We got it in! Had to, it's named after us...lol! I'm going to work on that connection before we come back here again. In the meantime, I talked Bob into Saturday rather than Sunday to climb it.
Turned out to be a great idea. We had wind gusts of 30-40mph but sunshine and moderate temps. The wind was so strong I had to put my stocking cap on to protect my ears.
Our destination is the peak you see here. There is a Ranger Station up there with a viewing room.
This is the road we drove on to reach the trailhead. We're already making some progress up the switchbacks.
I believe this is looking west but could be south. The range of the view is the reason there is a Ranger Station on top!
This trail is wider than most and although all uphill (or down depending on your direction :) it is well maintained and easier than most to walk on.
We're getting closer.
This is snow left over from 5 days previous. All the clothes we brought with us are on us right now!
The higher we climb, the better the views and for the first time in four years, although there were fires all around the park, the wind was so fierce that the smoke was dissipating and didn't impede the views. We could see down to the Grand Tetons.
We made it and got the required picture in front of our, I mean the, sign, hats off and all!
This is a good shot of the Buffalo fire. Named for the Buffalo flat it's burning on. A whole section of the park was/and still is closed for this fire. The wind was whipping up all the fires to the point if you passed within several miles you could see the flames and watch the trees fairly explode from the heat. We heard later over 10,000 acres have been burned. That's the info we have from 9/13.
Here is the Ranger Station up close. The white portion is the viewing room. One corner of the room's glass had been knocked in by something and was taped with Duct Tape. Seriously. When the wind whipped up the whole area shook.
Heading down. Can't beat the views!
The next day had 24 hours of solid rain and snow in the mountain tops again. Fires had a natural stop and were smoldering after that.
This is a great shot of Lake Yellowstone in the back and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone in the foreground.
And to end with something cute, here is the comparison of a chipmunk (top) and ground squirrel (bottom). The chipmunk has the stripes come onto it's head to the nose. The squirrel's stripes stop at the neck and is usually more round bodied.
They both came close in the hope of a snack (nope, we don't do that!) and posed very cutely.
Miles hiked: 108
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