mama moose


young moose



Towards the end of our eastward trek through the northern portion of YNP, we encountered a mama moose and her "mooslet" foraging through the brush. I have seen a female moose in passing in the Sleeping Child Creek drainage, but not this close and for this long. We kept our distance and close proximity to the vehicle as we snapped pictures, as an angry moose would not be the most enjoyable of experiences.

Welcome back, readers. This is the first in a series of pictures and accompanying short stories from my recent camping trip in Yellowstone NP, Beartooth Pass, and the Custer National Forest (near Red Lodge, MT). Each post will reflect

first short story/anecdote


After driving four hours from Missoula to the northwest entrance of YNP in Gardiner, MT, the first notable wildlife we encountered was this extremely healthy coyote. At first glance, this coyote appeared to be sizable enough to be confused with a wolf. But, based on it's location and relative proximity to the road, our excitement was quickly tempered a little bit. However, this is still a very large coyote. Nothing like the smaller, gaunt coyote I saw in Yellowstone this past winter.

I took a weekend trip with a couple of friends down to Yellowstone. While access to the park is limited to the northern road between Gardiner, MT and Cooke City, WY, there is still plenty to do in the nation's first national park. On Saturday, we braved the snowy conditions and completed the entire 110-mile loop on US-212. Beyond the physical beauty encountered in Yellowstone, we were able to see a wide variety of wildlife, including elk, bison, pronghorns, mule deer, big horn sheep, coyotes, and wolves. We stopped by Mammoth Hot Springs and went cross-country skiing. I must say, cross-country skiing was certainly an exhausting experience. However, I was surprised how easily I was able to pick up the skill. I think I have to credit my father's old NordicTrak. Here is a selection of our travels:

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine

From The Peppermint Mine