Our Hike on the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada
We made it through!! We are all the way through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, and it’s time for shoes! We have a whole bunch of pictures and posts to write, so check back below since we will back date them. Holy s***! We’re back in Civilization for a moment, and found an REI!
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.
We were at camp… Rattle and I introduced ourselves to Milkman, who was preparing his dinner. His tent was pitched in the only grove of trees near the fire ring, so Rattle went to find a place to pitch near his as I started back toward a grove about 100 feet away. I had to poop, and it seemed like the place one might poop at this campsite. I confirmed this and started getting ready. I got out my TP and spade, found suitable soil, took off my shorts, and got ready to squat.
I looked around and thought to myself, “Cool, I can see for a long way in so many directions. This is a pretty good and safe place to poop.” As I squatted and scanned my surroundings, I spotted her. A huge grizzly and two cubs had entered the meadow from a group of trees. They were about 45-50 feet in front of me and moving in my direction.
I threw my shorts back on and grabbed the bear spray from my pack. I’m still not sure why the shorts were the first thing to grab. Both of my legs were in the same leg hole in the shorts liner, but it was good enough. I had no intention of running. I started saying “Hey Bear” in a loud low voice and aimed my bear spray at the group. The cubs were actually quite big and looked pretty capable. The sow heard me and we locked eyes for a moment.
At just this moment Milkman, who saw her from the fire ring about 150 ft away, started yelling “Get out of here bear!” My first thought was, “Oh shit, don’t yell!”. My immediate second thought was “Oh good, it’s working!”. She stood on her hind legs, looked at him, sniffed the air, looked at me, and turned. The fur on her body rippled as she and her cubs ran in the opposite direction.
The sow and her cubs didn’t immediately leave. They circled widely around the camp toward the mountain and then ambled slowly along the mountain’s treeline hundreds of yards away. They went in and out of the forest a few times and even stalked an Elk with a calf for a while before disappearing from view.
All three of us were really glad to have additional company that might.
I must say this:. If a bear was going to scare the shit out of me, now would have been the time. But it didn’t. After everything in my body relaxed, Rattle came back with me and was my cat hole lookout while I finally finished my business.
UPDATE:
We ran into Milkman while passing through Old Faithful Village the next day. I got to buy him a much deserved and very appropriately named beer for being there the night before!
The sunrise view beside our campsite was unreal! We got up, packed up, and hiked early to the next geyser to try to catch an erruption before heading into the most developed part of the park.
We sat beside Lone Star geyser for as long as we could before the priority of breakfast could no longer be ignored. We saw several minor eruptions and had the site to ourselves in the early morning fog.
He rest of the day was spent wandering around Upper Geyser Basin after breakfast and trying like hell to let our food coma pass. The entire place was amazing (even if a little like a theme-park) and it was nice to feel like a tourist for a day. BTW, the architecture of the Inn is phenomenal!
We finally left Upper Geyser Basin after watching several eruptions and made our way along the boardwalks and paths north to our campsite in Imperial Meadows just passed Fairy Falls. Along the way we spotted a bison carcass next to a geyser. Very Yellowstone!
Milkman, another thru hiker from New Zealand by way of England, was already pitched there and was welcomed company at a campsite away from the main CDT.
We were stuck in Gardiner and strolling around town when we met Doug and Tah, a local couple out walking a very friendly pack of three dogs. Of course I wanted to meet the dogs. After talking for a while Doug, a landscape architect working in Yellowstone, offered to give us a ride to Grant Village so we could catch up with our permit and get back on trail. The next morning he picked us up at our hotel and we headed back into the park.
Unfortunately Tah couldn’t join us, but she packed us each an awesome breakfast bowl with spiced oat milk, apples, grains, sprouts, and edible flower petals (quite an amazing and delicious surprise). Doug took his time driving us back through the park. He pointed out his favorite spots and even stopped at several spots along the way so we could get out and look around! I wish we could have spent more time with these awesome people!
After dropping us off at Grant Village, Doug headed out and we started off to West Thumb Geyser Basin to spend some time wandering around the thermals before camping for the night. We had no Idea what to expect (which is common for us on this trail) and we’re pleasantly surprised. The West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake is a caldera within a caldera. It is deeper and younger than Yellowstone Lake and its shoreline is littered with thermal springs and geyser cones. We walked along the boardwalks until it began to hail lightly and we decided to start the walk back to Grant Village.
This is when the storm really began dumping on us. The hail reached the size of dimes and nickels and kept coming. The lightning was bright and close. As we hunkered in the forest waiting to finish the road walk, hail accumulated all along the blacktop. When the storm showed signs of weakening we started the final miles of our walk and trudged through ankle deep ice water and hailstones. Eventually a park employee asked us to jump into the bed of her truck and drove us back to Grant. The park closed the road and sent snow plows to clear the 2-3 inches of hail accumulation. Apparently snow fell elsewhere in the park as well.
Finally warm-ish and dry-ish inside the cafe in Grant, we met up with Space Maker (a previous friend from the AT) and a few other thru hikers and swapped trail info and stories before walking back to our campsite to find out how our tent fared in the storm. Luckily the hail wasn’t nearly as bad at our campsite and our gear was safe. We spent most of the evening hanging around the campground bathroom, occasionally warming our hands with the hand dryer and chatting with Fire, the other thru hiker at our camp. We all turned-in for the evening and parted ways in the morning.
Although much of the front country in the park is fairly developed, it was still full of cool stuff to see (and lots of people as well). Seeing some of the features and the fragility of the crust around the thermals, I do understand the need for some of this development to make it safe and accessible to visitors. Nonetheless, we were glad to head into the backcountry and get away from the automobile tourists. The following day we finally got the chance to catch up with our backcountry campsites and headed for Upper Fire Hole.
On the way through the wetlands to Shoshone Geyser Basin, Rattle fell almost chest deep into a bog! I wish I had a video! Her phone was submerged but survived.Â
We finally reached the basin and got to walk among the thermals in the backcountry without all the tourists and boardwalk. The landscape was surreal and alien and again caught us by surprise. Suddenly we found ourselves on scorched ground with sulfurous steam all around while walking along an otherwise serene creek. It was gorgeous!
Upper Fire Hole campsite lies along the official CDT and for once in a very long time we shared camp with several thru hikers! We were earlier to camp than most and pitched our tent with an incredible view of the steaming spring beside the campsite. We ate well and hurried to bed, knowing the next morning we would reach Old Faithful Village and a $17 AYCE breakfast buffet!! National parks sometimes come with perks for people like us!
You two helped to give us a place to stay during this weather! We snagged a cabin on the way into town and got warm, dry, and full. And some elk visited us around dinner time! (Don’t worry, the pictures were through the fence)
Tonight we’re still in Gardiner waiting to catch up with our permit. Since campsites are registered on the permit for exact dates, leaving the park meant missing the Lamar River valley and the bison in the back country. At least we can catch where our permit meets the front country tomorrow morning and get back on schedule. We’ll be back on the trail in time to hike by all of the geysers and thermal features we planned. Rain be damned!
Really… Thank you so much!
Alright, thunderstorms and flood watches are in the forecast. We’re supposed to hike an exposed ridge up a mountain tomorrow and a river for the following two days. This is no longer a good idea. We hitched a ride with a wildlife biologist studying wolves in the park and made it to Gardiner. Thank you Taylor! The highway was NOT walkable in the rain and fog, so you bailed us out on this one. Guess we have to lay low for a minute.
Five miles of highway and many more of slowly climbing meadow trails finally got us to the shade of the forest. The day began overcast and misty, but by the time we reached the trees the sun was beating down. Getting out of Big Sky to Ramshorn Lake was only around a 15 mile day and we were grateful for the lower mileage. Reaching the alpine lake meant a good climb, but we made it with hours of light to spare while we found camp and prepared dinner. A few other campers were fishing when we arrived but by sunset we had the lake shore to ourselves. Our tent pitch was also duffy, dry, and the flattest we had in quite a while. This was a good day to get back on the trail.
We took our time leaving the lake in the morning and watched the mist dance across the water. We ate breakfast and casually identified bird calls (Merlin on Android is a fantastic app, btw) while critters scurried around the fallen trees near the meadow. This evening would be our first night in Yellowstone and since camping is by permit, our mileage this day was short and inflexible. Most of the trail would straddle the northern Yellowstone border along an often steep ridge.
The weather was warm but cooperative and the views wonderful. Far to the south and 80 miles away we could glimpse the Tetons on the horizon. We camped by Crescent Lake and headed further into northwest Yellowstone under gray skies the next morning.
This is where the photos mainly end. If you’re unfamiliar with Yellowstone, look up “pouring rain” and you’ll see what we did. By the afternoon the rain began to fall. And it didn’t stop. As we approached the biggest climb of the day–a pass at 9,800 ft along Sportsman Lake Trail– a thunderstorm just skirted us to the south and the rain and wind got even worse. Barely keeping footing on the gray clay mud, we made it over the pass and began our descent to Upper Gardner River and camp. We only had 8 rainy miles to hike into civilization and hopefully score some hot breakfast and coffee. Thank God.
Although the forecast called for 10 days of rain, the early morning only saw sprinkles after we packed camp and left. Trail miles into a town in the morning always fly by and the increasing rain was barely noticed. As we rounded a corner, suddenly a pair of day-hikers appeared on the trail and asked us if we passed any hot springs. I confusedly said no and they promptly disappeared. Momentarily we turned another corner and white, ashy sand stretched out before us among the trees and we caught the strong odor of sulfur.
Crisscrossing the dune-like rocky hills we’re footpaths leading to steaming and boiling cracks in the ground. I love hiking blindly into new landscapes. These hot springs took us completely by surprise. Further along the trail we reached the first of many volcanic springs and thermal features before finally seeing huge ash-white and rust-orange terraces, below our trail and encircled by boardwalks. And buildings. So many buildings and cars. And people everywhere. This was the park village of Mammoth.
The forecast calls for rain everyday for about 10 days. I think it’s going to start soon.