wyoming

HOMEWARD BOUND It was smoky again on the morning of day 11 (Tuesday). I packed up and hiked back up the trail towards Marston Pass. The trail is pretty easy, and it was still scenic despite the conditions. The wind was howling when I reached Marston Pass, but I had lunch there anyway...

BACK ON TOP (OF THE WORLD) The wind was still howling when I got up Monday morning. It was still smoky, too. At least the weather forecast looked good. I packed up and headed back up Senecio Creek. This time I stayed on the River Left side to avoid deadfall, which was much smoother. I...

ONE BAD DECISION, ONE GOOD I managed to get up at 6:30 and on the trail by 8:45, which is, sadly, pretty good for me. I hiked through the meadow to rejoin the trail where I’d found it the previous evening. Parting view. My campsite was in the stand on trees on the far right. From there I...

Does anyone recognize this waterfall? HELLSCAPE I woke to the smell of smoke. Uh oh. I was hoping to make it through the trip without wildfire smoke intruding on the scenery, but it was bound to find me eventually. The smoke had moved in overnight and sunk into the valley. I wasn’t sure...

Thanks again to everyone who commented on the other thread to help plan this trip. We flew into Bozeman, and rented a Subaru Outback with AWD & snow tires. It was around $1300 for the week, but well worth it. I saw the plows running through the park from first light til dark (which was around 5...

UNFINISHED BUSINESS I had to make some decisions on the morning of day 7. My original plan was to backpack off trail from Ferry Lake northbound along the Continental Divide. My goal was to go all the way to Yellowstone Point. I had climbed up to “Lower Yellowstone Point” from Atlantic Creek...

Commissary Ridge, Wyoming Range, WY August 2024 I was scheduled to work the Hawk Watch Migration location on the south end of Commissary Ridge during the upcoming raptor migration season, Fall 2024. I wanted to hike the northern section of this ridge prior to this assignment. Commissary Ridge is...

September 13-15, 2024 Continuing with the old trip reports since the covid isn't gone yet, here's one I did in September on Pebble Creek in Yellowstone. I had just finished up at a 3-day work conference at Fairmont Hot Springs, so I went home to grab my mostly pre-packed gear and headed toward...

Our annual fall trip to Yellowstone. Originally had planned another area at higher elevation. Due to heavy thunderstorms in the forecast, and possible snow at high elevations, we adjusted our trip and decided to head up Slough Creek. We have been going to Yellowstone enough years and through...

TOP OF THE WORLD I got up at 7 the next morning, packed up, and backtracked up to the Continental Divide. My campsite tarn the next morning I camped just beyond the ridge in the center of the photo A few minutes later I spooked two elk on the ridge ahead of me. They bolted and reached...

THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART Tuesday started with a major decision. What route should I take? There was a large snowfield on the alpine route I had planned to take. It might be passable, but I wouldn’t know until I got there. I could easily spend a couple of hours getting there, only to...

Bliss Meadows BLISS (AND SOME OF THE OTHER EMOTIONS) I started my morning with oatmeal and coffee before exploring Needle Creek in hopes of finding a safe way across. I had already decided against trying to ford the creek where the trail crosses. That was a narrow spot, where the water was...

PONY TAIL We got up fairly early on Saturday morning. I had a bagel with cream cheese, an orange, hot coffee (courtesy of David), and an iced coffee for breakfast. It was my last chance to eat well for nearly two weeks. Then we finished packing before driving over to the Boulder Basin...

One item in my list from To Do in 2024 was to spend 5 weeks in WY, mostly in the Winds. Not everything went as planned: (a) Lead a few from my local hiking group on a 40 m S. Winds loop - Done, but a second group had to cancel (b) Attempt some tougher destinations before I get any older -...

This report will contain a lot of stuff so be prepared. After backpacking out to Grebe Lake for four days, Sheila and I headed to Old Faithful to stay in the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins for two nights. On the morning of the eighth, we met up with Mr. and Mrs. @TractorDoc for breakfast at the Old...

September's Yellowstone trip incorporated several days/nights in the Tetons this year. I had potential hikes/itineraries planned for Mrs.TractorDoc and I during the daylight hours, but a lot was based on weather and how we were feeling at this point in the week. We were nearing five days in...

After our 2022 trip, which started in Yellowstone and ended in the Teton Wilderness (report here), Stacy said she'll be sticking to trails built and maintained by the park service from now on. No more Teton Wilderness horse trails. I can't say I blame her. For this trip we started and ended...

I have made a goal of trying to visit Yellowstone the week after Labor Day for several years now. My hope is that most kids will be back in school, the elk will be bugling, and cool nights are complimented by crisp, sunny days. A portion of the trip is usually set aside for the backcountry...

On September 4th, our group headed into the Yellowstone backcountry to Grebe Lake for a four day backpacking trip. This trip included two day hikes: one to Observation Peak, and a second one to Wolf Lake. Originally I had wanted to get campsite 4G4 on the north shore of Grebe for three nights...

Thanks to a "Look What You've Been Missing..." email from this website I read Scatman's post on Jay Creek. Having also visited Jay Creek for the first time this year-- but in different conditions-- I got inspired to do this, my first trip report. I hope you enjoy. To set the scene: It was...