This is a part of Yellowstone series. Check out the previous post:
We saw all the geysers and hot springs near the Old Faithful complex. Now, we were ready for a hike with some altitude change. The first stop was Mystic Falls. We walked along the scarred landscape for quite some time before reaching it. There was a large fire in 1988 that set fire to many trees, and it is seen across this park area. The "empty" tree trunks stand tall with nothing on them. Luckily, the new trees were planted and grew, but you can still see the poor old ones.
We approached the falls from the top, and you could hear the water rushing. I saw a small offbeat path you could take off the trail. I let Talu go first because I was afraid of heights. And there we were, at the top of the waterfall, almost looking down at the plains. That's where the first photo here was taken 📸
Since we were going into the hills in the park, we were warned about the possible bears up there. The park strongly suggests you buy bear spray and keep it on you. What's bear spray? It's an ultra-strong pepper spray designed to fend off any bear that wants to attack or have you for lunch. Luckily, we never used it in the park 🙏
I wasn't that afraid of them, but we still got a bear bell. It's a small bell you attach to yourself (I put it on my backpack), and it rings as you move. The idea was to let the bear know you were in the vicinity. One park ranger was joking with us that we're letting the bears know that the dinner is ready by ringing the bell 😂
After several hours of hiking and seeing lots of nature, we were tired as hell. It was time to head back to the camp and make some dinner. We had to boil eggs, and Talu made pasta with shrimp. I remember we explicitly looked for a specific shrimp size. I don't think I ever had them before, but that pasta tasted excellent 😋
That was the usual setup - we'd boil eggs for breakfast, so we don't mess with breakfast as we wake up. Then, we would eat something during the day if possible. If not, we'd skip the lunch and cook dinner in either a cast iron pan or a pot. The funny thing in US parks is that you can't pick up wood for burning from the park. You have to buy the chopped-up wood that comes in bundles. So that's one thing we'd always have on us.
We ate, chilled, read some books, and fell asleep. In the next post, I'll share our last hike in Yellowstone before he headed out east.
Photos from a road trip through the west USA, showcasing nature and parks.