The Huckleberry Hiker: October 2020

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

TetonHikingTrails.com Adds 12 Hikes From Yellowstone National Park

As mentioned a few weeks ago, my wife and I visited both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park last month. In addition to the two hikes from Grand Teton we added to our website, TetonHikingTrails.com, we have also added 12 new hikes from Yellowstone National Park (which reside on our Other Wyoming Hikes directory). They are as follows:

  * North Rim Trail

  * Avalanche Peak

  * Bunsen Peak - Osprey Falls Loop

  * South Rim - Clear Lake Loop

  * Osprey Falls

  * Bunsen Peak

  * Mystic Falls

  * Yellowstone Lake Overlook

  * Trout Lake

  * Lamar River Trail

  * Grand Prismatic Overlook

  * Cascade Lake

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

TetonHikingTrails.com Adds Two New Hikes

As mentioned a few weeks ago, my wife and I visited Grand Teton National Park last month. As a result of that trip we were able to add two new hikes to our website, TetonHikingTrails.com. These two highly scenic hikes are:

Surprise Lake:

Schwabacher Landing Trail:

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Monday, October 19, 2020

Yellowstone releases trumpeter swans to restore population

On Saturday, September 19, staff from Yellowstone National Park, the Wyoming Wetlands Society, and Ricketts Conservation Fund released eight young trumpeter swans (cygnets) at Alum Creek in Hayden Valley.

This release is part of an ongoing restoration project to increase territorial pairs of swans which have undergone a decades-long decline in the park. From a high of over 60 birds and 17 territorial pairs in the early 1960s, to only four birds in 2009 and 2010, the swan population has declined for a variety of reasons. Researchers are collecting population data such as nest success, number of territorial pairs, and the number of cygnets produced each year. This data may help determine the reasons for the decline.

Recent releases and other restoration efforts have bolstered the population to over 20 birds and five territorial pairs, including natural reproduction in some years.

The effort is a public/private partnership between the National Park Service, Wyoming Wetlands Society, Ricketts Conservation Fund, and Montana State University. Joe Ricketts, founder of Ricketts Conservation Fund, participated in the recent cygnet release. His fund also supports other avian conservation efforts in the region, including common loons and Clark’s nutcrackers.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Grand Teton Breaks Visitation Record for the Month of September

Grand Teton National Park hosted an estimated 603,789 recreation visits in September 2020, a 17% increase compared to September 2019. Park statistics show that September 2020 saw the highest number of recreation visits on record for the month of September. More data on National Park Service visitor-use statistics is available at irma.nps.gov/STATS/.

The list below shows the September trend for recreation visits over the last several years:

2020—603,789
2019—517,265
2018—558,788
2017—482,661
2016—492,451

In general, hiking use in the park increased approximately 54%, camping in concession-operated campgrounds increased 24% and backcountry camping increased 79% in September 2020 compared to September 2019.

These numbers come as no surprise. We were in the park for a week during the middle of the month, and I came away thinking that the crowds were out of control. There were lines to get into the park just after 7 am each morning, and the parking areas at trailheads were filling-up not long afterwards. Almost everyday we drove past the Jenny Lake and Taggart Lake trailheads. Not only were the entire parking areas full, but there were vehicles parked on both sides of the road - for at least a quarter of a mile before and after the turn into those parking areas. After returning from our hike in the Laurence Rockefeller Reserve there was a line of cars waiting for a parking spot - likely a 30 to 60 minute wait for the cars at the back of the line. On our last day Lupine Meadows (the trailhead for Amphitheatre Lake, etc..) was filled with almost a hundred cars after we finished our hike. This was totally unexpected given how hard the hikes are from that trailhead.

Obviously Covid has disrupted travel patterns this year.

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

The "Air Ambulance Jet Suit"

A few weeks ago I saw a post on Twitter about an "air ambulance jet suit" being tested in the Lake District of northern England. If this invention is proven to be viable, it could mean that a paramedic could "fly" to an injured hiker or climber in difficult terrain (think Grand Canyon) in a matter of minutes, rather than taking hours or more on foot. If this is the case, it could mean the difference between life and death for some accident victims.

Here's a clip from CBS News showing footage from the test:

Friday, October 9, 2020

Alpine Sections of Going-to-the-Sun Road Temporarily Close

The Going-to-the Sun Road will temporarily close between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun this evening due to inclement weather forecasted.

The National Weather Service has issued a forecast which calls for a cold weather system to arrive in the park Saturday, October 10. The storm is expected to bring rain, high winds, freezing temperatures, and the potential for snow in high elevations.

Based on the current weather forecast, the temporary Going-to-the-Sun Road closure at Avalanche Creek is expected to last at least through Monday, October 12. However, conditions will be evaluated on a continual basis and the closure may be lifted at any time should conditions allow.

The Sun Road is anticipated to remain open between Avalanche Creek and the West Entrance. All east-side park roads remain closed due to COVID-19 operating requirements, including the Sun Road between St. Mary and Rising Sun. Status of all roads in the park is available on the park’s Current Road Conditions webpage.

Visitors are encouraged to prepare for inclement weather if they plan to travel to the park this weekend. Check the weather forecast and park road status before you visit, dress for varying degrees of weather, carry the ten essential emergency items, and be on alert for potential hazards on roadways and trails.

The park will continue to provide updates via the Current Road Conditions section of the park’s website and on Twitter. Visitors should monitor these webpages for up-to-date information.

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Three-year-old suffers thermal burns in Yellowstone National Park

Today, October 9, 2020, at 11:39 a.m., a three-year-old suffered second-degree-thermal burns to the lower body and back. The incident occurred near the Fountain Freight Road, near Midway Geyser Basin.

The child took off running from the trail, slipped and then fell into a small thermal feature.

Due to the injuries, the child was life-flighted to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. This incident is under investigation. No photos are available.

The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface. Visitors must always remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around thermal features. Learn more about safety in thermal areas at go.nps.gov/yellsafety.

This is the second significant injury in a thermal area in 2020. In May of this year a visitor (who illegally entered the park) fell into a thermal feature at Old Faithful while backing up and taking photos. In September 2019, a man suffered severe burns after falling into thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful Geyser. In June 2017, a man sustained severe burns after falling in a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin. In June 2016, a man left the boardwalk and died after slipping into a hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin. In August 2000, one person died and two people received severe burns from falling into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin.

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Grizzly Kills Bull Elk in the Yellowstone River

Earlier this week I returned from a two week trip out to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. On Sunday, September 20th, we drove from the North Entrance to begin our second leg of the trip in Grand Teton. Along the way we ran into our first "bear jam" of the trip, just south of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River in the Hayden Valley. Across the river a grizzly bear was lying on top of a bull elk, and had been there since Friday morning protecting its quarry. Remarkably, the kill was captured on video. I should warn here that some people might find this video a little disturbing, due to seeing a wild animal lose its life. The bull elk appears to have made a critical error by running into the Yellowstone River:

Here's another video of the bear as he works to partially bury its quarry over the next 24 hours. To wildlife officials this bear is known as "grizzly 791":

Here's another video showing a lone wolf trying to grab a bite of meat for himself five days after the kill. The bear is quite passive in allowing the wolf to get within inches of the kill, but that's as close as it will get:

Finally, here's one last video showing two bears fighting over the same carcass on the morning of September 26th. It appears that another bear has taken possesion of the carcass (note the collar on the bear standing on the bank). Perhaps the challenger in the river is the original owner?