So far this year, Yellowstone has seen a record number of visitors – and what seems to be a record number of visitors disobeying the rules.
A warning sign near a “wild” thermal basin with steam vents and mud pots.
People have been charged by elk and bison while trying to get too close for a “selfie.” A Canadian father and son put a bison calf into their SUV because it looked cold. Some Canadian filmmakers made national news by getting caught walking across a shallow part of Grand Prismatic Spring, the park’s largest hot spring.
At nearby Norris Basin, a man was walking where he shouldn’t when the thin crust gave way and he fell into a hot spring. He died quickly and the hot, somewhat acidic water left no remains to recover.
Today’s hike gave us plenty of chances to get into similar trouble. We started out by hiking to Clear Lake. It’s fed by hot springs and smells of sulfur; it’s clear because almost nothing can live in it. From there we walked through what I call a “wild” thermal basin on unmaintained trails, along steam vents and mud pots. There are no boardwalks and no fences, so you have to pay attention and be responsible.
From there we walked through the woods past Lily Lake before climbing a small ridge. At the top of that ridge, we suddenly arrived at the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are no fences – the trail goes close to the edge of the cliff, which drops more than 1,000 feet. A few other people walk by as we eat lunch, but we mostly have the view to ourselves.
This was just a day hike, but it gave us another taste of Yellowstone’s backcountry. While many visitors on the roads and in the parking lots behave badly, the people here respect the natural world. We don’t see people leaning over the edge, or walking up to the thermal vents.
The students notice this, and comment. Several days ago, they had already begun to draw a distinction between themselves and other visitors to the parks, the “tourists.” They were sometimes self-aware about this, and sometimes the comparisons were explicit. If we press them, they often see education as the key factor that distinguishes them from the “tourists.”
They are learning about the Greater Yellowstone area, learning about tourism – and even learning about themselves in a way that most tourists don’t attempt. They know that this education is accessible through visitor centers, brochures, newspapers, roadside signs, ranger talks and books, and they wonder why so many of Yellowstone’s visitors seem uninformed.
We walk back along the cliff edge until we pop out of the woods at Artist Point. The contrast between the crowds here and the quiet backcountry sparks another round of discussion.
The Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS FROM THIS CLASS
A night in grizzly country, by Robert Pahre (July 21, 2016)
Between wilderness, tourism and civilization, by Robert Pahre (July 18, 2016)
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