Thunderstorms rocked our campsite twice the night before, the first of which brought lightning directly overhead. I hope for a calm night after such an eventful evening, but at least the morning was calm and foggy as the sun started to shine. I was the first one out of the tents just before sunrise as a bison was grazing nearby.
We all left early. Milkman headed south toward Old Faithful and we went north. The steam from Imperial Geyser was visible from camp just over the next ridge and we wanted to see it.
We made our way back to Old Faithful in time for the lunch buffet and mistakes were made. We didn’t leave Upper Geyser Basin until around 4 so we had to haul ass to our campsite. The next few days were going to be pretty easy though. There were no mountains between us and Flagg Ranch and we were to follow the Bechler River out of the park.
We underestimated the river a bit. There were a few crossings as the river grew larger and larger downstream. One of these crossings was a bit sketchy. The water was swift and hip deep in one channel, and could have been much worse earlier in the year. Glad we missed the flood warnings for this one or we would have been stuck!
Eventually the river got wider and calmer by our last day in the park. We got up early and hurried down the trail to Grassy Lake Road which would lead us to Flagg Ranch and our resupply boxes. We were making great time, feeling great, and everything was going well. That is, until we checked the maps and realized we made a wrong turn and we’re 3+ miles off course! Oh well. Since we had to wait another day to get our food, we camped, got to the ranch early, ate convenience store food, and loitered in the woods. We needed a break anyway.