch at the beautiful Old Faithful Inn and watched Old Faithful erupt from a second story porch before heading to Fishing Bridge. 

The sunrise this morning

The lobby of the Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful getting ready to erupt

Old Faithful begins to erupt

Snow!

Last night it started snowing in Mammoth. Thick, white clouds moved in all around the dorm so that we couldn't see the mountains that surround us. At first it wasn't sticking to the ground, but I woke up this morning to a few inches of accumulation and the snow still falling hard. 

The fog rolling in last night (you can't see it in this picture, but it was snowing)

The dorm in the fog

By around 11 AM, the snow had stopped and was already melting away. There was no more snow on the ground by 1 PM, but it was still visible in the mountains. Now, at about 2:30 in Gardiner, it is bright and sunny outside and it's hard to imagine that it was snowing just a few hours ago! 

The snow on the mountains after it had melted from the ground

The dorm, with Bunsen Peak in the background

Bozeman and Chico Hot Springs

Yesterday, Erica, Nick, Jake and I went to Bozeman for the day. On the way, we dropped Erica's car at a repair shop in Livingston and I brought mine in for a transmission flush in Belgrade. After my car was finished, we headed into Bozeman for lunch at a delicious sushi restaurant, Dave's Off Main. After lunch, we spent the afternoon downtown, checking out the cute little shops and just hanging out. I was really tempted to buy a raffle ticket for this Volvo 240 full of outdoor gear.

At around 5:30, we left Bozeman for Chico Hot Springs, a resort located on the way back to Yellowstone. It was Laura, one of our dormmates' birthday, and she invited us all out to Chico to celebrate. Pretty much everyone from the dorms met out there, which was great. Chico pumps water from a hot spring on their property to a large swimming pool and a smaller hot tub. There is no chlorine or chemical in the water, and they empty and refill the water daily. We had a delicious dinner at the restaurant there before soaking in the naturally heated pools until they closed at 11 PM. 

Afterwards, we got changed into dry clothes and went down to the bar, where a live funk/reggae band was playing. We stayed out until the bar closed at 2, and I have to say that was the most fun I have had since being here in Yellowstone! Chico is only 30 minutes from the park, and I am sure I will go back to soak after some long, hard hikes. I am also thinking of doing something similar for my birthday, which is coming up at the end of the month.

Beaver Ponds Loop

Today all NPS employees had to attend an all day training session. After the training, Erica and I decided to go on a hike to stretch our legs after sitting all day. It had been cold and rainy all day, but by the end of the meeting, the weather had turned beautiful. We chose the Beaver Ponds Loop, a 5.1 mile hike that begins and ends in Mammoth. 

The trail began next to the Mammoth Terraces. Early on, we crossed a wooden bridge over a stream and then began climbing gradually.  There were lots of pretty bright yellow flowers alongside the trail. 

After about 2 miles, we came to the first of several ponds. We watched as a duck dived over and over into the water after fish. 

The first Beaver Pond

Another Beaver Pond

Wildflowers along the trail

After passing several ponds, we entered a section of forest. There we saw a deer eating some of the grass growing between the trees. 

Soon we left the woods for a flat, grassy section of trail that gave us a great view of the surrounding mountains and the full moon above. Here we saw a beautiful elk walking past us to the left. 

Full moon and antler

Elk walking past

After about a mile more, Mammoth came back into view from the hills above where we were. From there, we could see not only the town but also the terraces and Bunsen Peak. 

Mammoth comes into view

Mammoth from the trail above

Mammoth, the terraces, and Bunsen Peak

View from the trailhead at the end of the hike

After we finished hiking, we headed to the Mammoth community center, where we joined other park employees for pickup dodgeball. After sitting in meetings all day, the hike and the dodgeball were the perfect way to end the day! 

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