This has been another difficult article to write. Not because I have nothing to say, but because I cannot imagine that I have anything NEW to say. So many talented articulate people have written about Yellowstone National Park. What could I possibly have to contribute? My experience. That’s it, so here goes.
One of my favorite places ON EARTH is Yellowstone. It is a sensual (and scentual) feast with scenes that cover a wide range of descriptions and emotions.
The open meadows, surrounded by rocky cliffs, that feed herds (100-200 head) of bison, elk, deer and antelope. During the spring and summer there are wildflowers galore and they smell fresh and clean with birdsong ringing and insects buzzing.
The large dusty high plains that are home to the BIG herds (1,000-5,000 head) of bison. Bison snort and chuffle and huff and cough and grumble and make a lot of noise; and they smell like livestock (go figure – where are the wildflowers when you need them?).
The rivers meandering through the park in places, feeding the meadows during the flood season and retreating to their banks the rest of the year, gurgling and trickling through until the next flood. In the wide areas the rivers reflect the mountains, trees, moon, infinite stars and cloud filled skies in natures double vision.
Those same meandering rivers become raging waterfalls and killing rapids as they race through the mountains, carving out The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and other paths to lower ground. The roar of the water drowns out the other sounds of nature, and it is here as much as anywhere in the park where making noise is imperative to human safety. The bears do not like people and they really do not like to be surprised. If you make noise hiking (talking, laughing, music or the infamous bear bells) then you will not scare the bears. They, in turn, will hopefully not maul you.
There are places where the center of the Earth meets the surface in boiling mud pots, blubbing in the sun, steaming geysers whistling and screaming as they erupt (there are many more than just Old Faithful) and incredibly colored chemical pools, some of acidic water and the unique vibrantly colored algae that grows within, some pure white and clear as glass, some shiny and golden, all smelling of sulfur and noxious fumes.
Finally, tree lines showing where the fires that devastated parts of the park in 1988 did the most damage. Here, also on display, is the hand of God. Lodgepole pine cones are hard solid casing around the seeds. They are activated by fire, which melts the sap, causing steam in the cone that explodes the seed out of the shell to be used for new growth. God made fire mandatory for the repopulation of the forests! Really!
Growing up in Colorado gave me great exposure to the mountains so a meadow surrounded by jagged peaks is not unusual. Wide open spaces are home to me and I find great peace in nature. Yellowstone kicks that peace, awe and closeness to God into hyper gear. We will be there again in September. I can’t wait!
