Days 24-25: Switching gears
Warning: this post contains fewer pictures than usual near the beginning, but there are more near the end :)
Day 24
We began unpacking our camping gear from our bikes to get ready to take it into Yellowstone in backpacks, but we quickly ran into a snag: no backpacks to pack. Travis had kindly offered to lend us his backpacking backpacks for our Yellowstone trip, and we were planning to use these for or Yellowstone mini-vacation, we arrived earlier than we originally said we would, and Travis was not there, and neither were his backpacks. This was our fault for gaining time and changing our plans and arriving early. We began looking for alternatives that would allow us to get into the park on an earlier schedule, like renting backpacks from local outfitter stores, but it turns out that while you can rent ATV's, snowmobiles, bicycles, and a host of other things in the area, nobody rented backpacks. On the plus side, we would still get to backpack in Yellowstone a few days later after our excellent host Travis came with the backpacks... and we took advantage of having a kitchen and cooked ourselves breakfast for a change.
We tried to hold our trip schedule with open hands and not be anxious if our itinerary involved some waiting time. Yellowstone felt so close but yet so far, and we were not exactly sure when we would make it in. We prayed for trust in God whatever our schedule looked like, knowing that any if he wanted us to wait, it would be for a reason. At the same time, we prayed for answers about when we would get to go to the park and for expediency. We can pray both of these things at once, because we believe in a God who invites us to come to him in prayer and bring him our concerns, however big or small, just as a loving father intimately listens to the needs, wants, and cares of his children. While finishing a time of prayer together, my phone rang with a text message from Travis: good news! His cousin was coming to the Man Cave on vacation and could bring the backpacks to us earlier than expected - that same night!
We thanked God for graciously answering our prayer with more expediency than we thought to ask for, and we spent the rest of the afternoon making a 36-mile roundtrip supply run to the town of West Yellowstone (situated just west of the YNP west entrance) to buy groceries and pick up the package we mailed ourselves (actually that Katelyn's dad kindly put in the mail for us) containing hiking boots and other Yellowstone supplies.
While in West Yellowstone, we saw the historic train station that used to bring tourists to Yellowstone, and we thought that was pretty cool.
Remember that train station for day 31, on which (spoiler alert!) we ride on the rail-trail following the defunct rail line that served this station.
That night Travis's cousin Chris arrived at the Man Cave with his two boys for a fishing weekend... and brought the backpacks! We packed up the backpacks and went to sleep, ready to find our way into Yellowstone the next day.
Day 25
The next morning, Chris generously gave us a ride into West Yellowstone where we had breakfast and prayed for a ride into the park.
We walked out to the road that leaves town toward the park and put out our thumbs, not knowing exactly what to expect (but knowing from my experience working in Yellowstone eight years ago that hitchhiking tends to at least work well inside the park). We wanted to make it all the way to Canyon Village that day, and because the park is so huge, we anticipated that it may take much of the day if we had to do it in multiple legs since the route passes through multiple junctions. The first car that passed stopped for us, and where were they going? All the way to Canyon! Not only that, but they were stopping to see some of the sights along the way - all the better for us!
Our generous driver was Jill, a local traveling around the area with her Swedish cousin Vanessa. They were so nice and fun to hang out with during our two-hour sightseeing trip to Canyon. Along the way, we got to see the first geyser basin of the trip: the Norris Geyser Basin.
We arrived at Canyon and set up camp at the hiker/biker site, where we were the only ones there - the rest of the campground was full, however. We had plenty of extra time to hike around the area. We saw...
my old employee dorm from summer 2009,
the restaurant I worked in that summer,
the delicious huckleberry ice cream,
and saw the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River!
My favorite viewpoint of the canyon has always been the brink of the lower falls of the Yellowstone River.
Watching millions of gallons of water rush past us and tumble 300 feet below in freefall is truly awesome. I have heard Americans accused of overusing the word "awesome," and if that is the case, I'm sure I'm guilty, but this sight is truly awe-inspiring. I am reminded of my place as a fragile creature in the loving hands of an all-powerful, awesome, terrible yet compassionate God. Psalm 42 comes to mind when the psalmist says:
*****
Update:
We have gotten a bit behind on the blog due to limited access to internet and electricity over the last couple weeks. We are doing great, though! We are staying tonight in Pinedale, Wyoming -- a town with plenty of internet and electricity -- and will try to do some catching up while we're here :)
Day 24
We began unpacking our camping gear from our bikes to get ready to take it into Yellowstone in backpacks, but we quickly ran into a snag: no backpacks to pack. Travis had kindly offered to lend us his backpacking backpacks for our Yellowstone trip, and we were planning to use these for or Yellowstone mini-vacation, we arrived earlier than we originally said we would, and Travis was not there, and neither were his backpacks. This was our fault for gaining time and changing our plans and arriving early. We began looking for alternatives that would allow us to get into the park on an earlier schedule, like renting backpacks from local outfitter stores, but it turns out that while you can rent ATV's, snowmobiles, bicycles, and a host of other things in the area, nobody rented backpacks. On the plus side, we would still get to backpack in Yellowstone a few days later after our excellent host Travis came with the backpacks... and we took advantage of having a kitchen and cooked ourselves breakfast for a change.
We tried to hold our trip schedule with open hands and not be anxious if our itinerary involved some waiting time. Yellowstone felt so close but yet so far, and we were not exactly sure when we would make it in. We prayed for trust in God whatever our schedule looked like, knowing that any if he wanted us to wait, it would be for a reason. At the same time, we prayed for answers about when we would get to go to the park and for expediency. We can pray both of these things at once, because we believe in a God who invites us to come to him in prayer and bring him our concerns, however big or small, just as a loving father intimately listens to the needs, wants, and cares of his children. While finishing a time of prayer together, my phone rang with a text message from Travis: good news! His cousin was coming to the Man Cave on vacation and could bring the backpacks to us earlier than expected - that same night!
We thanked God for graciously answering our prayer with more expediency than we thought to ask for, and we spent the rest of the afternoon making a 36-mile roundtrip supply run to the town of West Yellowstone (situated just west of the YNP west entrance) to buy groceries and pick up the package we mailed ourselves (actually that Katelyn's dad kindly put in the mail for us) containing hiking boots and other Yellowstone supplies.
While in West Yellowstone, we saw the historic train station that used to bring tourists to Yellowstone, and we thought that was pretty cool.
Remember that train station for day 31, on which (spoiler alert!) we ride on the rail-trail following the defunct rail line that served this station.
That night Travis's cousin Chris arrived at the Man Cave with his two boys for a fishing weekend... and brought the backpacks! We packed up the backpacks and went to sleep, ready to find our way into Yellowstone the next day.
Day 25
The next morning, Chris generously gave us a ride into West Yellowstone where we had breakfast and prayed for a ride into the park.
We walked out to the road that leaves town toward the park and put out our thumbs, not knowing exactly what to expect (but knowing from my experience working in Yellowstone eight years ago that hitchhiking tends to at least work well inside the park). We wanted to make it all the way to Canyon Village that day, and because the park is so huge, we anticipated that it may take much of the day if we had to do it in multiple legs since the route passes through multiple junctions. The first car that passed stopped for us, and where were they going? All the way to Canyon! Not only that, but they were stopping to see some of the sights along the way - all the better for us!
Our generous driver was Jill, a local traveling around the area with her Swedish cousin Vanessa. They were so nice and fun to hang out with during our two-hour sightseeing trip to Canyon. Along the way, we got to see the first geyser basin of the trip: the Norris Geyser Basin.
We arrived at Canyon and set up camp at the hiker/biker site, where we were the only ones there - the rest of the campground was full, however. We had plenty of extra time to hike around the area. We saw...
my old employee dorm from summer 2009,
the restaurant I worked in that summer,
the delicious huckleberry ice cream,
and saw the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River!
My favorite viewpoint of the canyon has always been the brink of the lower falls of the Yellowstone River.
Watching millions of gallons of water rush past us and tumble 300 feet below in freefall is truly awesome. I have heard Americans accused of overusing the word "awesome," and if that is the case, I'm sure I'm guilty, but this sight is truly awe-inspiring. I am reminded of my place as a fragile creature in the loving hands of an all-powerful, awesome, terrible yet compassionate God. Psalm 42 comes to mind when the psalmist says:
Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.That night, Katelyn went to a ranger talk titled "Eat, Prey, Love," then we both star-gazed at the Perseids meteor shower before hitting the sack to prepare for the next day's hike.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. (Psalm 42:7-8, ESV)
*****
Update:
We have gotten a bit behind on the blog due to limited access to internet and electricity over the last couple weeks. We are doing great, though! We are staying tonight in Pinedale, Wyoming -- a town with plenty of internet and electricity -- and will try to do some catching up while we're here :)
Awesome!
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