I had a great idea last night…Jamie and I could snowshoe for the better part of a day and then get massages.
Well some ideas are even better when thought out. However, that is the part we failed to do…think through a day of snowshoeing. Thanks to Steve and other Xanterra Parks & Resorts employees we were able to pull it off.
Yesterday we spent the day with several other Yellowstone enthusiasts and thought today would be a great day to explore a little of the park alone. Tip: if you want to be alone in the park, try snowshoeing!
When we started to get organized for our trip we found we didn’t have one very necessary piece of equipment - a backpack. That’s where Steve came to the rescue by allowing us to take his personal day-pack. We can’t thank him enough.
After getting the day-pack filled with food, water, and a little gear we headed out to the Lone Star Geyser and trailhead. It is 2 miles from Snow Lodge to the trailhead, 2.5 miles to the geyser, and then you get to do it all over again just the way you came for a grand total of 8-9 miles.
Well some ideas are even better when thought out. However, that is the part we failed to do…think through a day of snowshoeing. Thanks to Steve and other Xanterra Parks & Resorts employees we were able to pull it off.
Yesterday we spent the day with several other Yellowstone enthusiasts and thought today would be a great day to explore a little of the park alone. Tip: if you want to be alone in the park, try snowshoeing!
When we started to get organized for our trip we found we didn’t have one very necessary piece of equipment - a backpack. That’s where Steve came to the rescue by allowing us to take his personal day-pack. We can’t thank him enough.
After getting the day-pack filled with food, water, and a little gear we headed out to the Lone Star Geyser and trailhead. It is 2 miles from Snow Lodge to the trailhead, 2.5 miles to the geyser, and then you get to do it all over again just the way you came for a grand total of 8-9 miles.
This is a great way to peacefully explore the park, workout, and learn a lot about your significant other.
We didn’t see any wildlife but the scenery was breathtaking.
Lone Star Geyser is one of the top three geysers in the park when talking size of explosion. It erupts every 3 hours and we happened to walk upon it just as it was erupting. Talk about making a walk of 4.5 miles in huge snowshoes pounding down 3 feet snow worth it!
The wind picked up a little and we headed into the forest to find a place of solitude and eat a well deserved lunch. Being the romantic I am, I had a chef prepare us a lovely meal. Only down side to that story is they couldn’t find us! Just kidding…but a chef did prepare our meal. We just happened to bring it out in Steve’s day-pack. It was a meal we won’t soon forget. It was cold, the snow was deep, we were tired, hungry and honestly thinking we had taken on a project perhaps too large. Nonetheless, we made a picnic and became one with nature in below-freezing temperatures.
We did encounter 4 or 5 cross-country skiers but never did we see anyone using snowshoes. At this point we decided we were the only geniuses in the park. To make our efforts even more intelligent, when we arrived back at the trailhead we took the “service road” (which came highly recommended) in order to cut a little distance off our return. Instead, we found ourselves in the backcountry, farther than we had been previously.We were so far in there were no marked trails, no previous sign of people or animal tracks.This great idea not only increased the time and distance of our journey it also added the element of stress because we didn’t know exactly where we were. I won’t say we were lost because we weren’t, but we did find ourselves in unknown territory.
We made it back to the lodge after a day of hard work. It was worth it in the end. Much like running a triathlon is gratifying once you cross the finish line.
It was exactly 1500 when we returned and my massage was to be at 1530.
Man alive was I ever ready to see a massage therapist. My whole body hurt and I was in need!
Jeff, the Xanterra massage therapist, earned his money today. After telling him why I was so drained he was surprised to learn that we took on that challenge. He claimed it might be a record for snowshoeing Yellowstone this winter. Certainly the longest trek he had heard of to date. Maybe next time we will ski. Nah, who wants to take the easy way out.
I always seem to make recommendations on the blog. So for today’s recommendation: try snowshoeing. Not necessarily 9 miles of it! But get out and about and enjoy the serenity of winter in Yellowstone. And by all means, visit Jeff at the Xanterra massage spa.
Jamie and I leave Yellowstone tomorrow in route for the historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne, but we will be back. I promise. Matter of fact look for us to return to Yellowstone in late June just after the College National Finals in Casper and prior to the Cody Stampede.
Forever West,
Jeremy
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