Out and about in North Yellowstone

• Rainy morning
• Visit the Mammoth Hotsprings in North Yellowstone
• Hike to the mosquito-infested Lost Lake
• saw black bears in abundance again
• Enjoyed the campfire atmosphere

We get up at 6 a.m. and leave Cooke City. For once, the weather is not so kind to us today. It will soon begin to rain and will not stop anytime soon. The usual herds of bison graze in the vastness of the valley. We secure one of the few places at the wonderfully located Slough Campground early on. Two impressive bison bulls call this place their home, one even directly on our place. The square should also be crossed by a mother black bear with her cubs. We are postponing the planned hike to the afternoon for the time being. That's why we continue to the Mammoth Hotsprings. On the way we see two more black bears. We briefly visit the Hotsprings but are not particularly fascinated. The best days of these terraces are definitely over since the water supply was mostly cut off after an earthquake.

At the northern entrance of the park we see more elk with young animals, which are comfortably lying in a meadow. On the way back we make a detour over the Blacktail Plateau. The wide plateau with many meadows and loose coniferous forests is in full bloom. In the distance, thanks to other tourists, we see two more black bears traveling together. At the Petrified Tree, a petrified tree, we do a 1.5 hour but strenuous hike to Lost Lake. Unfortunately, it is teeming with mosquitoes who love to bite. At Tower Junction there is a family of black bears in the bushes. It is the mother with the three boys whom I saw three weeks ago. We conclude our excursion today with a short detour to the Lamar Valley before we head back to the Slough Campground. Here we clean up a little and put up the tent. Down by the river we sit down with a cold beer, chips and homemade guacamole and enjoy the weather that has now improved. Then it's time to cook. We use the newly acquired cast iron pot for the first time and cook rice, chicken and vegetables. What deliciousness. Finally we make ourselves comfortable around the campfire.