Day 17: Geothermals and Rest

Today we spent the morning traveling around looking at the geothermal features of the. Midway geyser basin. These included Red Spouter and the famous Grand Prismatic.

Pretty hot spring

Red spouter

Flowers and geysers

In the afternoon, we went back to Old Faithful to take showers. It is amazing how much of a difference a good shower can make in your day, especially when you haven't had one for several days. We then had the remainder of the afternoon free to wander about the Old Faithful resort area. I treated myself to an ice cream and people-watched for most of the time, while my inner introvert rejoiced at the opportunity for some time alone.

Grand Prismatic

In early evening we returned to camp, where my crew cooked dinner and then we relaxed and told ghost stories around the campfire to finish off our excursion in Yellowstone.

Hot Spring Lake

Turquoise Pool

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Day 16: Crisis and Connection

Elk

Today we took a break from Yellowstone (after seeing the Canyon) and drove up into the Beartooth Mountains to look at features within the Absaroka volcanics. Some of our stops included: Tower Falls, where we looked at the layering of flows compared to the presence of glacial features, as well as the columnar jointing of the basalts; Mount Washburn, where we discussed the differences between the Yellowstone caldera and the formation of Mount Washburn as a stratovolcano; and near the summit of Mount Washburn where we observed where blocks of the original mountain formations had broken and slid down 5-30 miles along a "shelf" of limestone.

View from an overlook

During a snowball fight at an overlook by the Gardner trailhead along Beartooth Loop, one of the students got stuck up to his chest in a snowbank. After a tense 10-15 minutes the student was freed from his icy trap thanks to the coolheadedness and diligence of the professors and a group of students. Sadly while the student was saved, he lost his camera, and when we returned to search for it, it was nowhere to be found.

Beartooth Pass: Gardner Trailhead

Driving along Beartooth pass I felt an intense range of emotions. Loneliness, content, longing, familiarity, peace, and a kind of subtle elation that I can't quite explain. I have always felt the most at home in mountainous landscapes but these vast, treeless alpine meadows, exsisting as spalshes of green and yellow rolling gently among the jagged and snow-covered mountain peaks touched me somewhere deep within the core of my being. I became lost within myself, no longer aware of the cramped and crowded van that continued to jostle its passengers as we drove or the slight odor that eminated from everybody as we neared the end of our 4th day without showers. It was just my musings and this landscape, worn by multiple glacial events, wind, and water; shaped by time itself. I saw flashes of what my life would be if I lived here: the construction of a fairly large home which would function as a bed and breakfast during the summer months; the extensive greenhouse around back which would provide fresh vegetables and fruits year round; the bitterly cold days of donning a fur lined parka and taking the snowmobile down into town for supplies because the roads were impassable by car; joining a rescue party to search for a skier lost during an avalanche, and spending the evening cuddled on the couch by the fireplace, safe and warm with family and pets as the biting wind howled outside. These and so many others, both happy and sad, danced through my mind. Perhaps in a past life this was my home and part of my soul still resides in this harsh and beautiful place. I shall return here someday, though when and upon what occasion I know not, but I feel with great certainty that this will not be the last time I gaze upon this high altiude haven, so far above the timberline.

Glacial Valley

Alpine flowers

Sunset

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Day 15: Geysers, Mammoth, and Bears, Oh My!

Things can get really stessful we you don't have a way to contact the outside world. Usually I have no problem disconnecting when I don't have service, and just saying "I'll deal with it when I get home." However today I was severely stressed out because there was an occassion where it was very important that somebody in the group have cell service. As we were leaving Old Faithful, I checked my email in which a woman that had contacted me on LinkedIn about a job informed me that she needed to talk to me on the phone and have my resume before 5:30pm on Friday for me to be considered for the position. I recieved this email at 7:00pm EST on Wednesday. So needless to say, for the first part of today I was freaking out trying to see when people had service. It wasn't until 4:00pm EST that anyone in the group got service. I called the woman while we waited for our guide to show up, and I must say, all the stress and freaking out was worth it, as I landed an interview for shortly after I return home from the trip. As I have yet to hear back from any of the other jobs I applied for and the reality that I will not have a job when I get home is sinking in more and more the closer I get to the conclusion of this trip, having an interview is very exciting.

Aside from that anxiety and excitement, today was more of a driving day to look at various features within the park. We visited The Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs (where there are no mammoths). And on our way back to the campsite we saw a grizzly bear cub nomming some grass on the side of the road.

Mammoth Hot Springs

North Gate of Yellowstone

Grizzly cub on the side of the road

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Day 14: Move Along, Move Along, Like You Know We Do

Sunburn has been the bane of my this trip. It seems like no matter now much I put on and how often I reapply I still end up burnt. I'm starting to think that the increased amounts of solar radation due to the thinner atmosphere, coupled with my sunscreen likely being expired is to blame. I am defintely not looking forward to how my skin is going to look when I come home and actually get to where a variety of different shirts. I will have weird farmer's tan lines, and my arms and neck will be somewhere to the tune of 5 shades darker than my legs. Some people would be excited about getting more tan, but not me. I've always loved my pale skin and since I have lots of moles as it is, it is also safer for me to not be tan, and instead to embrace my ghostliness. But sadly, it appears a spray tan may be in order once I get home, just so I don't look ridiculous in normal summer clothes. :(

Jackson Lake

But anywho, on to our activites from today. Today we left our wonderful campground in the Tetons to head into Yellowstone. We made a few stops along the way to our new campground. Our first stop was at Jackson Lake, to bid the Tetons goodbye (and get a good look at the Teton fault). The beach was an array of different sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic pebbles, hinting at the complex history if the area which we had studied and examined so much over the past several days. After a 'always required' group shot (we take one at most of the places we go) we headed north.

Yellowstone Lake just beginning to thaw

Upon entering Yellowstone I think we all became a little worried by the amount of snow present on the ground. There was easily 3 feet of the white fluffy stuff still chilling out, holding down saplings and the lakes were still mostly frozen, making everything look like a winter wonderland. This would have been very exciting, if we weren't intensely aware of the fact that we may have to be camping in the lovely snow for the next several days. We then stopped at Lewis Falls to look the end of a rhyolitic flow, as well as the lithofisae, or stone bubbles, present in the rhyolite. A little ways down the road, we had lunch on the Continential Divide, which of course included a brief snowball fight.

Old Faithful

After lunch we went to Old Faithful, who was indeed faithful, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and looking at the various pools and geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin before we headed to Madison campsite.

Throughout most of the park, including our campsite, there is no cell signal of any sort, so my posts will likely be updated days later than they should have been. The majority of the park also lies within the caldera of the infamous Yellowstone supervolcano, so if the volcano erupts while we are here, you can be content in knowing that I will likely be dead before I even realize what is happening*. And really what better way to go out on a geology trip than in a volcanic eruption.

*no need to worry though because the park service does not believe that any kind of massive explosion is eminent :)

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Day 13: Canyons and Cleaning

Today we went for a day hike on a 5-ish mile hike along the Granite canyon trail. It was a scenic trail that was an easy hike, but as I expected the reduced amount of sleep I got last night plus the general fatigue from going on hikes multiple days in a role, made it a little more difficult. The one noteworthy event that happened on this hike was that we decided to "polar-bear" into the river. Like most rivers in the area, this one is fed with melt waters from snow and glaciers. Still I figured, "psh. I've swam in cold water before so this shouldn't be too bad." Holy crow was a wrong. As soon as you step into the water, the pain hits you immeadiately, like thousands of tiny needles stabbing you all at once on every part of your skin. The initial group that wanted to undertake the feat stood in the river up to our knees and then sat down. We then retreated from the water very quickly. Slowly everybody else tired the water as well, some going all the way on, but most just stuck their feet in. The water was frigid, but afterwards you felt very refreshed and alive.

After we finished out hike, we got a surprise from our professors. They bought lift tickets so that we could take the aerial tram to the top of Rendevous Mountain, and get above 10,000ft. The elevation at the summit is 10,450ft. At the summit there is also a little shop, called Corbet's Cabin where they serve made to order waffles. The waffles were delicious.

After our verticle excursion, we went into Jackson Hole to do laundry. It was so frustrating. The laundry mat was definitely set up for regulars instead of visitors, and the need for only coins was very frustrating as none of us carried cash with us. It was also frustrating that after 4 cycles in the dryer my clothes still weren't dry. :(

We didn't get back to the campsite until 9-9:30 and dinner wasn't ready until almost 10pm. So as a consequence of the latter half if the day, here I am now about to go to sleep, once again after 11pm, in damp long underwear. At least they are wool, so I know they'll warm up soon. But my bag is still amazingly comfortable and the cool wool feels good against my sun/wind burnt skin, so things aren't all that bad.

Also we saw another moose today :)

Pictures will come later, once I can transfer them from my phone

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Day 12: Jenny Lake is in my ears and in my eyes

Today we had the pleasure of meeting up with Dr. Ann Mattson, of the Jenny Lake visitors center. She spoke woth us about the geology and ecology of the Tetons and the Greater Yellowstone region in general. She lead us on a mile-ish long hike to sit on one of the spots where the Teton fault manifests itself above ground in thenform of a fault scarp. The fault scarp runs at depth below the Grand Tetons and in many places manifest right along the base of the mountains. After lunch we began a hike through the very snowy upper level of the hidden falls trail. For much of the trail, the path was covered with snow and ice, and so we relied on the footprints of previous hikers to lead us to the end of the trail. This is the point where I realized that I really enjoy hiking in the snow. Its kind of a puzzle like...."hmm where can I step without fall through or slipping and falling down the side of the mountain". By the time we had gotten half way to Hidden Falls I had a method figured out: dig in your heels (because its better to sink too far in and fall on your butt than to slip and fall without any kind of control), and avoid the icy patches and spots where other hikes had slipped (evident in the footprints).

The view of the falls was definately worth the hike. Hidden falls is quite possible the most awe-inspiring waterfall I have ever had the pleasure to gaze upon. Across from the falls was a snow-covered slope which looked very much like a ski-slope. We took advantage of this location and the wonderful texture of the snow, to have another snowball fight.

We took the lower trail on the way out, amd the hike was fairly uneventful aside from 2 events. For one, we came across a group of recent graduates from a school in Georgia who decided to jump of an outcrop and into the lake. Just to give you an idea of how cold the water in Jenny Lake was, the entire lake was frozen over until the end of last week. So needless to say, the guys were kinda crazy. The second interesting event was getting to come face to face with a yellow-bellied marmot, who posed for us on a rock right along the edge of the trail.

Back at the campsite, we ate dinner and then a few of us went into Jackson with the professors to search for a relaxing coffee shop where we could read/work on our blogs (think Cool Beans in Columbia). To our dismay, we realized that no coffee shops were open in Jackson Hole past 7pm and we didn't get dropped off until about 9. So we spend about an hour wandering around, and finally settled for a cup of joe from the Loaf N' Jug, the local gas station/convience store.

I'm a little worried about what tomorrow brings because it is already past 11pm. For comparison, I usually go to bed between 9:30 and 10pm. So we will see how tomorrow goes, and I'll be sure to pass along the information to you all.

Wildlife notice: saw a female and a baby moose on the Jenny Lake hike today by some avalanche debris that we hiked over.

Pictures to come once I can get WiFi :)

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Day 11: Day-Hiking

Nothing will make you realize how out of shape you are quicker than taking a long day hike. Today we walked somewhere around 9.5 miles worth of trails. We started out on the scenic 7.5 mile Phelps lake loop trail, which as it sounds takes hou around the perimeter of Phelps lake. About halfway around, we had some lunch and then headed up the Death Canyon trail to get a better view of the lake. We had been warned that there was debris from a recent avalanche along the Death Canyon trail, as well as along the other side of the lake loop. Needless to say, the steep parts of the trail were really rough on me, as well as the fact that I would sink down further into the snowbanks and debris than my fellow hikers, which substantially slowed down my already slow pace of hiking. While I would like to blame my tough time on the high elevation (about 6,000') and therefore reduced oxygen levels as well as wanting to keep up with the group (who hike as if it is a race to see who can get to the top quickest), I know that it is my own fault for allowing myself to get so fat.

As much as people want to tell me that I'm not fat, I know its true. For me the biggest thing is just that I know that back before I gained this undiscolsed amount of weight that I know carry around, these hikes would have been nowhere near as difficult. And while I may be dissapointed in myself, and wish that I had done some more rigorous conditioning before this trip, the struggle isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact the struggle provided quite a self-esteem boost because I completed the hike, all 9.5 ish miles of climbing over avalanche debris and through snowdrifts(where I would sink in up to my upper thigh and then have to shovel my leg out with my hands to free it) and up and down hills. I did it. I took a little longer than everyone else, but eventhough my feet were killing me after the first 7 miles, I pushed onwards. I did everything my healthier compatriots did. And that in itself is an accomplishment.

Also...today we saw a moose swimming a river, so the day couldn't be terrible.

Now enjoy these pictures from the hike.

Beautiful Phelps Lake

First view of Death Canyon

Death Canyon is a bit of a mystery to geologists. The canyon was carved b a glacier and thus exhibits the quintessential U-shaped valley, however the deepest point of the canyon is V-shaped, which is associated with fluvial, or stream, erosion. One theory is that after the last ice age, when the glaciers retreated, the immense flow of water carved the v-shape into the lowest point of the already carved U-shaped valley.

View of opposite canyon wall from up on the northern wall of the canyon.

View of Phelps Lake from northern wall of Death Canyon

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Day 10: Animal and Mass Wasting

If from walking and driving around you could not surmise the abundance of wildlife in this area, all you would need to do is look at the ground. Hidden amoung the copious grasses, shrubs, and trees is quite possibly the most ubiquiteous substance in this land: poop. The guidebook that we have for the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone has information on the animals found in the area as well as how to identify their tracks and scat. The first night at the campsite we identified some nearby droppings as either elk or moose, as well as a few bison patties. Around the site the poop was sparse enough that it could be easily avoided, but on out first hike we realized very quickly that there was no point in avoiding animal fecal deposits.

Bones

Our first hike was up a nature trail that was across from the Gros Ventre landslide (or mass wasting area). The slide occured on June 23, 1925 and invovled the movement of nearly 50 million cubic yards of material which fell down the slope and up the other side of the valley, damming the Gros Ventre river and creating a lake upstreeam. Then 2 years later the 225' tall dam ruptured, flooding the town and ranch land below. The mass wasting event left an impressive scar on the side of the mountain.

View of landslide from the end of the hike

What is likely the best view of the slide comes from a hiking trail on the opposite side of the valley. From the base, the hike looked to be a steep short hike to the top of a hill, but when you reach the top of the hill you realize there was another on afterwards and another one after that and so on. Now, when I say this was a steep hike, I do not mean that it was just uncomfortable to walk up. I'm talking 60-75 degree slopes with loose crumbly soil and next to no tree cover on a trail covered with animal feces. This was the point where we stopped caring about stepping in poop, because it would've taken at least twice as long to reach the overlook point if we had avoided them. In fact, I realized it was easier and safer to walk to the side of the trail, following the animal tracks and subsequently walking through greater amounts of poo. But dirty boots* and all, we made it to the top, and though the hike was far more rigorous than was expected, the views were definitely worth it.

Hauntingly Beautiful Dead Tree Atop Steep Hill

Storm's abrewing over the Grand Teton.

After the hike, we had some lunch and went to the Visitor's center. While at the visitors center a storm rolled in canceling our afternoon hike, so instead we went down into Jackson Hole to do some touristy shopping and have dinner at the Snake River Brewery. Overall it was a very enjoyable day.

*We were sure to beat the gross off of our shoes after the hike, so as to not further contaminate and add to the stench of the van.

Cool tree knot

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Day 9: On the Road

Today we spent most of the day in the van, traveling from Riverton to DuBoise, and then on to Moose, the home of the Tetons National Park. On the way we made a few stops to look at interesting glacial features, such as terminal moraines, lateral moraines, outwashes, and glacial till deposits. At many points during the first leg of the trip there would be glacial features on one side of the road and and desert vegetation and features on the other with snow capped mountains in the distance on either side.

Cool desert structures

Tetons from afar with a storm

We stopped in DuBoise for lunch as well as to get some coffee and visit a little tourist trap whose main attraction is a giant jackalope. It was a cute little town, but I find myself shying away from tourist traps with their cheap trinkets. I much more enjoy going to park visitor centers and having an educational experience.

Snowscape with Tetons

Snake River Overlook selfie


After lunch we headed over the Wind River mountains to the Tetons and our new camground for the next several days. The beauty of these mountains is so a conundrum of sorts. They are majestic yet harsh, and serene yet rugged. The kind of mountains you cant find in the Appalachians. I am so excited to gt to spend some time here and seensome interesting wildlife, maybe even a grizzly, as long as it is not anywhere near me. The ranger at our campground actually informed us that there have been several bear sightings in the park lately...and that makes me a little nervours, but hopefully I won't end up coming face tonface with one. And nw that I've probably freaked you all out, please feel free to enjoy the photos I've posted.

Close encounters with Buffalo

Camping site with a million dollar view

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Day 8: Extremes

Today was a day of mostly driving. We left Buffalo and traveled through the Big Horn Mountains via Tensleep Canyon, to Thermapolis where we relaxed in the natural hot springs, and continued on through the Big Horn basin, past the Owl Creek Uplift to Riverton, where we ate dinner at a local resturaunt. Tonight we get to spend the night in a hotel before we start off on the next leg of our journey into the Tetons. As today was mostly traveling with just quick stops, I will tell the story of the day mainly in pictures.

Overlook of Big Horns

Lunch stop with view of Big Horn Peak and Loaf Mountain

Alpine Flowers

Snowball fight in the Big Horn Mountains

Tensleep Canyon Formations

More Tensleep Canyon Formations

Big Horn Basin

Owl Creek Uplift

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Day 7: The Devil Among Us

So today we left Custer State park to head further west into Wyoming. Out of a day of mostly traveling in the van, we made 2 stops.

The first was at the iconic Devil's tower, hence the title of this post. We took a short hike around the base of the structure and then had some lunch. I will skip the geology lecture for today and instead will comment on the native american orign story. Legend has it that two children were chased by a great bear and so the children climbed up on a rock and prayed to the gods and the gods raised the rock up out of reach of the bear. But the great bear still tried to claw its way up, leaving behnd the gouges seen along the sides of the tower. So, if the children were saved by the gods then why is it called Devil's tower? Well when Custer's expedition came across it, the translator said that the native american's name for it was "bad god's tower" which was shortened to Devil's tower, but it was likely a mistranslation. So had the name been translated properly, it would likely be called God's tower today. Sadly we did not see any aliens on our stop, but we did see a film crew that was working on a movie.

Devil's Tower during approach

Devil's Tower from the base

Our second stop was the Eagle Butte Coal Mine, where we recieved a driving tour of the grounds and a short lecture about the geology of the area and what geologists do for coal companies.

Part of the open-cut mining area at Eagle Butte

From there we headed to Buffalo, WY where we set up camp for the night at a cute little roadside campground called Deer Park. With laundry facilites and an evening off, spirits were rejuvenated thanks to clean clothes and a delicious meal.

View from tentsite at Deer Park

Note: For those concerned about my shoe situation, through wearing thinner socks, lacing my shoes differently, and only wearing my hiking boots when we are hking, they have become much more comfortable and while I still prefer my Chacos its good to know that my feet will not feel like they are dying when I need to use them.

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Day 6: Whining and Gold Mining

Today was a rough day emotionally. As an introvert, I need time by myself to recharge and refresh myself. Now imagine having been in close quarters with 13 people in tents and a 15 passenger van all day for the past 6 days. Needless to say, I reached a pointof being withdrawn and in a generally grumpy mood due to my lack of solitary time. Even being constanly surrounded by people, I found myself feeling really lonely today as well. You see, everybody else on the trip has some kind of cellular connection which allows them to readily stay in touch with their friends and families. I on the other hand have absolutely no cell service, and I will not have it the entirety of the trip. The most interaction I can get with my loved ones back home comes from me stealing WiFi from whatever grocery store or gas station we stop at, just so I cwn quickly update my blog and maybe post something to facebook just to let everyone know I'm doing okay. I feel that my generation as a whole now takes for granted the ability to be able to talk to whoever you want, whenever you want. We forget what it is like to feel detached from our loved ones, until you are in a situation such as I am in, where the cell service has run out and there is hope hope of coming across any for the next 2 weeks. So to all my friends and family back home, this is my update on my life for you, and know that I miss and love you all.

Open cut of the Homestake Gold Mine

Now let us digress and I will tell you about what we actually did today. Today we visited the Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, SD. While the mining operations ceased in 2002, the mine is still the most profitable gold mine in the US to date, having harvested over 40 million ounces of gold. In 2002 the mine was sold to the state of South Dakota, by the Berrick company, with the stipulation that it never be used for mining again. The mine is now being used for scientific research about neutrinos and dark matter, as well as a tourist and education center for the history of the mine and mining on general in South Dakota. After a trolley tour and a talk concerning the geology of the mine with the geologist who is helping with the closing of the mine, we had a lunch of pasties ( think handheld meat and veggie pies) which were the traditional lunch for the miners and headed back towards Stockade Lake for our final night of camping there via the Needles highway.

View point of cathedrals and spires off of Needles Highway

Needles highway is a scenic route through the Black Hills, which showcases the impressive pegmatites in the region. Pegmatites are rock formations bearing very large crystal structures. In the Black Hills, the pegmatites include feldspars, quartz, micas, and occasionally tourmaline. The verticle faulting creates magnificent spires and "catherdral" structures which attract avid rock climbers from all over the world. In fact, while we were at an overlook a couple climbed up and repelled down the famous "Eye of the Needle" that is right off of the highway. It was awe-inspiring to watch, and I feared for their safety until they were back safe on the ground. That is definately one sport that I don't think I could ever get into.

We eventually made our way back to the campsite, where my cooking group made taco salads for dinner. After dinner we spent sometime around the campfire, eating smores and talking about life. I retired to bed early for some much needed alone time, just to read and be with my thoughts, and now as our last day at Custer State Park comes to a close, I will fall asleep listening to the steady, drip drip drip, of rain beginning to fall on the tent fly.

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Day 5: Jagged Caves and Smooth Remains

Last night I slept like a baby. The nighttime temperature was the warmest we have had all trip, which meant that I didn't need to bundle up in multiple layers within my sleeping bag to stay warm. In fact, it was so warm that I was able to sleep without socks! For those of you who don't know my normal "feet habits" this may seem like an odd thing to be excited about, so I'll give a brief overview: I do not like having my feet enclosed, be it by socks or closed-toe shoes or even blankets. When I sleep I am even more sensitive to things being on my feet and usually I sleep with my feet completly outside of the sheets and blankets. So being able to sleep with naked feet last night greatly improved my quality of sleep. For those interested, my new sleeping bag gets two thumbs up. It is spacious AND warm which are two qualities that are difficult to find in a relatively cheap bag. The only downside is that it is a bit bulky, which may cause issues later on with getting it back home. But I'll worry about that when the time comes and will just enjoy it for now.

In other news, today we visited Wind Caves which, at 121.5 miles, is the 6th largest cave system ine world. The cave was given its name due to the "wind" that is blown out of or sucked into the cave at its natural entrance. The direction and intensity of the wind at the entrance is regulated by barametric pressure, and in the late 19th and early 20th century the direction and power of the "wind" from the cave was used to predict the weather. The interior of the caves are nothing like the other caves I've been in. Wind Caves have not been active in a very long time and most of the caves were not carved out directly by water (unlike the caves I have been to) and instead were the by product of the regional uplift associatd with the building of the Rockies and the Black Hills. Wind Caves is known worldwide for its impressive examples of boxworking, cave popcorn, and frostwork. In terms of exploration, it is thought that as little as 10% to as much as 50% of the cave has currently been discovered.

Example of Boxwork found in Wind Cave

After doing an above ground and an underground tour of the caves, we headed to Hot Springs to the Mammoth Site. The Mammoth site is an active paleontological dig site, were 61 individual mammoths have been discovered. The site has a very interesting geological history that explains the presence of the large number of mammoth skeletons. The area was once a sink hole that stayed warm in the winter and hungry mammoths would brave the slippery ledge in hopes of getting some food. However, there were many mammoths that would slip down into the sinkhole and not be able to get back out, and so they would die, leaving ther skeletons preserved in the sediments along the (at that time) bottom of the sinkhole. Over time sediment accumulated within the hole, and the shale surrounding the sedimentary formation eroded away. If it had't been for a housing development project in 1970's, this incredible collection of mammoth skeletons would have not been discovered. The excavation of the site is ongoing, and South Dakota Geologic Survey drillings suggests that there are still fossils and bones present down to at least 65 feet below the top of the dig site. Only 22 ft have been excavated so far, so there are still plenty of mammoths and other remains, such as the Great Short-Faced bear, to be unearthed.

The mammoth site dig in Hot Springs, SD

My favorite fact about the mammoth site is that all of the skeletons found thus far have been adolescent males. It is believed that like the modern elephant, mammoths had matriarchial societies amd that at a certain age, the young males either left voluntarily or were forced to leave by the matriarch. The current theory is that the young, imbicilic males, no longer within the care of their mothers and grandmothers were less cautious and more desperate for food and water, they would approach the sinkhole, slip in and then get stuck and starve. Poor dumb male mammoths...

Extra-ordinary Observations
1. It's nice to know that homo saipens are not the only species with idiotic adolescent males.
2. Buffalo are pretty spectacular, even when they block the roadway and you fear for the life of the motorcyclist in front of you.
3. There are few things more satisfying than capturing a decent image of a beautiful sunset.

First sighting of Elk on the trip

Roadside Buffalo with Calves

Sunset over the Black Hills

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