Off the hook…is the only phrase that adequately describes the first two weeks of July in Yellowstone. The weather has been amazing and very comfortable. Visitors arrived by the car-load, the truck-load, and the RV-load for the 4th of July week. As temps started to climb, the animals stared to become scarcer as they made their way to higher elevations and shady locations to escape the mid-day sunshine. As you know from my previous post, we had a critical incident at Yellowstone. This set the tone for the next several days. On top of the incident, the sheer volume of medical emergencies, injuries and vehicle crashes tested everyone. YNP leadership brought in additional support from other national parks to help as everyone was running tired.
Mom and Dad arrived to Gardiner just in time for the off-the-hook-ness to escalate and just as I returned from a “side of the mountain medical emergency”. You will see below in one of the photos an arrow pointing to just below the peak of a mount, which is where the patient suffered the medical event. The remote nature and limited access required an army of responders in various vehicles including a helicopter, ATV, pick-up truck, ambulance, rescue support vehicle and several law enforcement SUVs. Once the patient was located, they were carried to a waiting ATV, transported to a pick-up truck bed, and then brought to the staging area where we all had assembled. It was an orchestrated response challenged by a truly austere environment. Once we completed the mission and returned to rehab all our vehicles and supplies. Mom and Dad joined me as I shuttled some needed supplies and equipment between stations and had a chance to meet Ranger Joe…always a highlight of any visit to Yellowstone.
Over the next few days, we explored around the park and Mom and Dad enjoyed the sights as I gave them the grand tour. Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Lake Village, Old Faithful, Lamar Valley, and Cooke City were the highlights of the trip. Dad made some new friends from the apartment porch and Mom ticked off the bingo card for animal sightings as we made our way around. Favorite spot was Lake Village for them both. I was called into emergency staffing and so they headed south to spend a few days in Teton National Park and enjoy the views.
We are now starting to resume a more normal operational tempo as we move further into the heart of summer. Our next greatest challenge is going to be wildfires. The area has started to dry out and summer storms are kicking off lightening. It is just a matter of time. We are resting up and taking good care of each other as we continue the mission. This coming week a good friend will be arriving from Maryland and we aim to find several spectacular photography opportunities for him. Until next time, thanks for following along!
