Another exciting week in Yellowstone. My project is getting off the
ground in a big way, and I spent 3 very long days in the field
collecting GPS data for utility systems.
Field work for Sewer systems is a tad bit boring, as most of the
manholes (our main source of field data) are located within the
populated sections of Yellowstone. Each populated area has its own
wastewater disposal system, and they're all very discrete. Power
lines, on the other hand, are all connected to the same grid (and
the electricity is generated outside of the park), so some of the
power lines travel in remote backcountry areas. On Tuesday, we came
across a beautiful cinnamon colored black bear with a yearling
(1-year old cub) digging for grubs and roots right outside of
Mammoth Hot Springs. They were partially hidden behind a hillside,
so we didn't notice them until we were quite close. Backing up
quietly with bear spray in hand (industrial sized cans of pepper
spray), we avoided them without too much trouble. They didn't seem
to be too concerned by our presence, and they weren't close enough
to interfere with our field work.
Two other days were spent dodging traffic on the main entrance road
into the park. Mammoth's sewer is piped into Gardiner, MT, a
distance of about 5 miles down a steep winding hillside road. It's
good to have a job that allows me to get so much exercise, but I'm
seeing now how woefully unprepared I was for all this hiking after a
meager season of snowshoeing.
Fishing season started
this weekend, and with some of the most celebrated trout fly fishing
rivers in the country within Yellowstone's boundaries I was
knee-deep in freezing water early Saturday morning. Not that
all the trout in the world would think that a fly on the end of MY
line might be food...I got completely skunked after 3 solid days of
fishing. But I did catch a lovely bunch of bison crossing the
Gibbon river on Saturday afternoon.
That's all for now.
Nick
