Backpacking in Yellowstone

Thursday, August 11th Dustin and I met up with some friends bright and early to begin our backpacking trip. This has been in the making for 4-5 months! Dustin and I are far from experienced when it comes to something like this, so we're glad we went with "seasoned" people: Adam and Lucy Westfall and Gary and Lacey Wirkus.

Dustin's brother, Byron, and his wife, Jemayla, watched the girls for us. They did a great job, and the girls had a fun time at Diabetes Day Camp, their cousin's birthday party, and the Roaring Youth Jam! Thank you!

We began our hike near Fish Lake in the southwest part of Yellowstone Park. We walked about 7 miles our first day. The weather was warm, but we had a lot of shade along the trail. We had a lot of mosquitoes too, which was the only negative part about our experience...that and the blisters on our feet.

We crossed a "creek" (it was a river) three different times our first day. The water was cold! The first time the water came up to my knees, but the next two crossings were deeper and the water was swifter. At one point the water was near my hips. Luckily my backpack didn't get wet, and Dustin held my hand so I didn't fall. We dried out pretty quick after each crossing.

Mine was the lightest backpack, weighing about 15 pounds. Dustin carried the heavy stuff, like our tent. We took lots of breaks along the trail to eat and drink. Adam brought a water purifier pump so we could drink from the creek and not have to pack lots of water from home.

Gary's parents moved his truck to Grassy Lake, so on Friday we hiked (up hill) another 7 miles in the opposite direction from where we began. This trail was mostly in the sun and we only crossed the creek once. It was a hot day, but the view at the top of the hill was worth the climb.

We camped Thursday night at 9U4 near Union Falls. It was a great campsite! It was near the creek, had a "toilet" (a community hole with a seat surrounded by bushes), and lots of tree logs to sit on.

We ate freeze dried food for dinner and breakfast, which was surprisingly tasty. We dumped all our food into a bag and hung it from a 20 foot pole to keep the bears away. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we didn't see any wildlife during our two day stay in the park.

Before we began our hike, we had to get a permit at the Belcher Ranger Station. They showed us a safety video, which talked a lot about bears. It put the fear in me, so I'm grateful we didn't come in contact with any.

Dustin was my hero.

Our sweet vintage tent that took 6 adults to figure out how to put up.

A couple weeks ago Dustin bought two backpacks with all the fixings at a garage sale. It came with this awesome tent, a down sleeping bag (my new love), and cookware. There was a vintage portable stove that Dustin ended up selling on eBay for $98! The tent and sleeping bag were a little smelly, but we aired it out and got used to the smell.

Not far from our campsite was Union Falls. It's 265 feet high and the second highest waterfall in Yellowstone. With high water levels this summer, the view was amazing!

Our engagement picture.

Near the falls is a spring/swimming hole. I didn't swim because I forgot my swimsuit, but the water was a fairly decent temperature. Dustin started the boys jumping off the rocks, much to my dismay, but we all had a great time. It was the highlight of the trip!

I never thought I'd do something like this, so did a lot of other people, but I had such a great time that we're thinking of another trip next summer. Most of my body was sore for a couple days afterwards, but it was worth it. It was peaceful to be surrounded by nature, with beautiful scenery, with my honey and no kids, and no distractions from home. Dustin and I both feel very accomplished (and proud) in doing something like this.