Marmots Found!

(August 2nd) Although I was soundly denied any marmots the previous day, the spotted sandpipers I observed and tasty fish Alex and Andy caught more than made up for it. We had a lot of mileage to make on our final day, so we awoke to an early start and decided to forego any photography at our campsite in hopes we might find marmots or something else interesting as we hiked. We witnessed some more spectacular lakes up in the high country.

At the far edge of the lake, we ran into a rocky moraine that looked perfect for wildlife. Sure enough, it was hopping for such a small spot. There were pika here, and juncoes as well as the Uinta chipmunks who had great fun chasing each other.

The highlight at this spot was finally spotting a yellow-bellied marmot (I was still thinking it was a different species than the ones in Yellowstone due to some coloration differences). It took a long time to work this subject. While the marmots in Yellowstone were bold and daring, this marmot took the crevices early. Fortunately the chipmunks, juncos and long-horn beetles kept us busy while we patiently put the marmot at ease. He came out finally and posed some for us.

From this point on, we felt as though we had conquered the Wind River Range. We bared the rough elements and scaled Texas Pass. We had amazingly successful fishing. Sweetest of all, we had great photographic subjects between the pikas, spotted sandpipers, and the surprisingly elusive marmots - all of this topped off by the majesty of the mountains themselves and the tranquility of the streams and lakes. It was a reluctant hike back out to rejoin civilization.

Looking for Marmots!

(August 1st) We woke up early to start for a difficult day of hiking. First off, we were to climb Texas Pass which involved a very steep incline, no trail, and several hundred feet that was still covered with snow in August. But before the pass, we took a brief look at our beautiful surroundings which the mosquitos the previous night prevented me from enjoying.



We made up to the pass with relatively ease - perhaps we actually were becoming better at hiking. After trduging through the "watermelon snow" (look it up if you don't know what it is - it's fascinating), we hiked down the pass and were treated to a beautiful lake still surrounded by snow. Once we climbed the pass, the status of Wind River changed incredibly. No one had crossed the pass recently and it would be nearly 2 days until we saw any signs of other people. Finally we were alone in the wild.



We hiked in this bliss for maybe 7 or 8 miles until we found a spot that looked great for both fishing and wildlife. We made such good time that we had many hours to spare. While Andy and Alex tried their hands at the trout (fresh grasshoppers are the way to go), I was on a mission to search for marmots. For some reason, I was convinced that the marmot I had a glimpse of the first few hours into Wind River was a different species than those in Yellowstone. (I now know that both are yellow-bellied marmots.) But since that first glimpse, we had been unable to find any marmots although the terrain looked perfect. Yet again, I failed miserably, searching for marmots for almost 3 hours. While nature can disappoint, it can amaze you in ways you don't expect. I found a wonderful spotted sandpiper and begain shooting it. After a while, I realized that it had 4 chicks with it. Then the magic began. It would jump atop a rock and call out to the chicks. The chicks would then wobble one after another to the parent. The parent would then hop a little further and repeat this. Finally, it found a spot that seemed good. Here all the chicks came up underneath the parent a pressed their bodies into it's belly. It was amazing - here you can see two of the chicks as they begin to cuddle up to the parent.

An Early End

(July 31st) For our second day in the Wind River Range, we were up before the sun. We quickly climbed atop the cliff (nearly losing a lens shade) to the south of our campsite in order to work the mountains in the early light. Such amazing scenery and such amazing light and of all the shots I took in the early portion, my favorite was this flower shot. One thing I learned from Wind River was that I really need to learn how to take better landscape shots.



After the light rose a little more, we worked the pikas again. This time it was almost as if Alex and I were their friends. They had extra energy in the morning and allowed us to come in close, not to mention that we had gotten a bit better at working these cute subjects.



It was a moderate hike this day. Some elevation and some distance, but nothing killer. We made great time as we hiked many of the ridges near the famous Cirque of the Towers.



We got to our campsite early, and it was a good thing since there were lots of people in this area. We saw some bad mosquitos on this trip - first in one of the Yellowstone locations and secondly this evening. They are definitely no where near as bad as the ones I encountered once in the Everglades, but they are probably the second worse I've run into. Partly for this reason, partly out of tiredness, and partly in face of the daunting climb ahead of us the next time I turned in for sleep and an outrageous 5pm without any evening photo time.

Into the Wind River Range

(July 30th) There was a sadness in me that I had seen all of Yellowstone that I would for this year, but I was looking forward to our next stop - the Wind River Range. This is a part of the Rockies south of Jackson Hole - most of it is enclosed within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Virtually all of it is above 9000 feet in elevation. We were going to hike, fish, photograph, etc. in a series of trails that we were told would be devoid of other people.

On the drive down we passed a large wildfire burning the northern portion of the range (more than 30 miles from where we were going). When we got to where we were entering the range, two things became apparent. First, we were far from the only people there - the excellent fishing conditions brought many people there at this time of year. Secondly, I am an idiot. After hiking in 3 miles, I realized I forgot my camera tripod. Since I am incomplete without it, Alex and Andy patiently waited while I walked, ran, and stumbled back to the car to retrieve it. The trails in Wind River are breathtaking, albeit in a different manner than the Tetons. The mountains have a character of their own and the forest is full of gorgeous streams and mountain lakes.



After about 15 miles (including the 6 extra for my stupidity), we arrived at our campsite. We were nestled in amongst one of the alpine lakes, between two mountains. But to Alex and I, one of the essentials was that the mountains were running mostly west to east here, meaning that we would have some light in both the morning and late afternoon. We were treated to our first view of a pika that evening before dinner. These adorable creatures have enough personality for something the size of an elephant. Any resemblance to a rodent is purely superficial as they are not taxonomically related to rodents. They spend their lives in alpine areas, living amongst the rocks and feeding off nearby vegetation. From what we saw, they do quite a bit of feeding...



Towards the end of the evening, we scaled the cliff on one side of us and were treated to the colors of the late sun bouncing off the rocks of the mountains surrounding us. We survived the wind buffets and managed to snap off a few shots.

Out of Yellowstone

(July 29th) As much fun as we had in Yellowstone we had to leave and travel elsewhere. Since this was our last day in Yellowstone and we had a bit of driving to do as well, there wasn't much time for us in Yellowstone. We spent the morning at one of the geothermal hotspots. We weren't the only ones with this idea. A buffalo beat us to the site and had some fun of his own.



Our presence was completed ignored by this young elk who spent quite some time wandering around the area.



In case you were wondering what was so special, there were some amazing colors present in the springs near West Thumb as well as steam from the many vents and springs.