Yellowstone Hike - Day 2

My body was really angry with me on the morning of Day 2. My face felt/looked like a jet-puff marshmallow, and my air mattress had sprung a leak, and I basically had no cushion between my body and the hard ground. Did I mention it was cold!? I checked the weather ahead of time and was prepared for cold nights (upper 30s, low 40s), but even with warm gear I was still really cold.

Breakfast lifted my spirits considerably. James is a perfect companion to hike with. He keeps things light and funny, and watching him interact with Logan was very entertaining. He's like the younger brother James never had. Our entertainment was watching the two of them prepare their elaborate breakfast of pancakes. I guess they forgot the non-stick skillet and spatula, because their first flap-jack attempt looked more like scrambled eggs. They resorted to option 2, which was to boil their batter in Ziploc bags. Mmmm.... Yeah, I was more than happy to eat my instant oatmeal.

We had another long day of hiking ahead of us, with a planned detour, but even though we got packed up later than we wanted, we were able to squeeze everything in. After hiking up to an elevation over 8,000 feet the day before, I was more than happy to have our hike drop us down a couple hundred feet in elevation.

Day 2 was definitely the day I was praising President Grant, congress, anyone that had anything to do with preserving and making it possible for people like myself to enjoy such a beautiful part of our country. There were times where I'd look around at the vastness surrounding me, and it felt like my body was full of helium. It made me think back to the drive that D, the boys, and I made from AK through Canada. There were stretches of mountains so breathtaking that all you wanted was to bottle that feeling that seeing those views gave you. That big tour bus full of all my favorite people, those were the people I thought of and wanted to share Day 2 with...and it was just getting started!

Twister Falls

 

 

We only saw one sign (Twister) naming the falls along our trail, so Clair and I started making up names for them. Clair named this one Bro Hug Falls. The water shooting to one side made him think of a one-armed hug guys give each other.

I never told anyone, but lately I've been getting a little vertigo on steep areas or big drop-off sections of hikes that I've been going on. I'm happy to report I didn't once feel like I'd plummet to my death while getting closer looks at the falls on the trail.

 

 

 

There's a little side trail off Bechler that leads to a thermal area, and I'll just say this instead of trying to find enough adjectives to describe the awesomeness that greets you at its end....it's a place that should be on every one's bucket list...and they call it Mr. Bubbles.  

 

 

I am not a huge water lover, especially when horseflies are anywhere near the shore, but I've yet to encounter a more perfect water spot than Mr. B. You don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy it, it's shallow enough to kneel or sit in and, you.  will.  never.  want.  to.  get.  out.  It's nature's hot tub, but so much better!

 

 

It was the saddest part of the hike to leave Mr. Bubbles, but we still had to make it to our campsite before dark, so off we headed.  

 

 

I think we called this one Cake Layers?



  





River crossing #1.



River crossing #2...wider, deeper, faster. These crossings were no joke. I'd be frightened to see what they were like a couple weeks earlier. The trekking poles I borrowed from Carrie and Bobby literally saved my bacon.

Brothers with long legs make it look so much easier!

After our second river crossing, we made it to our camp a few minutes later. We were all pretty wiped from our long day, and after dinner we all called it a night, knowing that Day 3 would be our longest (and what we thought) our most difficult day.