Day 104: North to the Lamar Valley

Mileage: 28 miles (1864.7-1892.7)

I slept in until 7:15 am and Will's girlfriend, Margaret, made some great eggs, toast, and coffee after I took a shower and we chatted for a bit while we ate. She also did outdoor education type stuff and seemed cool. I was glad she and Will were together.

She dropped me at Fishing Bridge General Store and I hitched from there with a nice, young woman who worked in the Park. We talked about the recent Grizzly mauling in the park (the guy lived literally across the street from Will) and I hoped I didn't encounter any. The man who was killed was a park employee and he was found cached about a 1/2 mile off trail. A momma bear and her two cubs had been eating his remains. She told me what I should do if I saw a bear and I thanked her even though I'd heard it all about 100 times now. Still, I appreciated the reminder as when a 600 lb bear charged you, I could imagine one becomes forgetful.

I started the morning hearing the bugling of young Bull Elk and saw a herd of does and some babies just north of the highway. It was a hot day in the sun and I ran into a number of hikers early in the day and even a former Park ranger who'd worked in the park for 35 years. He told me about the fires, whose scars still are left on the landscape. From the 80's, 90's, and today: it sounded like he was reciting a radio station slogan.

It was unfortunate, but a necessary part of forest renewal and regeneration. What wasn't natural was the scale these fires happened on - just incredibly huge swaths of forest were burned, probably tens, if not hundreds of thousands of acres in the last thirty years.

I crested over Mist Creek Pass and was treated to great views back towards Yellowstone Lake and to the Northeast. Some grizzly sign here and there, but mostly just horse hoof prints. I came down to the Lamar River and crossed through the nearly knee-deep River. 

Then I followed the valley up towards my campsite as the sun was setting, making plenty of noise with my hiking poles and clapping my hands along the way to alert bears of my presence. I saw horses in the meadow across the way, but the campsite itself was out of view.

I ate a couple fingerfuls of peanut butter for dinner with some Oreos, then hung my food, and headed to bed.