Go with the Flow

Laying low recently, trying to recuperate from my tumble and resolve remaining unsteadiness (thankfully the vertigo is gone!). This means taking time for the ukulele (almost able to play “happy birthday”), working on sketching or spending time at Golden Gardens or Ballard Locks on the lingering sunny days. Also taking shorter hikes or trail runs, around 4-6 miles and occasionally challenging myself in miles and elevation to see where recovery is. The toughest part about the remaining symptoms is walking uphill, which takes concentration and with rocky terrain, which is more complex for the brain to process. It is getting better though - more good days than challenging ones,

All to say, it didn't stop me from enjoying Yellowstone and other fall fun!

Yellowstone National Park - 153 years and counting

I have never been to Yellowstone (the first National park!) and wanted to take the time to see it during my time away. About 20 years ago, my spouse, Jeremy, worked on the Bear Tooth highway near Red Lodge, which takes you to the northeast entrance to the park. He was curious to get back to the area and invited his mom along, who had not been to Yellowstone either.

We flew into Bozeman, which is an easy flight from Seattle and drove to Red Lodge from there (~2.5 hours). Red Lodge is a small Montana town, which sees an influx of folks for skiing in the winter and adventuring in the summers. Being there in early September still had folks around, but the town also seemed to be winding down. We had a lovely dinner at Black Canyon Bistro while were there (highly recommend!) and tried Red Lodge Ales was well.

We did a lovely hike up Lake Fork, following a beautiful creek that leads you further in the Gallatin Mountains.  

We drove the Bear Tooth Highway on our way into Yellowstone, which climbs to 10,947 feet above sea level.  There are quite a few switchbacks and turns along the way from Red Lodge to Yellowstone, but also lots of beautiful views to take in, even on a rainy-ish day.  

We arrived in Yellowstone, traveling through Lamar Valley, from the NE entrance of the park (and officially entering Wyoming).  In Lamar Valley, we immediately saw a herd of bison (aka fluffy cows) grazing throughout the valley. Accompanied by a herd of tourists, snapping photos (us among them from the safe distance of the car). 

As we made our way to Canyon Lodge, where we were staying. On our way, we saw a group gathered and peering up the hill with binoculars.  We spotted our first grizzly bear of the trip - who thankfully was more than the required 100 yards away, but fun to see from afar. We also did some exploring along the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone”, an area I had not heard much about - but boasts two giant waterfalls along the Yellowstone River, as well as being about 24 miles long, and up ~1200 feet deep depending on the section. 

On our second day in the park, we set out for none other than Old Faithful, driving the Grand Loop Road, towards the southwest area of the park. One thing that I didn’t realize, is that there are what seems like a million other geysers in the park. But since its the most reliable one (predictably going off every 68 or 94 minutes), , it is also the most famous. We were lucky to catch Old Faithful while we walked the Upper Geyser Basin and Observation loop.

From Old Faithful, we backtracked to some other places in the park, including more geyser and hot springs. Stopping at the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, visiting Artist Paintpots and Norris Geyser basin as we traveled through additional geyser basins of the park.  The Norris Geyser basin in particular was quite beautiful with the variety of colors and activity.

The following day, we drove the Grand Loop even further. It was a foggy morning, and we hoped to see Grand Prismatic from the boardwalk.

From there, we continued on towards the southeast area of the Grand Loop near Grant Village, West Thumb and Yellowstone Lake.  The lake was quite the surprise. Its the highest elevation lake in North America at over 7,000 feet, but is also about 14 miles wide and 20 miles long.  A really unexpected treat! 

We did a short hike to Storm Point in this area, taking in the lake, looking west, where you could just see the Grand Tetons. We saw more bison as we traveled through Hayden Valley back towards Canyon Lodge area.  

We also made a stop at Artist Point near the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone”. That afternoon, the view was so amazing, it didn't seem real. 

On our final day in the park, we did a short hike to Clear Lake, looping back towards the South Rim of the Canyon. 

We also made a final trip into Hayden Valley to see if there was any wildlife that morning and were lucky to see elk, more bison and a bear from afar. On our exit, we drove towards Mammoth Hot Springs (NW entrance of the park), taking in a nice view of the taking in, you guessed it, more geysers! And we also got a great view of the Gallatin Range.

We got a special experience of a bull elk bugling as we visited the Mammoth Hot Springs visitors area, as it was mating season.  From a bit away, it sounds like a high pitched sound of machinery. I also brought home a new friend!

Autumn Leaves and Larch Trees

On the adventure side, my short hikes and runs built up towards an overnight Larch backpack. What are larches you say? One of my favorite trees (one is even tattooed on my right forearm). The alpine larch and western larch, are native to Washington and turn gold in the fall. This happens over a short period between late September and early October as temperatures drop and daylight shortens.

We reunited the PCT Section J crew for a Larch March in early October. We headed into the Lake Chelan- Sawtooth Wilderness, where we are typically lucky with larches. We settled on an overnight to Sunrise Lake, hoping to see larches. It also provided an elevation challenge for me and, as I am still working on the steeper or consistent elevation gain when it comes to feeling steadier.

We were treated with larches and beautiful Lake after about 6.6 miles and 3900 elevation gain (most since my tumble and generally manageable).

We also did a side trip that afternoon to explore Merchants Basin. We hiked up to what could be described as "Cooney Pass" above Cooney Lake. I'd been to this area before on a three day backpack, hiking what is known to mountain bikers as Angels Staircase Loop in fall 2020.

We also got spectacular views towards Cooney Lake, Eastern Washington and back towards Sunrise Lake.

We were in for a chilly night and got cozy in our tents by 8pm. Although clear skies were forecasted, we heard sleet hit our tents. In the morning, we awoke to a light dusting of snow, just in the Lake area, but no where nearby.

We wore extra layers for our exit, but quickly shed them as it warmed up. We arrived at the trailhead around noon and rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Mazama Public House on the way home. It was a great trip to end the hiking season. Somewhat bittersweet, as I am feeling ready for the season to end and eager to do more since I have been working through recovery the past few weeks.

All the other types of fun! 

Its been a busy few weeks in Seattle sports as well. A few highlights:

• Seeing the greatest show in sports, the Savannah Bananas at T-Mobile Park. 47,000 people, sing-alongs and special guests like Walter Jones (Seahawks) and former Mariner Jamie Moyer. This was my second time seeing them, and it was so much fun.

• Attending two amazing and historic Mariners games:
  • The night they clinched the AL West - for the first time in 24 years.
  • Enduring 15 innings to see them advance to the ALCS! Quite literally from the last row of T-Mobile Park. Go Ms!

And of course, I would not miss the Seattle Kraken home opener, which was the first home opener they have won in their five year history.

Hope everyone is having a happy fall so far! More adventures to come, including a short trip to Alaska and a "sun run" in late October to Palm Springs and Hawaii.