Hike #16: Sepulcher

One of my 'big-5 hikes' was to do Sepulcher Mountain this year.  (I've actually gotten in two of my big 5 as you will see later in the blog!)  Sepulcher overlooks the Mammoth area where we live and Gardiner and is next to Electric Peak (one of my big 5).  The hike involves a climb of around 3200 feet if you leave from Mammoth or 2000 feet if you leave from Glen Creek trailhead (as we did).  I met Molly (a person I randomly emailed to go hiking with) at the Glen Creek/Bunse Peak trailhead to head out for Sepulcher at araound 7:00 AM in the morning.  I was lucky to run into River Otter swimming in a wide portion of a creek that flows around the base of Bunsen.  Katrina dropped me off just below the parking lot and I hiked up to it (about a quarter mile) and heard a loud splosh!  I thought, uh oh, a bear just took a dive and I am right next to it!  I slowly crept up to the pond to find River Otter doing the same from the pond.

River Otter at Bunsen Peak

River Otter swimming at Bunsen Peak

On our way up Sepulcher, just after the trail leaves the the Snow Pass trail, we ran into a mother Moose and her calf down in a wet vegetated valley.  She kept herself between her calf and Molly and myself almost the whole time, this was the best picture I could get of both of them.

Mother and Baby Moose at the base of Sepulcher

Heading up Sepulcher, forested region on top

Electric Peak from halfway up Sepulcher

Little Quadrant, Quadrant, and Mt Holmes from Sepulcher

Mt Everts from Sepulcher

After reaching the top of Sepulcher (quite a huff), we spent some time exploring the 'spooky' top of the mountain.  There are lots of trees, many wrapped by the winds and snow/ice that must come ripping through here.  A lot of the trees are all permanently 'swaying' or bent in the prevailing winter wind direction.  Kinda reminded me of some of the scenes from the movie 'The Cell'.  At the very top are the Sepulcher that the peak was named for.  Huge, weird rock formations that look like giant headstones of tombs.  From Gardiner, the top of Sepulcher looks like a graveyard, once on top you can walk around these large objects.  After eating lunch, we headed all the way down to Mammoth (3200 foot descent).  We almost ran into a bear (I think) on the way down.  We came across a recently split log that was full of termites.  After walking a while longer, Molly and I sat and ate wild berries.  She wondered why the bushes had not been picked clean, we walked about a 100 yards further and came across a big pile of fresh bear scat!  I did a lot of clapping the rest of the way down :)

After returning home I quickly took Pirate for a walk to Joffe Lake to cool my knees and calfs, and then spent an hour napping :)  In total, about 10.5 miles and 2000 feet elevation gain in under 6 hours, not bad!

Trees on top of Sepulcher

Wildflowers on summit of Sepulcher

Gardiner from Sepulcher

Molly enjoying lunch with Electric looming in the background

A sepulcher on Sepulcher

Another sepulcher on Sepulcher

More wild flowers

Bear Poop!

Indian Paint Bruch

Terraces at the end of the hike

Hike #15: Snow Pass and the Hoodoos (7/29/2012)

Since we got back and relaxed Saturday evening (which I think was the first time in almost 3 months that the 3 of us were together just the 3 of us on a Saturday evening), we decided to do a little hike on Sunday.

We had done a portion of the Hoodoos earlier in the month, but decided to do a little more this time, approximately 5-6 miles (I think).  Snow pass starts up across from the Bunsen Peak trailhead and walk through a lovely little valley.

The start of the hike.  Austin tends to start wearing Ilija on his back and then passes him off to me for a bit and then I pass him back.

When you get around to snow pass (where an old wagon trail passes through) there is this seasonal lake.  Just mucky now, no real water.

Taking a look at the rocks.  We heard and then spotted a little spring near here, next time we will need to investigate.

After going through the pass, you round back approaching the Hoodoos and come across this birch grove.

Approaching the Hoodoos, the weather started to change so we picked up the pace.

Do you see the yellow-belly marmot?

Taking a breather.

All smiles.

Crazy old vegetation.

Hiking through the wildflowers and Hoodoos.

Family shot.

Hoodoos.  Amazing geologic feature.  There are approximately 25 acres of these in Yellowstone. These are toppled over, but they are formed by two different types of rocks where the sedimentary one wears differently then other rock types.

Big Yellow Stone.  tehe.

A Brief Intermission: SLC Punk (7/26-28/2012)

Austin had a meeting in SLC on Friday and invited Ilija and I to go down with him.  Long car rides were not Ilija's strong suit, but recently he has gotten pretty good at handling a handful of hours in the Subaru with the right combination of treats, books and toys.  We took half of Thursday off to head down during daylight and since the internal YNP roads are open (yay for summer!) we went through West Yellowstone and south.  The drive was beautiful.  Ilija was well behaved and we got a great hotel in downtown SLC that Pirate could stay in with us so he didn't have to go to a separate doggy hotel--score for all of us!

Aren't they just the cutest?! A little more sleep.

First dinner in SLC was at squatters brewery. Yummy food and a nice cold brew.  It was late and Ilija was starting to lose it, but the waiter was really helpful and quick.

It was HOT in SLC.  So Pi found a nice cool bed in the hotel room.

When Austin got out of his day of meetings, we all walked to this huge park.  Some relaxed in the shade.

Some slept in the stroller. Hot little guy.

Some wore ridiculously large hats.

Friday night we wanted to hit a local resturant for dinner, but it was super crowded so we headed to Buca di Beppos for pasta.

We left relatively early on Saturday for the drive home.  So we got home in the late afternoon in time for a beverage on the porch.

Hike #14 : Boiling River (7/22/2012)

After all that hiking on Friday and Saturday, Sunday we took a little break.  We went out to breakfast in Gardiner (side note: I love going out to breakfast, but I can't lie, I think we make better brunch at home then we had out and it was pricey.)  After breakfast and a little toodling around we decided to go to boiling river.  Which is an awesome feature on the MT/WY border in YNP where a hot spring stream enters the Gardiner (?) River creating these natural hot spring pools in the river.  So one moment you are in fast moving, freezing water and the next you are an eddy pool of simmering hot water.  We are hoping to go in the snow with M & M after a long day of x-country skiing perhaps?! Ilija and I stuck to the in-between--slow moving, semi-warm water with lots of rocks to play with.

Daddy, Ilija and Keenin Playing with rocks.

Good looking cousins.

I don't know what we were looking at, but it was fascinating!

Hanging out in the shallow water.  I will say it once again, Keenin (all the boys, really) were amazing with their cousin.

View down river.

Sunday night, Ian, Austin and the boys camped out at Indian Creek in YNP.  They had fun played games, ate over an open campfire and played in general.  Ilija and I chilled at home due to his early bedtime and me needing to work the next morning (we are in YNP for a reason), so Austin picked up the boy early in the morning and he got to wake his cousins.


Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.  Q emerging from the tent!

I don't think that they got many more pictures from Monday.  Sounds like they had a great Polo boy day though taking down camp, hanging out, going to Chico Hot Springs and playing in the pool for the majority of the day and then packing up the van for the long ride home.

Thanks a ton, Ian, Q, Keenin and Ives for a wonderful time!  We love you all to the moon!

Hike #13: Fairy Falls (7/21/2012)

Post, Artist Paintpots we headed out on the Fairy Falls hike, which goes by the Great Prismatic.  It is pretty amazing.  We veered off the trail to climb the hill a little to get this view.  Amazing colors.  Everytime I see one of these natural wonders, I can't help but think about the being an adventurer or homesteader coming across this hundreds of years ago.  Wouldn't that blow your mind?!

Grand Prismatic

Ilija and his ride

Smiling Q, what a great guy.

Another self shot--I was there too.

This is how it looks from ground level--a little different.  Family shot, Ilija is back there somewhere.

Family shot.  Those are good looking guys.

Someone fell asleep again, so we covered him up with Mama's sunshirt.

Fairy falls--well worth the flat walk out there.

Pretty magical.

You can walk right under the falls.

Heading past the falls we hit (drumroll, please) a colorful geyser.  Shut up, you say.  We managed to grant all three wishes in less then two days?  Why yes, yes we did.  That is just how we roll, Ian.

Cute.

Back as the falls post geyser, cooling off in the mist with an awake Ilija.

What a kid.