Post by Lonewolf on May 30, 2016 6:12:25 GMT -8
I woke up Saturday and decided to just take off, no idea where or doing what. Threw in my backpack and an overnight bag and took off. I heard a friend on ham radio down in the Park and made the turn toward YNP, not really thinking about how bad the tourists would be this weekend.
Lots more info than in the past handed out at the gate about not approaching the animals. More new signs saying the animals are dangerous and countless more signs saying to "park only in designated turnouts and no parking or walking along the road". Not that you could see them over the illegally parked vehicles.
Drivers just stopping in the middle of the road, no attempt to get off the shoulder, and getting out to take pictures. I honked at one guy and he started yelling he'd "only be a minute!", all while traffic is backing up. Those who drive at 10mph instead of pulling over. One guy pulled out of a viewpoint parking area and immediately stopped in the road to take more photos 10' closer than where he'd been parked. Almost ran into him. A dozen or more incidents of vehicles crossing the centerline and almost hitting me because the driver was sightseeing instead of driving.
Reaching out of vehicles to touch bison as they walked by. About a zillion people (OK, couple hundred) blocking most of the road and trying to get closer to the black bear with her cubs. I almost ran into a crowd of people all on foot in the road getting excited about a cow moose munching some grass.
Argh.
A few pluses though. I saw some wolves on a carcass out about 3/4 mile. Needed the spotting scope to even see them, which made it kind of funny that some tourists were snapping pictures with point-n-shoot cameras.
Back at home: "See the wolves?". "Where?". "Near the water under that tree." "What tree?". "That little dot". "Oh, right". " "Look carefully, the wolves are under it". Probably 1 pixel....
A big-ass bison bull, around a ton, at a rest stop blocking the outhouse door. All the tourists are oohing and awwing and all I'm thinking is "how do I get past him cuz I really gotta go!".
A bunch of people stopped at actual parking and looking at a hillside so I asked what they were looking at. A grizzly sow with 2 cubs. OK, now this is worth joining the crowd.
I look. And look. And look some more and finally ask where. Not a single person there of about 20 could actually see them but all said "I know they're there!". I looked some more with both binocs and spotting scope and couldn't see anything. Maybe they had been there but weren't any longer.
I have to keep reminding myself I see these things on an almost daily basis while for most of them it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Out to the Beartooth Highway and camped in the pass Saturday night. Still lots of snow with maybe as low as 25F during the night. I had intended on getting a (free before 6/1) B/C permit and heading out for a few days but then stupidly tweaked my right knee (old injury that sometimes flares up) and although it wasn't too bad, decided taking off with a backpack without a knee support (knew right where it was... on a shelf at home) probably wasn't a good idea. Oh well, I live here and can do it some other time.
YNP would be a great place. If it were closed to tourists.... :(
Lots more info than in the past handed out at the gate about not approaching the animals. More new signs saying the animals are dangerous and countless more signs saying to "park only in designated turnouts and no parking or walking along the road". Not that you could see them over the illegally parked vehicles.
Drivers just stopping in the middle of the road, no attempt to get off the shoulder, and getting out to take pictures. I honked at one guy and he started yelling he'd "only be a minute!", all while traffic is backing up. Those who drive at 10mph instead of pulling over. One guy pulled out of a viewpoint parking area and immediately stopped in the road to take more photos 10' closer than where he'd been parked. Almost ran into him. A dozen or more incidents of vehicles crossing the centerline and almost hitting me because the driver was sightseeing instead of driving.
Reaching out of vehicles to touch bison as they walked by. About a zillion people (OK, couple hundred) blocking most of the road and trying to get closer to the black bear with her cubs. I almost ran into a crowd of people all on foot in the road getting excited about a cow moose munching some grass.
Argh.
A few pluses though. I saw some wolves on a carcass out about 3/4 mile. Needed the spotting scope to even see them, which made it kind of funny that some tourists were snapping pictures with point-n-shoot cameras.
Back at home: "See the wolves?". "Where?". "Near the water under that tree." "What tree?". "That little dot". "Oh, right". " "Look carefully, the wolves are under it". Probably 1 pixel....
A big-ass bison bull, around a ton, at a rest stop blocking the outhouse door. All the tourists are oohing and awwing and all I'm thinking is "how do I get past him cuz I really gotta go!".
A bunch of people stopped at actual parking and looking at a hillside so I asked what they were looking at. A grizzly sow with 2 cubs. OK, now this is worth joining the crowd.
I look. And look. And look some more and finally ask where. Not a single person there of about 20 could actually see them but all said "I know they're there!". I looked some more with both binocs and spotting scope and couldn't see anything. Maybe they had been there but weren't any longer.
I have to keep reminding myself I see these things on an almost daily basis while for most of them it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Out to the Beartooth Highway and camped in the pass Saturday night. Still lots of snow with maybe as low as 25F during the night. I had intended on getting a (free before 6/1) B/C permit and heading out for a few days but then stupidly tweaked my right knee (old injury that sometimes flares up) and although it wasn't too bad, decided taking off with a backpack without a knee support (knew right where it was... on a shelf at home) probably wasn't a good idea. Oh well, I live here and can do it some other time.
YNP would be a great place. If it were closed to tourists.... :(
