Upper Geyser Basin Evening Explorations

The evening that we arrived at Old Faithful Inn we took time to walk around the Upper Geyser Basin that surrounds the Old Faithful area.  We saw plenty of geothermal features--the first of many that we would experience over the next few days.  If you visit I definitely recommend picking up the guides that are available throughout the park.  They are in covered holders and available for free if you return them, or they ask for a 50¢ donation if you take one to keep.  Needless to say I took (and paid for) every one that I saw. But I knew that they could come in handy when I was blogging about the trip and also would be useful for a return trip to the park someday.  With that said I think it is worth quoting in its entirety the caution printed in the inside front cover of the Old Faithful Area Trail Guide.

DANGER STAY ON WALKWAYS 

Hot Water - Thin Crust 

-------------------------------- 

Protect Yellowstone's Treasures 

Hydrothermal features are fragile rarities of nature.  Yellowstone preserves the largest collection of hydrothermal features on the planet.  You have an unparalleled opportunity to view hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles in a natural setting. 

Change takes place naturally in a hydrothermal area, but people can disrupt these processes and cause irreparable damage.  Rocks, sticks, and other objects thrown into a hydrothermal feature may be permanently cemented in place, choking off water circulation and ending all activity. 

For the sake of all who follow, never throw objects into any feature.  Stay on established walkways for your safety and to protect fragile formations that have formed over thousands of years. 

It is illegal to collect any natural or cultural objects or to remove, deface, or destroy any plant, animal, or mineral in Yellowstone National Park.  Do not smoke in or bring pets into Yellowstone's hydrothermal areas.  Bring drinking water; take out all trash.
--from NPS Old Faithful Area Trail Guide brochure

It all makes sense, but just as I saw people getting far too close to wildlife I also saw people touching geothermal areas and walking off paths.  It is sad that people do things like this that end up ruining areas for other people.


There were a few bison in the area--thankfully far enough from the trails that we didn't have to detour to stay at a safe distance.

One of the first things we saw was Chinese spring, which was named because it was used as a laundry by early entrepreneurs.

Blue Star Spring.  Some of the features started to look a bit the same after a while--but I really enjoyed all of the brilliant colors.

I was quite happy to get some good pictures of this little guy that Amy pointed out to me.  I don't have a super-fast camera, so sometimes my pictures of animals or people in motion are blurry.  I was thankful that this chipmunk stayed still long enough for me to get some good pictures of him.  Animals of course completely ignore the signs and run as close to the geothermal features as they want to--but I trust their God-given instinct more than the brains (or lack thereof) of the tourists wandering around.

To get to this first area we had to go over the Firehole river--a river that we would see more of over the next few days.

We did not end up hiking to this observation point as we instead headed back towards Old Faithful so that I could record an eruption.  Sadly, with the exception of the eruption I recorded with my iPhone this was the only one that I recorded during our entire visit.

Even in the midst of apparent desolation there were patches of beautiful flowers.

Anemone Geyser certainly lived up to its name, looking like a sea anemone.  The picture at right shows a closeup of some of the material around the geyser mouth.  I wish we'd stuck around a bit longer, for the guide pamphlet says:

"If Anemone Geyser is empty when you arrive, wait a few minutes to watch the stages of a typical eruption.  The pool fills, overflows, and bubbles rise.  Suddenly, Anemone erupts 6 feet (2 m) or more.  The water then drains with a gurgling sound.  The cycle is repeated usually very 7-10 minutes.
--from NPS Old Faithful Area Trail Guide brochure

I did set up my tripod to capture a picture or two of Amy and I with Old Faithful Inn and the geyser basin in the background.

According to the guide Plume Geyser can "catch you by surprise" because it normally "erupts every hour or so in 3-5 bursts that can reach heights of 25 feet," but sadly we didn't see any activity.

There were quite a few other people waiting around Old Faithful when we got there just a few minutes before the next predicted eruption.


Please pardon the shutter sounds.  I "discovered" that I could take pictures while filming video--I just didn't realize it actually interrupted the video.  If I had I never would have done it.

The next morning we continued our exploration of the area--and I'll continue blogging about the Upper Geyser Basin on the morrow.

~Matt