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| The STAIRS |
Day 9
To further understand this entry, you first need to know
what a marmot is. A marmot is a small furry rodent similar to a ground hog.
Even though they seem tame and safe, these animals should in no way be taken
lightly, you have been warned. Anyways, we awoke once again as the last ones in
camp and really exhibited the chipper Berry morning attitude that we all know
and love. After a scrumptious breakfast of cereal (my favorite breakfast of
all, no really, no sarcasm here) and hot chocolate we were on our way to see
more sights in Yellowstone. At the top of today’s agenda was Uncle Toms Trail,
which took you down 328 steps to a picture perfect view of the stunning Lower
Falls of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. These were no ordinary steps though,
they were metal see-through steps that hugged the canyon walls and offered
views of the river and canyon bottom hundreds of feet below. The trailhead also
had a sign that warned people with heart problems to stay off or take a lot of
breaks. But the precarious trail was well worth the trouble and we were treated
to an as promised spectacular view of one of Yellowstone’s most famous
attractions.
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| Lower Falls |
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| clinging to the railing |
After a quick sandwich, we decided to hike the Mt. Washburn trail
which promised great views and tons of wildlife…even MARMOTS. We knew we were
in for a challenge when the trailhead sign was covered with snow, yet, being
the tough outdoorsy family we are, we trekked on.
Not even ten minutes into the
three hour hike, we experienced our first marmot sighting as we encountered
three marmots huddled around a rock on the ground. We left the marmots in peace
and moved on towards the summit, trudging through mud and snow to reach our
final destination.  |
| Trudging up the trail |
Other wildlife we saw on the hike were the yellow bellied
ground squirrel and the least chipmunk. We were on the final traverse of the
hike when out of nowhere, two marmots came hurtling out of the rocks. I could
tell something was up though because the big daddy marmot in the back was
chasing the smaller marmot in front, no fun and games to be found, we were
witnessing a marmot murder. The marmots got closer and closer to the edge until
the little one leaped off the cliff and, so we think, died. After a few moments
pondering what we had just saw, the big daddy slowly climbed up to our path
with a look of smug satisfaction on his face. Mom thought this would be a great
picture opportunity and stood still as the marmot sized up his next victim.
Even I got scared and hid behind my mom for protection (hey, marmots are
vicious). But finally, we both went our separate ways and we made the wise decision
to turn back early rather then face the wrath of the big daddy marmot.
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| MARMOT! |
On the
drive back to our campsite we also saw three grizzly bears, a herd of elk, and
a lone wolf. All in all, it was a great last day in Yellowstone and we learned
a valuable lesson; bears are not the most dangerous animal in Yellowstone,
marmots are.
Submitted by Brandt
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