Day 7 recap

Day 7 Recap

Written by Kevin R. Crush

We woke up to a cold morning. Shivering, we ate our usual breakfast of pop-tarts, oatmeal, and cold cereal, all the while taking in last views of the mountains around us. After a hurried pack-up, we set forth from our campsite to Yellowstone and from there to Billings.

We took the northwest road out of the park, and proved to be a good choice. Fewer cars traveled along this road than on the others, and the scenery, at least in my opinion, was more beautiful than anywhere else we’ve driven through. To start, there were far fewer patches of recent forest fire, so that the expanse of trees was more uniform and whole.

After a few miles in some higher mountains, the road dipped into a rather large valley. This area was rather unlike anywhere else in the park. The valley was immensely broad, and a slow and broad river wound its way through it. For the first time, I saw leafy trees, perhaps birch, growing alongside the river’s bank in Yellowstone, and it was a welcome contrast to all the lodge-pole pines growing everywhere else. The most notable feature of the valley, however, was the number of bison. The largest herds we have seen thus far congregated one after another as we drove by them, bringing the spirit of the Old West with them.

We took a turn from the main valley and started to head up a smaller one, with the mountains pressing closer on each side. The road became windier as we reached the northwest entrance of Yellowstone, and still we climbed higher. Then I noticed something curious: it felt as though we were heading backwards in time. In the valley, it was a warm and balmy June. At the base of the mountains, we reached May. As we went higher, April unfolded, followed by March, and here were large quantities of snow, much of it streaked with ski and snowmobile trails. A lake was partially covered in ice. Still we went higher. The temperature dropped dramatically as we kept ascending, until we passed into February.
Lakes were completely frozen over. Canyons of snow, some three or four feet higher than our cars, surrounded the road at some points. A winter wonderland revealed itself to us, all traces of green frosted away. The tree line dipped below us. And still we went.

At 10,947 feet, somewhere in mid-February, the scouts got out of their cars and entered into a foreign world. The hardiest of plants lay brown and dormant where they could be seen, while the rest of the landscape was smothered in several feet of snow at least. After yet another photo-op, the finest and fiercest of all our snowball fights ensued, with an endless amount of ammunition at our disposal.

As might be expected, the fight ended in exhaustion, with all but the hardiest (including yours truly) panting for breath several minutes after we re-entered our vehicles and went down the mountains from the other side. This part was much steeper, and through the winding way we could easily see the bottom of the valley below.

The land leveled as we reached the bottom, and the mountains slowly receded behind us as we headed for Billings. Open prairie began to dominate the landscape, with cows and llamas replacing the bison and elk in the mountains. Not much changed for several hours until we entered our original KOA campground.
At KOA, Jacob passed his board of review for Tenderfoot, several scouts played ultimate Frisbee, we all swam at the pool, and we looked with boredom upon the cliffs that awed us the first time we saw them. For dinner, we ate pizza at Mackenzie River, which left little to be desired. The day ended without incident as the stars slowly spun above us.

Little Big Horn