What I learned on my winter vacation...

There are some experiences that seem minor at the time that can change your life perspective. Recording these experiences in word and image is one way to share the impact.

The following photos and text were published in Wanderlust Magazine twelve years after my trip to Yellowstone during the January thaw in 2010 and served to remind me just how big that trip's impact was on my life.

"January thaw"

Yellowstone: January Thaw

A few years ago, I was offered opportunity to travel with a group into Yellowstone National Park during the January thaw.  Snow is way out of my comfort zone.  This was crazy.  There’s a reason I live in the Deep South.  But I thought about it and realized that for me, this might be a once in a lifetime trip. Stepping into an eco-system that is totally foreign to you is a good way to open your eyes to a bigger world.  It’s also a good way to get into trouble.

"snowmasking" Wanderlust Magazine April 2022

Taking this photo is the first thing that got me in trouble.  Snow masking bulls swing their heads from side to side in the deep snow to clear away patches snow to get to something edible, and the whole herd benefits. I was fascinated by this behavior, sneaking closer to try for a better angle for the picture.  This bull was annoyed by my presence – that raised tail is a good indicator I later found out.  Even though he had plowed up a snowbank between us, I learned how much faster a hungry beast can move than a human and later got a sharp lecture from a park guide. I was chagrined, to say the least.  There are good reasons why the park stresses keeping your distance from the animals.

"ghosting on the Firehole" Wanderlust Travel Magazine June 2022

In winter, some of the Park’s permanent residents take advantage of packed and plowed roads.  Elk and bison use them, and the bison walk contentedly alongside slow-moving tour buses, everyone keeping to their own lane.  We never saw the wolves on this trip, although their tracks were evident from time to time.  Most frequently we saw coyotes watching us, curious and discreet, and then quickly blending into the background if we took too much notice.  One came up from a field and chased our van like a suburban puppy, then scrambled uphill to watch us as we went on our way.  This was one who was different, obviously having business elsewhere and barely giving us a glance as he trotted by us, disappearing into the mists by the Firehole River.

"Fountain geyser" Wanderlust Magazine April 2022

Later, on the boardwalk at the Fountain Paint Pots, I looked down into the blue, blue, 202-degree water, and from a distance watched the mouth of the unpredictable Fountain Geyser as it got ready to blow.  (See, I was learning that thing about keeping to recommended distances.) One thing I heard caught my attention as I stood there watching this miracle.  Behind me, someone was saying “I wonder if the volcano activity is increasing this year?”  Wait – What?  Nobody told me I was going to be standing on top of a volcano.  My perception was suddenly changed from tourist to concerned citizen.  And then I started doing my homework.

After a couple of sleepless nights, pondering what could happen if Yellowstone’s sleeping giant woke up, I was feeling small and insignificant.  It’s one thing to know intellectually some idea of the vastness of the forces of nature.  It is another thing to internalize that into a life view.

"lovers in solitude" Wanderlust Magazine April 2022

Even with a determination not to anthropomorphize their beauty, it was impossible not to feel a measure of peace, watching the trumpeter swans foraging in the January thaw.  Particularly sensitive to human disturbance, the huge birds fought their way back from the brink of extinction in the 1800s and are slowly spreading into their original territory.  Faithful and patient, long lived and mated for life, they seem to embody traits that most of us find admirable.  It’s easy to see how swans have become a symbol for lovers.  I was fortunate to be able to watch this pair for just a little while, keeping my distance.

"change in the weather" Wanderlust Magazine, April 2022

On our last day, standing at an overlook, I remember feeling a moment of intense cold, and understanding.  Looking out across the river valley, we could see an incoming storm, a defined entity, visible and moving in our direction.  We watched as entire waterfall drowned in snow.  Time to get moving!  I had a lot of facts in my head about the environment, climate change, and all the eco-arguments floating in the media.  None of them became part of my reality until winter in Yellowstone grounded me the beginnings of respect.