Central Hayden Valley Wander, West of the Road

This hike/wander is designed to appeal to those who desire to see the Yellowstone that doesn't show up on calendars or in coffee table books! If you like your wildlife wild, and you would rather spend a day with them than surrounded by other humans in a concrete and steel urban environment, this is the activity for you. We will immerse ourselves in their world, and see life as close as we can to how they see it.

Our initial pace will be brisk, simply to get away from the road, and behind the hills that shield us from the noise and the visual clutter. Once we are out in the valley, we will shed our urban/suburban exterior, and emulate the residents of the central valley as best we can. This means that in many cases, we will simply follow a bison trails. They are excellent trail "engineers". No energy is wasted in going steeper than necessary on the uphill. If we find ourselves on an elk trail, we will notice they are engineered to maximize sight lines and provide as much surveillance of potential approaching predators as possible. We will not be walking bear, coyote, or wolf trails. Those predators either use the trails created by prey animals, or wander off through the grasses and sage, free-lancing their route as they go.

We will likely see a fair number of bison, although some herds may be a mile or more distant. My hope would be to locate one in close proximity to our route, so we can spend some time observing and photographing or shooting video of the rut activity. It can be high drama!

If the past is precedent, we have a better than 60-75% chance of seeing one or more grizzly bears. We will do a pre-planning orientation before we leave the pavement to insure everyone is familiar with our group plan for our behavior in the event we encounter a bear. Our deliberate strategy is to minimize potential stress on any wildlife, but particularly bears, wolves, or any other endangered or threatened species. We will not crowd the valley residents.

Our pace will not be hurried. Over the years, we have discovered all sorts of wildlife at our feet as we move through the valley, including birds, bird nests, frogs and toads, garter snakes, and other small creatures. The idea for this activity is to get out and get some exercise, but also exercise your eyes, your cameras, and your soul. This is as likely a place as most people are ever going to experience a wild landscape much the same as it was hundreds of years ago, before the westward expansion of European Americans.

OK, so much for the romance. Let's get down to logistics. This is designed to be an all-day activity, although if a subgroup of 3 or more Members and/or guests wanted to depart early from the group, and return to the road, that would be OK, providing it did not leave the remaining group at less than 3 people. If the weather is decent, I would expect to be out in the valley until sometime between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m., potentially a bit later if we were to come across something so spectacular that we all wanted to stay later.

Most of the walking will be fairly easy, but there could be an occasional hill or ridge ascent or descent. We should not be doing any fording or tromping around in mud, but I will still be wearing Gore-tex hiking boots, just to play it safe. The biting flies and mosquitoes are still with us, but their numbers continue to shrink, as the park interior continues to dry out. If you normally use bug repellant, bring it.

We will be out in the open all or most of the day, so bring the usual sun protection, including a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Bring plenty of water. We are not likely to encounter water that you would want to filter out in the valley. Don't forget lunch.

I should not have to mention bear spray, but I will because of its importance. If you have an FRS radio, bring it, and make sure the batteries are charged. If you have hiking poles, bring them. Total mileage is estimated at between 8 and 12 miles.