Here is the 3rd and final installment of emails that I sent while on my cross country road trip from Pitttsburgh to Seattle in 1999.
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(¸.Michelle ¸.·
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Hello Everyone!
Well, I finally reached Seattle today. Yahoo! So I have a lot of catching up to do in my notes here.
The last time I wrote, I left off at the Black Hills of SD. From there I crossed into Wyoming to see Devil's Tower. The tower really is a spectacular sight. It seems to stand above the rest of the landscape, even though it is surrounded by other large hills.
I arrived in the afternoon and decided to hike the Red Beds Trail. It is only a couple of miles long, but it loops the tower. From the trail, there are some nice views of the monument. But there are also some sections where there aren't any views of the tower. Instead there are some wonderful vistas of the surrounding area. The red beds trail is named for an area where the soil is entirely a rich shade of red! Other sections of the trail go through some wooded areas. Last year the park service had a prescribed fire in this area. While hiking, I could smell the smoke and ash long before I could see the charred landscape. It was interesting to see the regrowth and the scars that resulted from a fire that had happened some time ago.
The next morning, I hiked the Joyner Trail. This is another short loop hike that is north of the monument. Again, there are nice views with and without the tower. When I arrived at the trail head, I briefly spoke to a ranger who was there. She had told me that the next day they were going to have a prescribed fire in the Joyner area! It was interesting to look at the plants while walking the trail and know thate they would all be gone or charred the very next day!
From Devil's Tower, I drove down to Grand Teton NP. At this time of the year, the elk migrate from the National Refuge in Jackson up into Grand Teton and Yellowstone. And they were everywhere!
During my stay, the weather continually changed between rain, snow and brief moments of sunshine. The snow in the park had only begun to melt. So before heading out to a trail, I inquired at the visitor center about trail conditions. The ranger had said that all of the trails were open. And that I would encounter some snow and mud. As he said, it was "typical spring conditions".
I felt pretty confident. So I decided to attempt to hike around Jenny Lake and up to Inspiration Point. The trail was snow covered, but from all of the previous hikers, the snow was pretty packed...at least at the beginning. After a short distance, the snow began to give way. Although I was occaisionally sinking upto my knees, I persevered. I had the right clothing and gear. But soon afterwards I came to an area where I could no longer distinguish between land and lake. So I reluctantly gave up.
Although my Jenny Lake conquest was unsuccessful, I decided to attempt another trail. I had driven past the Taggert Lake trail head a couple of times. Each time, there were several cars parked in the area. So I assumed that it was a fairly popular trail and more likely to be in better hiking condition.
The start of the trail went well. But after about half a mile, I again came to an area where the snow was up to my knees. Since old footprints made the trail easy to follow, I continued the hike. The day was warmer than usual and the sun was out. I had to take advantage of the good weather!
For a while I did have the trail to myself. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind, the crunch of the snow under my feet. And the occaisional ker-plunk when I fell through. The scenery was very pristine. And at times I mistook the sound of the wind for birds cawing or wolves howling.
Eventually I did catch up to another hiker. Jennifer was also traveling across the US by herself. When we met, the trail was a little less distinct. So we decided to hike together.
If you decide to hike in Grand Teton while there's still a lot of snow, make sure you or someone in your group is familiar with the trail. This was the first time that both Jennifer and I had hiked the Taggert Lake. With the snow, we could not actually see the trail. And the trail blazes were very hard to spot.
After hiking for a bit, we came to an area where the trail appeared to turn sharply to the right. After consulting our map, we agreed that it appeared to be a different trail that branched off of the Taggert Lake. So we headed in the direction that we thought the trail would be. We were wrong. We could not find any trail markers. And we began to fall into the snow up to our hips.
We ended up walking in big circles trying to find the trail. And although the weather was nice when we began the hike, we soon encountered near blizzard conditions. But just as soon as the snow began, it would soon stop and the sun would return. In Jackson, they say that if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change.
We were walking in circles in the deep snow for some time. The only prints in the snow were from elk. And I admit that I did worry a bit. We knew the general direction to where the road was. But we couldn't see the road and we didn't know how far we were from our cars.
After two heavy snowfalls, we did suddenly come upon a single pair of human prints. They appeared as if from nowhere. Relieved, we followed the tracks out of the mountains. But when we reached the lower elevation, we hit another blizzard and could not see far in front of us. And we could no longer see the tracks. We did decide to stop and wait for the sun. But this time the weather did not seem like it wanted to change. So we started walking again...in the wrong direction. But eventually I did spot a familiar sight in the distance. And after a very long and difficult hike, we did make it back to the cars. I can't even describe how relieved I was. Never again will I hike a trail that I am not familiar with in winter conditions.
After that hike I decided that I had seen enough of the park. The next day I headed north to Yellowstone. I had hoped that there would be less snow. The south entrance into Yellowstone was not scheduled to open for another two days. But I detoured through Idaho to enter from the west. Even though the drive was much longer, it was worth it.
I spent about five days in Yellowstone. And I was able to explore most of the roads. Some stretches of the road are not scheduled to open until June. Most of the trails were closed either due to the snow or bears. There was much less snow in the northern area of the park. So I was able to hike a couple of trails.
If you visit Yellowstone, be sure to do at least one hike to get away from the roads. It's very different to experience the park in the backcountry.
I did camp out two nights in the park. My camping gear was occupying about a fourth of the space in my trunk. And I was determined to use it during this trip! The first night I camped in the Mammoth campground, near the north entrance. It wasn't the best place to camp with a tent. And I arrived at camp a little late. I was able to set up my tent and cook my dinner just before dark. It did get very cold that night. But as I was falling asleep, I could hear the wolves howling in the distance!
The second night I camped at the Madison campground, which is closer to the center of the park. This was a much nicer campground overall. And I did make sure that I arrived early enough to set up before dark. Both nights there was not a cloud in the sky. And I saw more stars that I'd seen in years!
I was at a higher elevation the second night. And I think it may have been even colder. I broke camp very early the next morning. The frost and ice on my tent made packing very difficult. I had to take many breaks to warm my numb fingers.
Spring in Yellowstone is an excellent time to spot wildlife. During my visit, I had seen a bald eagle, coyote, two grizzlys (one eating a bison, both from a distance), many elk, and numerous bison.
The bison go anywhere and everywhere in the park. And they clearly have no regard for man's laws. They walk on the delicate ground in the geyser areas. And not only do they walk in the wrong side of the road, but they also disregard the signs that tell slower traffic to use the pullouts. They don't seem to care how many cars are backed up behind them!
Yellowstone is an amazing park. Five days wasn't nearly enough to really explore the area. But after so much traveling, I had a momentum going. And I was eager to discover new things in Glacier National Park. So I headed north, knowing that I would return to Yellowstone sometime soon.
I wasn't sure how much of Glacier I would be able to see. Most of the Going to the Sun road was not scheduled to open until June. In some areas of the road, the crews have to plow through forty feet of snow! And there aren't any other roads that cut through the park.
But when I did arrive, I found that the areas that were accessible were enough to keep me spellbound! And there was actually very little snow. Not only are there rugged mountain peaks, but there are also many lakes and rivers. The water in Glacier appears to be blue or green. And the rocks on the water shores are the most amazing colors: browns, golds, greys, blues, reds and purples. The colors are all mixed together. And in the clear water, the colors are even more brilliant. It almost looked as if nature had created a mosaic.
While at the park, I stayed in a hostel in Whitefish. Whitefish is a very nice town in it's own right. Even though it's near Glacier and a popular ski resort, it's not touristy. There are some nice shops, good restaurants, and the people are all very friendly. I think it was the nicest town I had been in since leaving Pittsburgh.
Again, I was the only person staying in the hostel. It was actually very nice. The hostel is a quaint house, which was recently remodeled. For only $15 a night, I had the entire house to myself!
Wayne and Marisa, the proprietors, were very friendly and helpful. I had many enjoyable conversations with them. And I expect to keep in touch with them. I'm looking forward to returning to the park to visit them again. And if you're ever in Whitefish, stop by the bunkhouse and say hi! Tell them I sent you.
I did take one hike in Glacier. I was told by many people that Avalanche Lake was not to be missed. The trail is one of the most popular in the park. And I had encountered more people on this hike than any others during my entire trip.
The hike was very nice. Most of the trail is in the forest, but it ends at the lake. In the spring you can hear and see the avalanches on the opposite side of the lake. And on the rocky cliffs, you can see the mountain goats balancing narrow ledges a hundred feet up.
I was a little worried about bears, especially while hiking in the wooded areas. Although Wayne and Marisa were trying to reassure me, they had told me some stories that worried me even more. But grizzlys rarely attack unless they feel startled or threatened. So it's a good idea to notify the bears of your presence by making noise when hiking, especially when alone. When in Yellowstone, I had done this by singing or talking to myself. But to be honest, I became tired of listening to myself. So in Whitefish I bought a bell to hang from my backpack. The constant jingling wasn't much better.
After my hike, I drove on the sections of the Going to the Sun road that were open. I also drove to Many Glacier, which is on the east side of the park. The road is a dead ends at a tourist shop. The shop wasn't open. While turning my car around in the parking lot, I saw another grizzly. The was standing on a snow pile at the end of the lot. Although he was only about thirty feet away, I felt pretty safe in my car. And he didn't seem to mind my taking his photo.
There are lots of trails in the Many Glacier area. But after my grizzly sighting, I decided that hiking in that area wasn't the best option.
When driving out of Many Glacier, I stopped to take a picture of a waterfall. I was so concentrated on my photo, that I hadn't noticed my keys in the ignition. I locked myself out! And I locked my extra set of keys (which I had to prevent such an incident) in! Fortunately I was a short walk from a hotel. And some men working to prepare the hotel for the season were kind enough to break into my car for me.
Before departing the Glacier area on Friday, I made one last stop. A couple of days before, Barbara (our USATourist Artistic Director) had sent an e-mail telling me that her husband has family in nearby Columbia Falls. Carroll and Myrna Wright had bought about 1,000 acres of land near Glacier many years ago before the land prices skyrocketed. They built a large log house by hand on the land. At first, it didn't have any of the modern conveniences. Still, the house was magnificent. They had sold the house and some of their land. The house is now a B&B, which has been featured in several magazines.
Although Carroll and Myrna no longer live in that log house, they do live in another beautiful home near their land. They were very gracious to welcome me into their home and I enjoyed the opportunity to meet them. They were very interesting to talk with, and I look forward to visiting them again someday.
After departing the Wrights residence, I continued west. I spent last night in Spokane in the east side of Washington. And early this evening, I finally arrived in Seattle!
So my travel adventures have come to an end. And although I am rather exhausted, I know I will miss the road. But now I have a new adventure ahead of me...finding a home!
Thanks to all of you for keeping in touch with me while I was out in the "wilds" of the USA.
Michelle