Specimen Ridge, Yellowstone Park

Specimen Ridge hike, Yellowstone National Park
23 May, 2009

The family did a short version of this hike, maybe 2.5 miles out, same back. Started at the picnic spot on the southwest side of the Lamar Valley road, about 3 miles from the Roosevelt horse corral.

The trail takes off up the hill heading southeast. You do almost all the vertical you have to do in the first mile. Then you are up above the Yellowstone river. The signs on the trail give the idea it follows the river and this ridge for many miles. We got to the ridge line. Followed it to a large tree and a rock face. Figured we had been on top of the ridge the entire way.

My youngest daughter and I kept on for a ways after everybody else had enough. We encountered a coyote that came trotting down the trail to us. This coyote clearly was used to people. It also seemed rather miffed that we had no food to offer. Further on, it caught up to rest of our group who apparently got panicked figuring coyotes might have a taste for human flesh. Not quite.

My daughter got several good shots of the hike and the coyote. The next day I inadvertently reformatted the memory stick. This is where I will insert an advertisement for Broadway Camera in Jackson Hole Wyoming. I was able to call them, get advice, and then on Memorial Day bring in the camera. They had a software system that was able to recover the images and restore our mementos.