Yellowstone Trip Report: The Geyser Creek Group (maybe)

Or Sasha Doesn't Do the Hoodoos

Copyright 2009, Sasha Harris-Cronin

(Note: The following dispatch and photographs from the back country of Yellowstone National Park by my daughter Sasha confirm what I have known for some time: she always walks a different path, always knows where she is headed, but is not always satisfied that she has arrived.  For more images from Sasha's bushwhack, click HERE.  To see her extraordinary Yellowstone panorama, click HERE.   Enjoy. -- John)

First things first: I saw a bear's butt today.  It was headed swiftly away from the wildlife paparazzi. Smart bear.

I meant to hike to the Hoodoos today.  Really I did.

But, you see, there are many types of hikers.  There are those who speedhike 12 mile trails to see the fantastic view from the top.  On the other side, there are those who are compelled to bushwhack through marsh, scree, and, well, bushes to reach a smudge on the map or a rumor of something weird.

As my partner Nate can attest, I am a bushwhacker at heart.

Of course, bushwhacking has its disadvantages.  It is slow.  Trying to speedhike through 12 miles of rough terrain is a joke.  You almost certainly aren't going the most efficient way.  It also has the potential to be dangerous.  The terrain is unknown, as are the wildlife.  There are no services and it's difficult to follow your route back.  You may not reach where you intend to.  In fact, you may not even know if you get there or not. (More on that later.)