SCHIESS: Yellowstone – slow down and catch hidden beauties

The main goal for many visitors to Yellowstone National Park is to watch Old Faithful blow its top. For over 60 years I was like most tourists – watch Old Faithful and then head for greener pastures after corralling an ice cream cone.

Not so this year. The family plan was to hike the Upper Geyser Basin area that contains the most active geysers in the world (of which Old Faithful is just one feature). The goal was to hike to Morning Glory pool and back again before Old Faithful put on her show. This 2.8 mile trek was full of beauty and a few surprises. But we made a couple of mistakes and will correct them on our next trip.

Our first mistake – we should have checked at the information desk to get the schedule of predicted eruptions of five major geysers in the basin. As a result we did not see any of the other geysers erupt.

The second mistake was not taking the time to add the 1.3-mile Geyser Hill loop where we missed the Doublet Pool and the Lion Group of geysers. A photographer later asked me if I had seen the Doublet Pool and then proceeded to inform me that no one should miss that one, so on our next trip to Old Faithful that loop is on my bucket list.

One of my favorite features was the Riverside Geyser that is just inches away from the Firehole River and contributes a lot of hot water helping to increase the temperature of the already warm river.

When we reached the Morning Glory pool we did not find the robin-egg blue that I expected. The color was a greenish orange caused by vandalism over the years. Visitors have thrown trash, coins, rocks and other debris into the pool that has reduced the circulation and the temperature of it, thus allowing bacteria to survive and change the color. Even with signs up cautioning visitors not to throw coins in, we saw several that had been tossed by thoughtless people.

As my granddaughter and I were crossing the bridge over the Firehole, I heard a sound like an American Dipper, called a Water Ouzel. Looking over the bridge we found it hunting for aquatic insects and larva under the water. After a few seconds it dove into a small deep pool and appeared to fly along the bottom of the river. With its wings spread, it worked its way across the bottom, pausing to roll over a stone or pick at the bottom. Soon it popped to the surface, flew to a logjam under the bridge where it fed its catch to a baby chick. Then it was off hunting in another pool.

“What are you taking pictures of?” asked a tourist as we were watching the show. Then not waiting for an answer he said, “Oh, it’s just a black bird,” before moving on.

Little did he know what a special creature he could have witnessed as it dove and walked up the streambed hunting and gathering.

Likewise we, in our haste to watch Old Faithful blow for the hundredth time, missed the eruption of the Grand Geyser which is often more spectacular and violent than its better-known sister.

On our way to get an ice cream treat, I saw a geyser spewing hot water into the air and thought of how many rare experiences we had missed in our haste to be on schedule. We will repent and will go back; find out the predicted times of eruptions, walk a little slower while looking for the odd things and visit the beauties that were missed this time.