Nearly everyday Terry set his alarm for o'dark thirty. I complained a bit but it was worth it every time. We saw a wolf two days in a row eating on an elk. We even watched her pack off a front leg like it was light as a feather. (Sorry no pictures of that one. No telephoto for the camera yet.) Sunrise is prime time for seeing wildlife, plus we got to see some beautiful sunrises over Yellowstone Lake.
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| Yes, that's a cow elk enjoying the sunrise along with us. |
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One of the days we hiked Soda Butte Trail located on the eastern end of Lamar Valley and had an opportunity to see this Grizzly on a buffalo kill. There were two backpackers and two Park Rangers up on a knoll. The Park Rangers had some binoculars and shotguns so we figured there was a pretty good chance there must be something worth seeing (the shotguns gave it away). Sure enough. We sat and watched this grizzly bear for about half an hour before he got his fill and walked back into the woods to let his lunch digest.
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| We watched Mr. Griz from up on this little knoll. |
The next day we hiked Hellroaring Trail.
Several miles up the trail we looked out on the hillsides and you could see elk sheds all over.
Yellowstone doesn't have the grand views like Glacier but it has a wide openness that is very picturesque.
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| Just after Fishing Bridge, Pelican Valley (or a portion of it) |
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| And well, the large bull elk are pretty impressive also. |
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| Buffalo in the background |
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| Soda Butte Trail - Lamar Valley The last evening of our trip we went for a small hike which overlooked Yellowstone Lake. On our way back to the campground we saw a small elk herd just off the road. We pulled over and quietly made our way down to them. |
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Mama knew something was out of place, but she couldn't quite figure it out. Then the bull elk came out of the trees bugling and strutting his stuff.
That was probably one of the best endings we could have had to our trip. The next day we made a stop at Old Faithful on our way out of the park. You always shed a tear when you leave Yellowstone. It's just a taste of what the new system will be like.
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Thus ends our trip. Thanks for letting us share it with you.
Terry and Camile
