Days 4 - 8: June 4th to June 8th: "Yellowstoned, Part II: A Tale of Two Nightcaps"

At some point while touring Yellowstone a Park Ranger told me about terrible wild fires in the late 1980's.  Currently most trees that were fallen in the park were a result of that one year of forest fires. Interestingly the type of pine tree in Yellowstone produced a type of seed/cone that could withstand extreme heat. So on top of those fallen trees was green, plush plant life and new trees. As you traveled throughout you could witness destruction on top of creation on top of destruction...etc.

And on top of all of this are various protected wild life that have been allowed to roam freely throughout the park.  Bison, elk, fearless squirrels, supposed bears, the list goes on.

And underneath all of this is a flow of lava any where between 3 and 10 miles from the surface. This gave birth to all types of unique geysers and land formations.  

As I mentioned before, Yellowstone can be an overwhelming experience. It could have been the lack of sleep or the 30 degree temperature at night.  Or maybe it was because I was constantly on the move trying to experience as many things as possible, literally from sunrise to sunset. But it took a day or two to get past that feeling of being overwhelmed.

The first morning that I woke up my toes were numb! Sure I had a 30 degree sleeping bag, several layers of clothes and socks on, but it still wasn't enough. The next night in my sleep deprived state, I deduced that all the heat was escaping through my big beautiful bald noggin. So I fashioned a night cap with a sweater. The next day I made sure to buy a winter hat. Thats right – a winter hat in June.

That same night with my newly acquired cap I modified my eating plan. Eating lukewarm food improperly heated by a portable propane fueled was not working out.   During the day I could easily subsist on homemade muesli, yogurt, fruit, etc. But there is nothing like going to bed with a belly full of warm food and a night cap from the camp lodge bar.

So after making those two adjustments I was finally able to get a good night's sleep while camping.