Yellowstone National Park: Backpacking

Finally made it to Yellowstone National Park and it did not disappoint! Flew into Bozeman with Jerry and meet Craig at the airport. Grabbed some beers and food at Madison River Brewing in Belgrade waiting for Michael and Gary to arrive. Picked them up, stopped in Livingston then went to Gardiner. Had a nice AirBNB with a porch overlooking the Yellowstone River and Gardiner. Drank some bourbon while watching elk walking around town. Spent next day getting permit and seeing some parts of the park like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic and Gibbons Falls. Had some huckleberry milkshakes after our day exploring the park. Next day meet our shuttle, Cody Shuttle, at Pelican Valley TH. Left truck (Ol’ Red) there and got shuttled to start hike at Slough Creek TH. The weather was great the whole trip and plenty of wildlife. Saw several black bears, lots of bison, sandhill cranes and a huge grizzly. Thimbleberries were still ripe and added a treat along the way. We only encountered a few other people the whole trip. I loved the wild feel and remoteness of Yellowstone. The ever present wolf and bear prints let us know we were not alone. The calls of elk bugling and owls were also a treat while settling in at camp each night. Had a couple tough climbs on day 2 (Bliss Pass) and day 3 (Chaw Pass), but the views from the top were amazing. Got to check out Slough Creek, Pebble Creek, Cache Creek valley and Lamar River valley. Everyone remained in high spirits the whole trip and was a great group of guys to share this experience with. Stopped at Fishing Bridge when finished for some much needed showers and beers. Checked out Yellowstone Falls on the way back to Bozeman, which was a great way to end the trip. Will definitely be returning! Hopefully a Thorofare trip next year! Thanks for watching and Happy Hiking! Nick on the Trail and the Trail Hogs!!!