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Yellowstone Adventures & Montana HospitalityBy Valerie SummersI first visited Yellowstone, the granddaddy of all national parks, two years ago. I toured all the famous sights including Old Faithful, Morning Glory Pool, Mammoth Hot Springs and Yellowstone River Falls. My recent return trip offered an entirely different experience beginning with entry into the park. Starting in Bozeman, driving though Livingston, the Paradise Valley and finally the town of Gardiner, bordering the park’s northern entrance, I passed under Yellowstone’s great stone arch which President Teddy Roosevelt dedicated in 1902.
For me, the piece de resistance began one morning before sun up. My group and I met with Carl Swoboda, former Canadian law enforcement officer, cruise ship social director, scuba instructor and African safari leader, now owner of Safari Yellowstone. High on my wish list for some time has been to participate on a photographic safari on the dark continent. Little did I realize that part of my wish would come true during my sojourn to Yellowstone. We headed to the Lamar Valley as the sun was brightening the night sky. During the drive, Carl gave a non-stop discourse on how he got into the business, life in Yellowstone and mostly about the purpose of our outing…to watch the wolves. Although amongst the original inhabitants of Yellowstone, wolves, it was decided, were “bad” animals, so several years ago, they were relocated out of the park. In time, it became apparent that mother nature knows best and wolves serve as an important link in the survival of the fittest and all that is necessary in the balance of nature. Consequently, in 1995-1996, they were reintroduced into the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone. Now, there are approximately 120 adults and 70 pups. The “big, bad wolf’s” reputation was invented through no fault of their own. They are among the most intelligent of animals with a family structure that closely resembles that of humans.
On the last day of my trip, after a much needed snowfall, blue skies and snow capped mountains greeted me at daybreak. From my room I watched the sun come up over Electric Peak, rising up until it dazzled the waters of the Yellowstone River. During my stay in Montana, the temperature had swung from unseasonably warm (50’s) to unseasonably cold (-10) but everyone prayed for snow and their prayers had been answered. My prayers had been answered with a fascinating Montana experience, dog sledding, cross country skiing at the rim of Yellowstone’s great canyon and if not dancing with wolves, than at least observing them in their natural environment. For information:Absaroka Dog Sled
Treks offers a variety of trips for the young and old and everyone in
between. Alaska/Horizon Air Chico Hot Springs
Resort, unpretentious, but full service with a variety of
accommodations, fine dining, hot springs, horseback riding and dog sledding
trips in the beautiful Montana countryside, a short drive from Yellowstone. Headwaters of the
Yellowstone B&B, just three years old, this delightful B&B owned by the
Olsens, is situated right on Yellowstone River in full view of Electric
Peak, offering a variety of accommodations for families and couples and
serving hearty breakfasts to its guests. Murray Hotel, a
charming turn of the century hostelry featuring mostly suites and the
original hand operated 1905 Otis elevator, conveniently located in the heart
of town. Celebrities, authors and movie stars have stopped at this hotel for
90 years, sharing space with cowpokes, railroaders and other travelers. Paradise Gateway B&B,
a two bedroom log cabin yards away from Yellowstone River in addition to
traditional accommodations in the main house and the very hospitable Carol
Reed, makes this a delightful stopover, not to mention Carol’s exquisite
culinary ability. Safari Yellowstone,
guides visitors on hiking, photography, wildlife, snowshoe and cross country
outings. |
TM
My
adventure began in Paradise Valley at Chico Hot Springs Resort, a favorite
with locals as well as visitors. My group of five women met up with Mark
Nardin, a man with an interesting past and a positive outlook, who owns and
operates Absaroka Dogsled Treks. We piled into a small bus, people in the
front, Alaskan huskies in back, and drove for an hour into the Gallatin
National Forest on a beautiful, sunny winter day. Our host stopped the bus
in a parking area amidst the snow and evergreens, hauled three sleds from
the top of the bus and proceeded to give us an introductory dogsledding
lesson. While we hooked up the dogs, we learned their names and, just like
people, something about their personalities. My pal, Diana, and I
introduced ourselves to our team of six. The two girls, Aniak and Tanana,
led the pack, followed by a father and son combo and lastly, a male/female
duo who seemed to argue a lot. Diana bundled up on the sled and I mushed
along the snow covered paths, up and down, curving this way and that, and
further into the forest of firs, spruce and lodge pole pines for a half day
outing. Two hours later, we stopped for a picnic. Not one to forget his
employees, the dogs feasted on chunks of raw meat, then rested while Mark
laid out blankets on the snow and proceeded to unwrap a picnic basket filled
with goodies, compliments of his wife, Sharon. We sated ourselves with hot
French onion soup, veggies, cheese and homemade huckleberry cheesecake and
sipped hot chocolate, apple cider and coffee. Diana and I switched positions
as we headed into the second half of our outing and into the home stretch.
Back at Chico’s,
we happily donned our bathing suits and jumped into the waters of the
natural hot springs constantly flowing into the resort’s two large pools,
one hot, the other hotter. At 6pm, we made our way into Chico’s dining
room, which at that early hour, was already filling up. The large room had
a rustic, lodgy look and was softly lit. People come from near and far to
dine at Chico’s and when I tasted the food, straightforward, hearty, and
beautifully prepared, I understood why. It’s mostly a meat menu and my rack
of lamb proved an excellent choice. 
My next
adventure emanated from Mammoth Country in Yellowstone where we boarded a
snowcoach, a peculiar looking combination of van and snowcat and plowed
across hill and dale through the park to The Canyons where we departed on a
cross country ski spree taking us on a two mile path along Yellowstone’s
dramatic answer to the Grand Canyon. The temperature was dropping, so we
huddled inside of the van for a lunch of sandwiches and hot drinks before
moving on to another location for more skiing. As long as we were moving,
the winter weather didn’t bother us.
We learned that
most of the wolves have been collared with radio transmitters, so can be
tracked at any time. Carl was in radio contact and soon we were directed to
a spot along the highway where other wolf groupies had already staked out
their viewing area and had set up their cameras and spotting scopes. Many
of the wolf watchers came on a regular basis simply out of fascination.
Others, like the cameraman from National Geographic were there filming
professionally. Through binoculars and scopes with 45 power magnification,
we spotted a black and a gray wolf already gnawing at a downed bison.
Ravens darted in and out and a lone, either very brave or very stupid coyote
ventured near to check out the situation. Then they were gone over the
hill. We heard the deep, mournful howl of some wolves and the seeming
response of some nearby coyotes. Racing to the car and moving quickly down
the road, we spotted a large herd of elk munching on grasses popping through
the snow. Along a ledge above them six wolves suddenly appeared, stealthily
making their way across the hill. The elk stood motionless. The wolves
continued, supposedly ignoring the elk. Carl rounded us up and we were on
our way to the next viewing point where another herd of elk grazed just in
time to witness three of the wolves taking down their meal. The elk
struggled to get up but the strong, intelligent animals who, along with
bears, are at the top of the food chain, had succeeded in bringing down
their prey. I was glad to be some distance away from the gory scene, but I
realized that the laws of nature are more powerful than any others. This
was an education of the cycle of life, how death insures the survival of
wildlife and just how well the ecosystem works when it is in balance.
It
was about time for our meal, so we headed back through the park, stopping as
a herd of bison sauntered across the road, watching a group of elk grazing,
spotting three golden eagles and some big horn sheep taking their morning
siesta. Making our way back through the Roosevelt Arch, we stopped in the
front of Gardiner’s Park Street, its covered sidewalk fronting two blocks of
shops. After visiting a local hang out for lunch, I wandered through several
of the shops and was surprised to discover that in this town of less than
800 people, I found a very hip ladies clothing shop, a custom made jewelry
shop and the delightful Yellowstone Gallery & Frameworks where its owner,
Jerry Kahrs, invited me to sit by the roaring fireplace in one of the hand
crafted Amish rocking chairs and have a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
That’s Montana hospitality!
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