A Year in Yellowstone: September 2012

Hike #23: Electric Peak

The second of my 'big-5' and the most daunting/anticipated! Electric Peak! I had waited all summer for this bad boy. Three days of backpacking and two nights of backcountry fun! The intrepid adventurers included myself, Nicholas, Tony, Russ, and Dominick. Katrina dropped us off with our gear at the Bunsen trail head. It is 6.5 miles to our backcountry abode, 9 miles roundtrip from the backcountry site to the summit of Electric, and then about 7 miles back down into Mammoth. We left on a cool Saturday afternoon around 9:00 AM and headed for our site unsure of how the trip would play out.

Would we get waylaid with a storm, preventing us from reaching the top, or worse get hit by lightening? Would the smoke clear out enough to provide us a view? Would our campsite get overrun with rabid elk and bear that would result in us fighting to the last man before succumbing to the cruelty that isbackcountry hiking? Or would we simply get lazy and hang out in the campsite, binge drinking Slivovitz until Monday morning? Find out below!

Intrepid adventurers!

Trail toward campsite with Electric in the background

One of the many valleys we walked through on our way to the campsite

Luxury accommodations at 1G4, highly recommended!

Our view from the campsite, very nice stream on the left about 30 yards

On our way!

Up, Up, Up! Turns out that is the false summit in the distance...

Taking a break half way up

Nicholas climbing up to a flat landing, about 2/3rds there

Scree field! We stay to the left and go up along a spine of rock

Spine of rock and what I forgot was a false summit...

Actual Summit, pretty sketchy

We made it and did not get hit by lightning!

The world from the summit

Put our names in the register

Russ pretty happy about it

Me pretty happy about it!

What were we thinking to climb out there!

Hike #22: Mt Washburn (8/18/2012)

After our guests left we had a busy week. The grants manager from NPF, Katherine, was here and we got to hang out with her a bit, introduce her to the project, the steering committee and the family. Wednesday am, YA took Katherine and me out to Lamar valley and the NE entrance to do some animal viewing. We saw wolves and mountain goats through a scope (blurry pictures to follow at some point). Friday morning early before Katherine's flight, we met up and walked the Terraces and then had a very nice breakfast at the Mammoth Dining Room. Thanks for a great time, Katherine!

But we were tired on Friday and pretty much slept and did chores the rest of the day. We love family naps!

So Saturday we were raring to go out and get in some scenery. We had never gone to Mt. Washburn before and Austin had never been over the Dunraven pass so we headed up the Northern route to Mt. Washburn and decided since it was an old road we could push Ilija up in his buggy. He liked it and we liked it. Our arms got a work out too.

Austin and the buggy heading up

Our little guy looking at some rocks probably

View heading up, those are the Tetons way in the distance

Can you see the mountains through the smoke?

Up at the look out station on top.

Father and son

Looking back down the trail from the top.

Nice view

Another direction and a weather station

In the outlook area, chewing on a bear

Elev 10,243 ft

Family shot near the sign

Austin loves weather stations

Don't push him over the side!

happy rider. last shot of his ranger hat, that unfortunately was lost on the way down from this hike. :(

Family shot on the way down. Ilija is asleep in buggy.

After Mt. Washburn, we went over the pass to Canyon to see how some traffic modifications I had made earlier in the week were holding up and to get a slushy. We couldn't find another ranger hat, but we did find an ugly little bison stuffed animal and that is how, Fred, became a member of our family. We all enjoyed the break then headed back home to get ready for the Gardiner Brewfest. Fun was had by all that night. Ilija played horseshoes, Austin drank $1 microbrews and I soaked in some quality time with the famlily.

Hike #21: Yellowstone Picnic Area

Tony, Mary, and Uncle Bobby headed out to the Lamar Valley to look for wolves on their last day in the park, before heading out the NE entrance through the Beartooths. Ilija and myself followed them out to Lamar but peeled off prior to the valley to kill some time while mom was working. We decided on doing the Yellowstone Picnic Area hike. I thought it sounded pretty lame but it ended up being one of the most scenic hikes I have done yet. Ilija slept through almost all of it while I enjoyed great views of the Yellowstone Canyon and picturesque views of Lamar.