Norris Dam 25K Race, 11-2-24

After nearly a year of effort I finally rid my left foot of plantar fasciitis in time for summer running. With that pain behind me, one of my primary goals for the rest of the year was to finish an ultramarathon, I especially wanted to get an over age 65 finish. I looked to my old favorite, the Norris Dam 50K, as my best chance for success.

My hike and bike trip to Gregory Bald with Mark (Gregory) in late June started things off with a big day. I was able to follow that up with some good days in the Smokies, Frozen Head, and Haw Ridge in July. But I was never quite able to continue at the level I’d need to finish the 50K. In August Jean and I took a long hiking trip to Yellowstone (Heart Lake) and we managed to contract mild cases of Covid-19 at the end of the trip. By the time we recovered, it was almost time for the sweeping the Barkley Fall Classic.

BFC training is mostly hill work, so I wasn’t getting in all the running miles I needed. This wasn’t totally a bad thing overall, Jean and I were getting in plenty of hiking, both on and off trail, and I was doing some fun mountain biking trips as well. Once BFC was past I did a pair of training runs in the Smokies and one at Norris, and it was clear I could not run the distances I needed to at a fast enough pace.

I put together a target run schedule, but it was ambitious. I’d need to do two long runs a week right up the race, and wouldn’t have much recovery time. The Norris race has two options; one loop for 25K and two loops for 50K, with a four hour cutoff to start loop two.

Ron joined me for a couple more training runs, but I wasn’t making my 4 mph target race pace, and realized that I’d need to settle for the 25K.

Luckily race conditions proved ideal. We’ve had a warm, dry fall, so the trails were in great shape. Race day was mild and dry, perfect for shorts and T shirt running. The leaves were not too thick, and had even been blow off the course on some of the state park trails. The fall colors were near peak.. Kathy would be working the race (and Ron is way too fast) so I wasn’t sure about having partner this year. Luckily Dave Henn was entered in the 50K, and I ran several stretches with him to the third aid station.

Dave and I started near the back. The course went counterclockwise this year, so we had the big climb to High Top at the start. Most folks were hiking the steeper pitches, so we did the same. Dave’s wind was really good, mine is typically poor at the start. Ridgecrest was a steep downhill to Aid 1, but the trail didn’t get crowded. I ran solo from Aid 1 to Observation Point where I caught back up to Dave. I was running slowly, but comfortably. I was getting passed on the downhills, while making some time back up on the climbs. My splits were a few minutes under 4 hour pace at aid stations 1 and 2.

I ran with Dave up Clear Creek and Red Hill, then he and some of the other runners pulled ahead going down Eli Nines. I went cautiously down Eli Nines and came in just over two hours, again well under 4 hour pace. After filling up my bottle, I hoped to see some of the other runners ahead on the long open stretch of the Clear Creek Road. I barely glimpsed someone about 1:30 ahead, but never got any closer. I ran the gentle uphill gravel of Clear Creek Road knowing it was the easiest part of the course. I continued to run well to the High Point/Lakeview junction, thinking these last climbs were my last options for catching Dave, or anyone else.

I’d done a couple of trailing runs going clockwise on Lakeview Trail and hadn’t felt strong on those. But now in the opposite, mostly downhill direction, I could tell I was having a good day; no plantar Fasciitis, no knee issues, and no sore feet. The short hills didn’t effect my breathing, but I could still walk them to save energy. The fun biking part of Lakeview went quickly. I was still alone at the picnic table, and there was only about 4 miles left. At the far end of Lakeview the course enters a 2-3 year old relocation onto some curvy bike trails. I tried to stock up on food and GZero here as the footing didn’t need constant attention. I could hear runners behind, but with the winding course, I couldn’t tell how close they were.

As it turned out, Kathy wasn’t needed at an aid station, and I saw her and Stephanie out for a run on the new section. I was running really well, and enjoying cruising through the woods rather than struggling up the trail. Things weren’t effortless, but I had no inclination to hike, except on just a few short, steep pitches. Eventually, one guy caught up, but he would only pass me briefly. I don’t have the landmarks down approaching the final stair climb, but started to reel in a few runners. I was surprised that some didn’t want to be passed, and expected me to run in the woods around them. I’d been hoping for a 3:40 finish, but guessed that the longer new trail added a few minutes onto the course. I felt fine going up the stairs to the Tea House, then it is just a quick run to the line. My finish time was 3:47, which made the 50K cutoff had I chosen that option.

No injuries, no trips, and a stronger run than I’d had in years made for a great time.

I was a little stiff and sore the next day but hiked 5 miles, then ran 4 miles the next day. 

Cat Stairs and Greenbrier Pinnacle Manway, 10-26-24

Mike’s brother John was in town for a visit and suggested to Mike that they rehike the Cat Stairs, a trip he remembered them doing from a long time back. Mike contacted the rest of us, who were all excited for the chance to redo a classic off trail hike that none of us had done recently. My summary of two previous Cat Stairs trips and other hikes on Greenbrier Pinnacle is (Greenbrier Pinnacle OT).

Keeping an eye on the map.

We met at 8:15 on a Saturday morning. The area is closed midweek due to work being done on the Ramses Cascade Trail by the Trails Forever Crew. We shuttled two cars to the Ramseys Cascades Trailhead, and rode Ed’s truck back to a pullout near the start of the old Barnes Road. The Old Barnes Road begins as a deeply dug road with stacked rock walls on either side. There are fewer rock walls after the first crossing of Bird Branch, but the trace of the roadbed can be followed all the way to the Barnes Cemetery at the head of the branch. A cairn marked the only tricky left turn along the route. My new GPS track did not match my 2003 route, but I think the 2003 track was more of a sketch than a true GPS track.

This cairn marks a left turn.

The Barnes Manway to the cemetery was in good shape, with evidence of past clearing. Ed speculated that the NPS did work on the manway to try to keep the cemetery accessible. Throughout the hike we saw small piles of bear scat. The wire fence that used to protect the Barnes graves was gone, but otherwise the graves appeared well tended. Beyond the cemetery, the manway leading north was narrower and less clear. We found the chimney from the main home site, but then struggled to stay on the beaten path, probably by keeping too low.

Barnes children graves.

Once at the head of Little Bird Branch there is another old homesite, and here Ed got us back on the Barnes manway. Ed told us the story of John Barnes who had eight kids with his first wife, then married another woman. When John’s first wife gave birth again, his second wife became jealous and burned down the first wife’s home. 

Chimney from the Barnes Homesite.

We contoured along the manway over to the crest of Cat Stairs Ridge, where we turned right to climb the crest of the ridge. There was still a faint path along the ridge crest, probably the result of off trail hikers rather than a path used by the original settlers. The start of the ridge is steep, but there is a flatter section where we stopped for lunch. A second steep pitch leads to another short flat section.

John on the crux of the Cat Stairs.

I was wearing my Altra Lone Peak running shoes, which I had bought in a successful effort to rid my left foot from plantar fasciitis. The wide toe box helps my foot, but it is less useful on steep climbs. My old shoes were much narrower, and worked well edging up steep dirt slopes or climbing in a herringbone pattern. But on the Cat Stairs these steep sections were short, so that the loss of edging ability with the wide toe box was only minor issue.

This second short flat leads to the base of the Cat Stairs. The route had so far been steep but not cliffy, but it was now blocked by a ring of sheer rock highwalls extending far around the nose of the ridge. None of us recognized this view of the nose and we couldn’t immediately identify the way ahead. I scouted to the right side of the ridge and found no climbable break in the walls in that direction. 

Bobby Trotter's picture of the Cat Stairs from 2005.

A few sprinkles of unexpected rain motivated us to climb past this crux. By moving a bit to the left we saw a potential route. Once we started up the route  I recognized the narrow ledge that was the key to the lower section. Looking at a 2005 image of me at the base of the stairs it appears that a large thin slab of rock on the left side of the crack had fallen away. Two of us climbed the regular route, which has only one difficult and exposed step. The fall of the flake revealed a wider crack exposed on the left that looked easier. The rest climbed the wider crack. Jean was able to stem her way up the left side, which she declared was much tougher than what we’d climbed on her 2006 trip.

Jean on the final scramble.

After the crux, there was still steep stuff ahead of us. But we were rewarded with a few long vistas across the valley toward LeConte. There was only one more rock band, this one much easier to navigate. 

Ed at an overlook on the Cat Stairs.

The top of the stairs was well defined, but one major obstacle remained. The brush on top is exceptionally thick, and I’d remembered crawling through this on previous trips. There was a bit of a bear trail through it at the start, but not tall enough avoid crawling. Ed thought this growth was a rare form of dense heath called fetterbush. But soon we could follow a trail that grew wider, and eventually we could crouch, then walk to the junction with the old Greenbrier Pinnacle Trail.

With Jean at the overlook in 2006. Steven Miller Photo.

The skies were threatening and none of us had the appetite to detour up to the old fire tower site on the top of Greenbrier Pinnacle. The former GBP Trail has not been formerly maintained since at least the early 1990s, and is now a rough manway. Greenbrier Pinnacle was described as a trail in the 1973 Sierra Club Blue Book, but had been abandoned by my 1993 SMHC trip. What was once a jeep road for access to the fire tower is now almost too overgrown to walk through. Even the old Overlook just beyond the manway junction is closing in.

We bashed though the brush as efficiently as we could, breaking and snapping as much of the rhodo and other understory as possible in an effort to help keep the manway open. We knew much of the middle of the manway was in open forest and were glad to get into this easier walking. John is a retired forester and especially enjoyed the huge poplars and oaks growing in this section. But we were soon greeted with a ten minute rain squall. As much as our area currently needs rain, we were anxious to avoid a soaking from the rain or the wet vegetation. 

Mammoth poplar on the Greenbrier Pinnacle Manway 2006 from Steven Miller.

As we reached the lower switchbacks on the GBP Manway we began to see large, recently cut through logs. We could only imagine the chainsaw cuts had been made by the NPS to provide access, but had no idea what that would be.

By the time we reached the Ramses Cascade Trail the rain had quit. Despite being back in civilization, we still had to walk 1.5 miles more down the old road to the trailhead. We saw several groups heading up toward the cascades, and got some good views of the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River, still flowing through the gorge below us.

The hike was 7.7 miles by GPS, and took 7 hours including a couple of lunch breaks.

Aspire Park, Mountain Biking, 10-11-24

Over the last few years I’d heard from DK about a trail network being built in Clinton. DK is a member of the Clinch Valley Trail Alliance (CVTA), and that group was involved in the trail building. But we didn’t know who was in charge of the project, nor when it would be open to the public.

Finally, this summer some FB ads and the park’s website started promoting the official opening of Aspire Park (Aspire). It turns out the park is privately owned by the Hollingsworth family who envisioned it as a community development project for the nearby city of Clinton. The project also includes a restaurant, pavilion, and boat launch. There is also a dog park, adventure playground, and pump track/skills area. The grounds include a wildflower meadow and a war veteran memorial. The property covers 370 acres, and is billed as the largest private park in the Southeast that is freely available to the public. The hiking and biking trails are listed at 22 miles. A TVA easement covers about half the bike trail area. There is no map of the trails online (yet), but the Trailforks website shows all the current trails (Aspire Trailforks).

Aspire Trail Map from Trailforks.

I’d been watching the opening date and wanted to get onsite the first week the trails would be open. I went over on a Friday of school Fall Break on a perfect cool clear day. There’s no dedicated parking for the trails, but I started from the lot near the Pearl Restaurant. There were only a few other cars when I started at 9AM. I biked through some of the Great Lawn before finding the start of the greenway along the Clinch River beyond the playground and pump track. There didn’t appear to be any place to pick up a paper map, but there were signs, arrows, and map boards at all the trail junctions. This was a good thing as I had left my phone at home, so I couldn’t take pictures or use links. The trail system is a spaghetti bowl, a bunch of trails all twisted together. I decided the easiest thing would be to ride the perimeter of the park counterclockwise. This course would loop me around the base of the small ridge that constituted the trail area.

The paved greenway started down a wide path alongside the river, and would be a great family walk. My first trail was Fortitude (#9), rated easy. Like all the trails I rode it was dirt single track, often twisty and occasionally rocky. I found their easy and moderate ratings to be accurate, with only a slight difference between the easy ones and moderates. An interesting feature of the trail signs was the listing of the trail builder, almost always different for each trail. A few trail builders apparently liked rock work, so rock gardens and rock bridges would irregularly appear to challenge my bike handling. The green trails rarely connect, so except for the Hustle/To-Hi circuit, any loop at Aspire will include both easy and moderate trails.

The toughest trail on the loop was Virtue, a short trail which switch backed tightly and steeply to the top of a small ridge. The rest of the perimeter to To-Hi was moderate and was fun biking. I only saw a few other riders, and they were invariably, focused on the trail maps. The system is complex, there are lots of trails, and lots of junctions. I spent a lot of time looking at the maps, and planning my next leg. I imagine most riders will eventually ignore the maps, but for a first timer, following a set course took some concentration.

To-Hi and Hustle gave me some easy riding and I was able get into the flow more. I was feeling confident in my ability to handle the terrain, and decided to take a side trip on the west ends of To-Hi and Relentless Ridge. This was great riding, at least until the point where I should have rejoined the perimeter, but instead got myself lost in a devils triangle of intersecting, switch backed trails.

The rest of the ride was a fun tour around the west end of the ridge, finishing at an upper trailhead. I passed the bottom of Right Stuff (marked as a one way downhill trail on the junction posts and in Trailforks, but not so on the maps) and the bottom of To the Top  (marked as a hiker trail on the junction posts and in Trailforks, but not so on the maps).

I’d only ridden about 7.5 miles and was having too much fun to go home. So, I eyeballed a route for second loop, then headed back to the car to freshen up on bug spray. I’d seen deer twice on the loop, and thought that could signal chiggers, even though the terrain had mostly been open forest, and the trails were cleared wide enough to keep riders away from the underbrush. 

Lap 2 would be mostly moderates. I again started on the greenway, but rode back on inner Vim and Vigor and took Relentless Ridge and Renegade to the crest of the ridge. This route might have been even more fun than the perimeter, though I saw fewer bikers on it. The flow was good, there were old trees in the forest, and the surface was more dirt than rocks. From the crest of the ridge, I rode Renegade and Contender back to the trailhead at the top of the bike park.

I still wasn’t ready to quit so I copied the plan of another rider I’d talked to out on the course and rode the paved walkways around the grounds of the rest of the park. This was nice cool down, but a bit risky as there were now crowds of families to weave through. It was great to see all the little kids fired up to explore the bike and adventure parks.

After stowing my bike back in the car, I headed over to what is called the Onward and Upward Center. I found it housed the Pearl Restaurant and also had an information desk where I could get a copy of the trail map. The handout map differed from the trail intersection maps in the info shown for each trail, but also has very poor resolution, so I’d advise using a downloaded map for one’s first trips at the park.

10-11-24 ride at Aspire Park.

Aspire is the second new, nearby trail system I’ve ridden this year. Most likely the availability of Ditchwitch type mini excavators has brought the cost of single track trail building down substantially. Aspire, Wildside in Pigeon Forge (Wildside), Fire Mtn. in Cherokee, NC (Fire Mtn.), and Vee Hollow in Townsend (Vee Hollow) are all new areas where mountain bike trails have been built on private land. So far, Aspire may be my favorite. I like old style cross country trails, where the rider is exploring new terrain and seeing new trails, and Aspire is just big enough to fit that bill. Wildside has great downhill riding, but you can cover the area in a morning, and the fees ($20 for the trail pass plus $20 for the shuttle) are high. Vee Hollow is free, but I found the trails steeper, and the turns tighter, than I was able to enjoy. But I rode Vee Hollow on my old mountain bike, and have not tried it on my new bike. I’ve only hiked at Fire Mountain, but the green trail we hiked looked fun, and the many blue trails we crossed looked ridable, so that area deserves a second look.

Smokies, Dudley Creek Horse Trails, 10-8-24

After my introduction to the Dudley Creek Trails on Ed Fleming’s SMHC hike to Mount Winnesoka (Winnesoka) this March I’d thought that Jean would really like this area for hiking. The Dudley Creek trails were last used by the park’s horse concession, but were not reopened after the Covid 19 pandemic in 2000. Five years has proven enough time for the trail beds to rehabilitate, and the vegetation around them to grow into the trails. The old horse trails are now grown over enough to be considered off trail hiking. There’s just enough underbrush and fallen trees to force you to concentrate on following the route, but no impenetrable sections that are too difficult to follow.

Our group at the cemetery. 

We picked the first cool day of the fall to explore the area. Ed was able to join us along with Claudia. I wanted to explore a loop including the Bell Branch and Duds Branch trails that I had not done on the Winnesoka trip. We parked at the Gatlinburg Community Center and hiked across the highway and down a short steep paved road into the park. Near the park boundary we saw an informal campsite.

Ed at the start on our March trip.

Once onto the trails, we turned right to hike Little Dudley Trail first, and to make a counterclockwise loop. We passed two side trails back up to the concession stables, then headed south up the narrow valley of Little Dudley. Early fall proved more overgrown than early spring, but the trails were still remarkably clear for having no maintenance for the last five years. There were even a few patches of the concessionaire’s gravel left. We found Little Dudley and Duds Branch less clear than wide open Big Dudley, but Bell Branch was less clear, and we wondered if Bell Branch had not been used or cleared in 2019. One homesite was marked by wide patch of periwinkle.

On the Winnesoka trip, Little Dudley had been our route out, and I had been tired enough to ignore its features while trudging back to the car. On both trips I had missed the start of an even longer abandoned (pre 2014?) connecting trail leading west to Roaring Fork. Ed, of course had spotted it, and mentioned that he thought the manway looked rough. Further up Little Dudley he pointed out a rockpile that marked a collapsed chimney and home site, then we stopped for the remains of another chimney at the Allison Ogle homesite.

With Jean at the Allison Ogle chimney.

Ed passed out a hand drawn map of the homesites on Little Dudley and Big Dudley creeks that his aunt Ida Wright had made for his cousin Glenn Cantrell. He also had copies of several pictures of the homesites and residents of the area from the early 1920s when the settlers began to move out of what would become the park. It was hard to imagine the busy community in what is now a dense and mature forest.

Next we turned out of Little Dudley, climbing to the divide where Ed’s ancestor’s had a small family cemetery. Three large markers have replaced the original trio of headstones including that of Ed’s grandfather There are also some smaller markers. We ate lunch and rested at the cemetery. Our weather had remained cool and dry. I had stripped down to a tee shirt for lunch.

Group at the Ogle chimney.

Leaving the cemetery after lunch we took a cross country short cut to join the Bell Branch Trail. This trail was more overgrown that the other trails in the system. Ed had brought clippers and used them, while the rest of us broke branches behind him. Bell Branch and Duds Creek trails do not show up on the pre-park settlement maps and were likely built in the 1960s for the horse concession. This leaves them with very few cultural features compared to the main forks of Dudley. 

Headstones in the cemetery.

When we reached Big Dudley we turned briefly upstream to reach the south end of the Duds Branch Trail. With a short climb over a ridge, we were again cruising downstream on an open manway. I was not paying attention, missed the first junction with Big Dudley, and was surprised when we closed our loop to begin the short, paved hike to the highway.

Marshall Ogle headstone.

The hike totaled 6.7 miles with only 1100’ feet of climbing, but the important stats were no bad rhodo, rough stream crossings, nor extensive blowdowns. Those conditions may change in the future, as it does not appear that the horse concession is likely to re-open. But for now, these trails lie sweet spot between system trails with heavy horse traffic, and abandoned trails reclaimed by a wilderness of deadfall and thick underbrush. 

We topped off the day with a stop at Ed’s place that included test runs on his famous backyard zipline.

Wildside Park, Mountain Biking, 9-6-24

Wildside is an “adventure park” in Pigeon Forge currently offering mountain biking trails and ATV tours. It is a private area that opened in July 2024. I saw information on the park online and mentioned it to Ed, who had not heard about it. The park covers 900 acres and has a dozen MB trails totaling 8 miles. One review on the Knoxville Cycling FB was positive, comparing it to Baker Creek in Knoxville. Ed and I were both were interested in riding, but it took a while for things to fall in place. 

Wildside Bike Trail Map Sept 2024.

The drive from home took me 90 minutes, getting there just in time for the 9AM opening. I drove to the last traffic light in Pigeon Forge and headed east on Mill Creek for 4 miles to the park. There’s a gravel lot adjacent to their basecamp and bike shop buildings. We had to fill in an online wavier, then get a $20 park pass. Another $20 will get you a shuttle pass, but we hoped to tough out the climbing. 

Creek Climb is the park's ascent trail.

If you’re not using the shuttle, all your trips start up the Creek Climb Trail, which is the well graded access route. The rest of the trails are downhill, and we broke them into four groups.

1-Queen Jolene-Chicken of the Woods, all green

2-Halfway Up-Holler Holler, all green

3-Rattler Ridge-Thrillium, all blue

4-Halfway Up-Very Gneiss, VG is blue

There are also two short black diamond trails, but we had no intention of riding those.

Our first trip up Creek Climb was good. The trail is wide and smooth. It’s so new there’s no face slappers, no nettle, and no poison ivy. We found Upper Creek to be steeper, but still didn’t need to hike-a-bike. For two old guys it was the downhills we were worried about. But both Queen Jolene and Chicken were wide, smooth surfaced, had plenty of turning room, and kept a reasonable grade. All the trails had a good flow with enjoyable twists and turns. COW was the favorite line of both Ed and I, but we’d only ride it once since it required the longer climb to reach it’s top. 

Ed riding up Creek Climb.

For the next trip we rode up to Halfway, then came down Holler Holler. I’d grabbed my phone for pics, but we had a bright sunny day in the dappled woods, not good light for photos. I noticed Ed was dropping back, and he mentioned that he was having trouble with a brake cable. Near the bottom of Holler Holler he was having trouble slowing his bike, and it turned out the rear brake was not gripping either. Luckily, the bottom of HH is fairly gentle and he was able to coast it in.

Ed starting the Holler Holler Trail.

We pulled into their basecamp area and found a covered table to have lunch. Ed decided to head back home rather than continue to battle the brake issue. I decided to stick around and try the blue runs, and be super careful while riding solo.

I rode the Creek Climb to the top of Rattler which proved just a bit tougher than the green trails. Rattler was narrower and both Rattler and Thrillium had very steeply banked turns (called berms on their signs) that were tough on a slow rider. The blue trails all had rollers, but these were gentler compared to those at Baker Creek. The trail signs indicated there would be tabletops, but I saw only one small one just above the Basecamp.

Typical trail surface.

I hoped Very Gneiss wouldn’t ramp it up much from Thrillium, and was pleased when it didn’t. VG would probably be my second favorite trail behind COW. I had enough fun that I decided to take one more loop around Holler Holler (and my fifth trip up Creek Climb) before calling it a day around 1PM. My total was 12.3 miles and 2,000’ of climbing. It took me about ten minutes to climb up to the halfway up junction. The weather was cool and dry, 84F in the parking lot when I finished.

More trail detail.

The basecamp area trails (including Rod Run) were closed because the park was pouring cement for what will be the base area for zip lines. I saw a sign near Rattler for the Snake Bite Trail, which was not on the map, and looked to be a bypass for Rattler. So other new MB trails may also be in the works.

The park also has ~ 6 miles of ATV trails separated from the MB trails, and on a larger area, so these trail may expand also. Besides the shuttle, the park also rents bikes and e-bikes. The work they’ve done so far looks really good, and the trail system seems built to last, with good solid surface, good drainage, and no erosion yet. It was fun to ride these trails while they are still shiny and new, and fun to get eight miles of new trail in one morning. I’d visit again if there were new trails to ride.

They’ll need to feed off the tourist market. Most folks from the Knoxville area won’t come out to pay $20 for the type of riding we get in our city parks. Their prices are comparable to Windrock Park which has an order of magnitude, or more, area and mileage, but is not next door to the Smokies.

Ed and I had speculated that the area might be adjacent to the Foothills Parkway Right of Way, but after plotting my GPS track, it appears the two are about a mile and a half apart.

Yellowstone, Old Faithful Village Hikes, 8-15-24

8-15-24, Lone Star & Upper Geyser Basin

Howard Eaton Trailhead Map.

For the Old Faithful section of our trip we hoped to do easy hikes from the Inn followed up with tours through the Upper Geyser Basin in the evenings. Lone Star is one of our favorite hikes and we stopped by the VC in the evening for guidance on finding the Howard Eaton TH across the highway from the Village. But the rangers didn’t know about the trail and cautioned us against hiking it because they thought we would have to hike along the road.

Lone Star Geyser erupting.

But the next morning we walked across the street to the Xanterra dorm area and easily found the start of the trail on the left marked by the orange ski trail blazes. (just split left on the gravel once across the road, and don’t continue on the concrete path). We’d had to do a lot of gear sorting, and didn’t get an early start for this trip, but I still wore a wicker and hoodie in the morning chill. 

Lone Star Geyser erupting.

The Howard Eaton Trail is a forest hike, but has an easy grade and goes through a pretty area. We saw one pair of backpackers hiking out. Lone Star erupts on a three hour cycle and we had no idea where in the cycle it was. So, we were happy to see two parties waiting at the site. The guide from one of the groups told us the eruption was ~30 minutes off, but before we could get settled in it started. First there was a small pulse, then a 30’ column of water, gradually changing to a loud steam phase. The geyser isn’t as tall, or as regular, but I think it is more impressive than Old Faithful. The eruption lasted 25 minutes. The guided party reported that there had been no pre-eruption activity. We’ve seen Lone Star several times now and have always arrived just before the eruption. Being so lucky with the geyser made up for all the soggy gear and rainy hiking we’d been having.

Lone Star erupting.

Two separate groups arrived just after the eruption, one was backpacking and planned to stay for the next eruption. Jean and I did the short side trip to Campsie 0A1 on the return, just to confirm that 0A1 was an attractive campsite. By the end of the hike, I was stripped down to a T-shirt for nearly the first time on the trip. 

The crowd waiting for an eruption of Old Faithful.

Back at the village we stopped at the Snow Lodge to get caught up on messages, then hit our room for an afternoon nap. We decided to eat in, and Jean boiled up a freeze dried dinner with mashed potatoes that we ate on the breezeway while waiting for an Old Faithful eruption. We had a long chat with a high school grad working at the Inn. 

Old Faithful erupting.

None of the predicable geysers were expected to erupt that evening, but we hiked Geyser Hill out to Castle and back. Sawmill was erupting modestly, but it’s just the mass of activity that makes the upper basin so unique. 

The Old Faithful Inn.

Sawmill Geyser Erupting.

8-16-24 Mystic Falls

Our goal was to hike out to the Mystic Falls loop and get a look at Biscuit Basin. Biscuit had a hydrothermal eruption (captured on film) earlier in the year and was still closed. We had a cold foggy start. Jean bandaged up the hamburger on my right heel. We could still access Mystic by taking the bike trail over from Daisy Geyser, after circling that group. The bike trail brought us to the Mystic Falls Trail, just where it exits the Biscuit Loop. 

Mystic Falls from below.

Mystic Falls is in three tiers, about 100’ high, the same height as the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone, though the Little Firehole has much less flow. I was still wearing long pants, a wicker, and the gray hoodie. The trail tough to find after both the falls viewpoint and the main overlook. A few more blazes at both spots would help. The climb to the overlook is short, but steep. 

Mystic Falls.

The overlook is fantastic and spans almost the entire Upper Basin. We could see the damage from the Biscuit Basin explosion clearly; a section of damaged boardwalk and handrails, and a large debris field of dark “biscuits” thrown out of the throat of the geyser when it exploded. (the NPS located the explosion at Black Diamond Pool). Luckily, most of the debris went safely away from the boardwalk.

The Upper Geyser Basin from Mystic Overlook.

 https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/240723.htm

On the return hike we saw the end of an eruption of Daisy Geyser. We also did a side to trip to Morning Glory Pool (crowded!) and looped around Riverside Geyser (which we hoped to see erupt later in the trip). Next we viewed another eruption of Old Faithful. 

Close up of Biscuit Basin.

After dinner we checked in at the VC and got good info on our planned hike to Mallard Lake.

From Mystic overlook.

Daisy was predicted for 3:52 and Riverside for 4:05, so we had a busy evening. We left late for Daisy, but there was a crowd there when we arrived. 

Grotto Geyser.

Daisy eruptions are 3-4 minutes long and 40-50’ high, so we stayed for the full event, then sprinted over to Riverside. Despite a little flat out running we missed the start, but still saw most of the 12-15 minutes water phase. 

Morning Glory Pool.

Daisy in Eruption

Riverside Geyser.

8-17-24 Mallard Lake

The evening before I got a little tickle in the back of my throat that was the first indication of a positive test for Covid-19. The next morning, I felt just a little stuffed up and had a minor sore throat. We bought cough drops and flu meds and headed off for an easy hike to Mallard Lake. Mallard starts in back of the Old Faithful Lodge giving us our third car free day in a row. 

Heading for Mallard Lake.

The trail is wide and well-marked for winter skiing. I made a note here that there are not any blazes on the hiking trails in Yellowstone. We saw three parties on the trail, including two solo hikers, a rarity for bear country. The backpacker really liked CS 0B2, so we planned an early lunch there. Most of the hike was in open forest, pretty, but rather unremarkable.

Arriving at campsite 0B2.

The campsite was on the end of a small peninsula into the lake and beautifully sited. It would be a good alternative for an easy in site. We lounged around and explored the other sites. 0B3 was OK, but 0B4 was tiny and lacked a decent cook area.

The view from 0B2.

I was tired by the time we returned to the Inn, but not unexpectedly so for two solid weeks of hiking. I was also losing my appetite and had a stronger sinus headache. It took a long nap and another dose of the flu meds to get me out for dinner and back into the geyser basin. My symptoms would eventually include chills and hot flashes. 

Castle Geyser.

We had an early dinner in the lodge cafeteria (never crowded, but mediocre food) and watched Old Faithful erupt from inside. I took a post dinner nap then we headed out for a 4:45 eruption of Castle The eruption was a little late, but started with 30’ water jets that eventually reached 40-50’ high. The water phase lasted about 18 minutes with a ~22 minute steam phase alternating with water jets. This one threw out a lot of water, but the sky behind was a flat gray and the eruption didn’t jump out in our pictures.

An eruption of Lion Geyser.

On the walk back we saw Lion erupt from a distance and also saw two bison grazing on the lawn of the general store. 

Bison grazing by the general store.

8-18-24

This was more of a travel day. We wanted to stop at a few places on the way over to Cooke City, where we would prepare for our last hike of the trip, into the Beartooth. I had still not licked my flu, though the meds let me feel better.

Early morning in the Upper Basin.

We intended to start with a quick trip around the upper basin but ended up in the predicted window for Grand Geyser. Grand made us wait a bit, but it was worth it with 12 minutes of a 50’ mixed water and steam. The sky again was overcast, so not great photos. 

Approaching Grand Geyser.

We then sat again for another eruption of Old Faithful. After the eruption we ran into our friends from Taiwan who were now staying at the Village. We again chatted a while about our various adventures. We were able to donate some unused gear and food at the Inn bellhop station and headed off for Grand Prismatic Pool on the advice of Joseph and Dahlin. 

Grand Geyser erupts!

For Grand Prismatic we parked at Fairy Falls and took the relatively new spur to the overlook above the pool. This was a crowded route, and blasted by the sun, but worth it for a better view of the pool than is possible from up close.

A classic Old Faithful eruption.

Our final stop was at Artist Paint Pots, a trail I did not recall having hiked.

Grand Prismatic Spring.

The paint pots were just OK, and the facility full, so maybe after two weeks in the park we were getting jaded, Driving around Mt Washburn we viewed a small herd of bighorn sheep on the slope above us, our first sheep siting of the trip. The bison in the Lamar Valley posed no delays and the traffic was easy the rest of the way to Cooke City, where we had another room in the Super 8. 

The Artists Paint Pots.

Bighorn Sheep on the slope of Mt Washburn.