Yellowstone in Winter

“‘oh, what fun it is to ride in a Yellowstone snowcoach today, hey!’”

January 12, 2024   -   9 Comments

Friday proved to be more thrilling than we could have imagined! We started our day at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We loaded up in a snowcoach & headed out for a day full of learning & adventure! 

Group with our snowcoach at Nymph Lake

We were caught up in a bison parade as we followed a herd down the road, but not close enough to alter their behavior. We visited multiple overlooks on the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, including the famous Artist Point, where Adam taught us about Thomas Moran, an artist who visited Yellowstone before the park was established and whose paintings helped persuade Congress to create our first national park. At another overlook, Kelly helped the group spot an otter. We watched as it climbed the steep slopes near the Lower Falls, went into the trees, and after a surprisingly short time, appeared again on the ice near the top of the 308 foot tall waterfall!

Group at the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River

Amazingly, on our ride through Hayden Valley we spotted a very tightly gathered group of bison. Our driver, John, suggested that they might be gathered like that in response to a predator. Sure enough, we spotted a wolf a few minutes later, just to the side of the herd of bison. We set up our spotting scope in the door of the snowcoach and watched as first one, then two, then as many as 13 wolves came into view! For the most part, the bison seemed unfazed, but as a wolf approached too close, a large bison raised its tail and ran at the wolves, chasing them back. There were a few other similar interactions before we lost sight of the wolf pack behind a small hill and moved on. We were thrilled to have had the chance to watch such an amazing interaction!

Wolf watching from the snowcoach – in the back you can see Tracy peering through the scope set up in the doorway

As we continued our journey along the Yellowstone river, we stopped to view trumpeter swans and other waterfowl at Fishing Bridge, near where the Yellowstone River flows out of Yellowstone Lake. Before we could even get out of the snowcoach, we spotted a coyote doing face-plants on the other side of the road. After a number of unsuccessful attempts at catching prey, we got to see it munch on a small, gray-colored subnivean creature (small animals that live under the snow in the winter, and also Sallie’s expert topic). We think it was likely a vole.

Coyote chomping on what we think was a vole. Photo by Adam Smith.

Our group has learned and experienced so much together already. Johlynn summed up our day with a beautiful quote by Maya Angelou: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some humor, and some style.”

We ended our day at Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Our group enjoyed group quality time over dinner. We turned in early to prepare for our next full, very cold day; tonight’s low temperature at Old Faithful is predicted to be -34°F with a wind chill of -45°F… We hope we survive our dawn walk around the geyser basin tomorrow!

Blue Ridge

“A Day in the Clouds”

August 2, 2021   -   2 Comments

Sunrise over the Black Mountains (named for the abundance of dark-colored spruce and fir trees at higher elevations).

Sunrise over the Black Mountains (named for the abundance of dark-colored spruce and fir trees at higher elevations).

Beep, beep, beep! 4:45am comes early, but when we’re chasing a sunrise, nothing can stop us. We drove to Ridge Junction Overlook, through the fog and clouds, and watched the sunrise. Since we’re lifelong learners, we had to explore the surrounding wildflowers, too.

Museum ornithologist John Gerwin holds a banded Hermit Thrush while the group learns how to determine the age based on the feathers and body conditions of the bird.

Museum ornithologist John Gerwin holds a banded Hermit Thrush while the group learns how to determine the age based on the feathers and body conditions of the bird.

Next, we joined John Gerwin, NCMNS ornithologist, to catch songbirds in mist nets. He taught us about banding, tracking migration patterns, and releasing birds. We have all improved our bird watching and listening skills.

John Gerwin releasing a bird.

John Gerwin releasing a bird.

The adventure continued as we traveled farther into the clouds. Our mission was to summit Mt. Mitchell, highest peak east of the Mississippi River. This alpine ecosystem greeted us with Frasier firs, wind, cold, and lots of rain. This didn’t stop us from exploring the surrounding forest and discovering some salamander, lichen, and spider species that were new to us

Eryn teaches us about her expert topic, the Fraser Fir Tree, and their importance to the unique, high elevation spruce-fir forests found at Mount Mitchell.

Eryn teaches us about her expert topic, the Fraser Fir Tree, and their importance to the unique, high elevation spruce-fir forests found at Mount Mitchell.

After we returned to the van and peeled off all of our wet layers, we spent the afternoon choosing our own adventure. We visited Setrock Creek Falls, searching for salamanders and crawfish. Fun fact: crawfish carry their young on their underside even after they’ve hatched. South Toe River provided us with very cold water for snorkeling and trout-watching. While drying his mist nets, John caught a chipping sparrow, providing us more opportunity to learn about this species. An evening campfire gave us additional time to reflect and enjoy each other’s company. As we approach the halfway point, we all agree that this has been an excellent experience, and we cannot wait to see what’s on the other side.