on an ermine , sky boxes, oatmeal and other abnormalities

we didn't pack fast enough last Tuesday morning, but decided to quickly go to the Bunnery, a great breakfast place we were told, I got some biscuit and gravy , my usual when i am in the west, and Alla got some yogurt, not a complicated meal, and to go, yet it took them 35 minutes which had me in a state I don't like of being late and having nothing to do but stare at the kitchen not making my stuff. we hurried up the mountain from Jackson Hole into Idaho and reached our starting point only 25 minutes late.. lucky, others came later still. we checked our stuff, said hello to our guides, then we all drove to the actual starting point (the 1st was their ranch, a gathering place). we reached the ranger station and soon after we started our 4 day walk in Yellowstone. the 1st day was 6 miles to camp passing in pine forest and wide open grassland meadows. flowers were rare, and the mountains were looming in the horizon. we had a river crossing, you take your shoes off, wear sandals and cross hoping the water will not pass high thigh height. the water is old and refreshing and we stop for lunch right after the crossing with some pastrami, cheese, bread, spicy hot mustered and avocado (this fruit is huge now over here, you see it everywhere, but it doesn't mean I have to like it, I don't). we keep going in the meadows avoiding horse poop and not spotting wildlife. Dian, the naturalist guide tells me that this is not prime grazing land, shame, this area begs for a herd of elk and wolves to follow them. we pass a 2nd crossing, pass some trees chowed by beavers (with no beaver sighting) and reach the 1st night camp only to be attacked by mosquitoes, them I wish I had not seen.  we leave the bags and had for a soaking point. the trail goes slightly upward and passes on areas with wild flowers which I like to see and the camera is working overtime. we walk by a creek and soon reach a high waterfall and next to it enters a small creek of boiling water. this phenomenon of boiling creeks is common in this park, but when a regular cold creek and a boiling creek meet, you get an area of hot but not too hot water, great for soaking. we enjoy a hot , but sulfurous bath while the waterfall spray hits our faces, then we had back to camp. As I reach the camp, I  wear, long pants, short, and wear a head net to leave no space for the mosquitoes to have their way with me, they still manage to bite a bit. we walk only with day packs, the rest of the gear arrives on horse back with the tents and cooking gear. Deb, the master wilderness chef makes good chilly and I don't recall what else but I remember liking it. this is bear country, and tough we see no bears we take precautions, with bear bells and bear spray close at hand. we went to sleep early, not much to do after night fall, and the food and anything that smells like tooth paste is tucked away up high where the bears cant reach. waking up early before the sun actually warms the area is nice, you can warm your self with a hot cup of coco (or coffee if you prefer) and use the sky box. the sky box is a wooded box with a big hole for your natural business and you can sit and enjoy the view of the forest and the sky. 

after breakfast of bacon and some other things, my memory doesn't work anymore, we broke camp and headed for the Bechler river canyon, this day would be 10 miles (16k) of ups and downs with 4 river crossing, one of them with water rising above the areas you don't want them to go. lucky we have quick dry everything and it is dry here, so everything dries quickly. the path along the river is filled with pretty waterfalls, chipmunks, squirrels, more horse poop and lots and lots of berries of all kinds, we have some raspberry, service berry, thimble berry and huckleberry with some other berries and currents we are not suppose to eat. we pick lots of them and try out, tasty! the long day ends in a pretty meadow in which horses from another group camped , and when horses graze , the poop, so finding a poop free zone for our tent is a challenge. this camp is at over 7000 ft elevation and close to the edge of the hill, it gets dark soon because of the closeness to the western wall of the canyon. dinner is pasta and some good desert. before dinner we went to the creek for a creek shower, the water is cold but not too cold and shower is needed after over 7 hours of walking. at one of the crossing this day, the horses just caught up with us (they walk faster but it takes more time to break camp and load them so they begin walking an hour or two after we hikers leave). and Deb lets Jonathan, age nine to ride the horse over the creek, 1st ride of his life and a great memory for him. our group has 5 hikers, 2 hiking guise, 2 guest riders and 2 riding guides/ camp leaders, 11 total and seven horses. Ruth an is a crazy person who runs 100 mile races! (160K) and finishes in 22 hours, insane, Jonathan is her son. the husband (not present at the hike) did only 50 mile race, "only" she says! 50 miles is 2 marathons back to back, the kid should be some athlete. they came with Sidney, the niece. the other two are Alla and myself walking slowly in the rear. the horses decide to graze next to our tent at night and keep us awake half of it, I am asked by the other awakee to get the horses away, but I don't know how to handle them and prefer being awake then getting a horse hoof in my face.

day three is the shortest day, only 5-6 miles but the most elevation change, after a breakfast of blueberry pancakes we leave the canyon and passing small geysers and thermal rivers filled with red bacteria and reach Mr bubbles. this is another soaking point, creating a small pool with a hot bubbly source in the center, you have to pick your point, each step you take leads you to a new mix of hot and cold, some are too hot, some too cold, we move around from spot to spot and soak for 45 minutes in this divine pool. as we go on, Diane tells us about each of the abundant flowers found by the streams, this is a monkey flower, this is an elephant head and the rest I don't recall since they have boring Latin names but they are still pretty.  the hike ends with a marsh, lucky we have sandals or we would have wet shoes.  in the evening we go again to soak in a small cold creek, this one is colder so we more splash ourselves than actual soak, next to this creek is a small fortune of wild flowers, the loveliest point on the trail.

usually mountain views would be my favorite but the sky is hazy most days and you cant see far, and this pine forest and open meadow though pretty are not breath taking for me, well, this is still a very interesting place but is not on my top 5 or even top ten (don't worry, i wont list them). just before dinner, we spot an ermine, which is a type of a weasel, un fortunately it walks fast and no photo of this uncommon predator, the ermine would be the only interesting animal on this 4 day trail.

oh, earlier that day , Alla stepped off the trail and stepped on a field mouse hidden under the grass, the poor thing was suffering, there are no vets here, we left it there with looming prospects of survival, perhaps an ermine will have an easy meal. dinner was mash potatoes and something, need to by some memory powder!  at night we got out of the tent and the less hazy skies were filled with stars, the milky was was very visible and beautiful. day four started with oatmeal ( I only remember since I don't recall ever eating it)  it did not look appealing , but it was OK, with some sugar, brown sugar, milk and granola, I even came for seconds and the banana bread was good too. this will be a hot 12 mile day (17k), the longest of the trip but with the added incentive of finishing and reaching the promise land... ice cream. the trail starts up till we reach grants pass at around 8600 ft or about the height of mt Hermon. the elevation is getting to me a bit, or perhaps I carry to much weight under my skin. and mouse-killer walks slowly in her own pace worrying about baby dusty, approximately one month old fetus today, after the pass the trail descends more then ascends for the 1st time in the trail. a butterfly (lots and lots of them are about) flies in front of us running away from our shadows we followed it for a while and didn't pay attention to the road and all of a sudden I am on the ground with another sprain. the butterfly did it! (this is what Bart Simpson dreams of being after he burns the school down in his dreams and principle Skinner is to blame! why butterfly he says? because no body suspects the butterfly! ) well I was there, it was it, and moments later Diane puts sticky tape on my ankle and then a bandage and some pain medicine. the pain is sharp for the first couple of minutes, then becomes dull. the ibuprofen helps and I am quickly on my feet for the last 6 miles (10k) of the day, never walked this long on a sprained foot, and I think it actually helps it, now a day later, it is sensitive but without pain. we eat wraps with salmon for our last lunch and hike the rest of the way till the trail head next to old faithful. we missed the eruption of lone star geyser (erupts every 3 hours). at the trail head, the jittery horses are nervous and one of them , chained to a very large sign post, yanks the sign away! and drags it to the nearby road almost causing an accident. we say our goodbye as we are driven to old faithful parking lot. after getting to our car, we go to the store and get...yummy ice cream, then drive 3 hours to our hotel, on the way we spot elks crossing a river and a bison playing around in the dirt, the roads are better then walking for wild life viewing! we reach our hot spring hotel close to dusk, and after healthy burger dinner at a nice bar, we return to the hotel only to see several deer, then after a long shower to remove lots and lots of dust from every nook and cranny , we crash to sleep