Yellowstone, camping site and first hiking
Saturday July 3, entering Yellowstone NP
We had booked our first night in Yellowstone NP for today. Of course, we had to cancel all the destination that we planned between June 25 and July 3.
Traffic inside the park is fluid and we are rapidly reaching the Grant Village campground. At the reception, we explain our troubles and this is no problem that our reservation for an RV turns into a tent site: Most sites allow you to install both an RV and a tent.
It is time to mount the tent. We did not do that since, say, thirty years. Horror: although we have not paid attention to size when we bought it and we discover it's a really small tent. No problem, it is of good quality, our location under the trees and is well insulated, and we spend a nice evening with beer, barbecue and campfire.
Independance Day, hiking at Lewis Lake
The night went fairly well. Sleeping bags are of excellent quality, we have not been cold. The self-inflating mattresses are a bit steep for our old bones, but it will again. Waking up at dawn, I hasten to relight the fire and boil water for tea and coffee: it's really cold
Fortunately, the weather is nice and the sun warms us quickly. The start of the hike is about ten kilometers from the camp. The path is well marked. After the shores of Lewis Lake, the trail follows the river between Shoshone Lake and Lewis Lake. It's a nice hike, with very little traffic and which offers beautiful landscapes of rivers, wetlands and woodland areas. Disappointment: we expected a few encounters with wild animals but we will only see a deer wandering on the banks of the River.
Canyon Village, our next step in the park is about 45 miles away. Yellowstone Park is really big. Along the way, we stop at West Thumb, on the shores of Lake Yellowstone, where we can see the colorful water basins. Heavy clouds roll over the lake: light on the river is magical.
Later, in Hayden Valley, we are still amazed by the landscape of meadows whith many bison . The unsettled weather continues to offer an exceptional light. Arrived at Canyon Village, we plant our tent on a nice location, miraculously spared by the rain. The evening campfire is cool. At night, a group of rangers going to warn us about the bears that would be particularly annoyed at the moment. We are moderately reassured in our tiny tent!
