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This morning we went to the information center; the boys said the junior ranger pledge
and got their Yellowstone patches. We asked the ranger about laundry, and he said that
there were laundry services in Colter Bay, where we'd be tomorrow. So we decided to wait
until then to do our laundry. Today, I had to decide between a hike to Shoshone Lake
and Bunsen Peak. Since I knew we'd be hiking to lakes in Grand Teton National Park, and
we'd just done a lake hike yesterday, I decided we'd go for Bunsen Peak.
We made the roughly 40 minute drive, then hiked to the top of
Bunsen Peak.
After the hike, we continued along the road for another 5 to 10 minutes to Mammoth Hot Springs,
where we were just in time for an elk-induced traffic jam. Several elk were sprawled out on
the grassy area on the right, across from all the buildings. We parked and got ice cream, ice,
and groceries, then found a picnic table outside. From here, we could see a ranger waving
visitors away from the elk. A lot of visitors either didn't know or ignored the rule about
keeping a safe distance from the animals. Thus, the ranger in the orange vest waving people away.
Elk at Mammoth Hot Springs
Elk being shooed away by ranger
While we were eating, suddenly we realized one of them had snuck up behind us and was eating grass under
a tree just about 40 feet to our right. Another ranger shooed him away. Later, when I whipped
out my 500mm lens to take some pictures from afar, I noticed a crowd gathering around an elk
near the public bathrooms. I snapped a few pictures before we headed back to Madison campground.
Elk
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