Hiking Mt. Washburn and Bunsen Peak in Yellowstone

Elevation starting at 8,850 ft and 10,243 ft. at the top. It’s a 1,393 elevation gain.

Breakfast at 7:50 and on the bus at 8:00 a.m. to hike up Mt. Washburn.  We all have our rain gear today as it is lightly raining.We only have the morning for our hike so the leader says we will divide into  two groups.  One group will go at a fast pace to reach the summit.  The other will go slower and may or may not reach the summit.  I think you know I will choose the slower pace and take in the beautiful wild flowers and have a chance to take photographs along the way.

The hills are covered with wildflowers!

I learn about photo bombing. The two people on the right jump into the picture and say “Photo Bomb”! The ones on the left are in my group. Who knew?

It stopped raining for awhile.

It’s miserable hiking now.

AS we are hiking one woman in my  group decides to go ahead.  She wants to reach the top.  The others decide to go also and charge ahead.  We must stay together, so I follow.I don’t get the concept of hiking in miserable weather to a brown building at the top,10,223 ft in elevation.  But, just as we are leaving the sun comes out an we see the beautiful views!

This is our goal!

 On the way back we past Big Horn Sheep and Marmmots come out to see us.  We race down the hill and head to Canyon to see the Waterfall at Artists Point.

A buffalo along the way.

View from Artist’s Point at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It was named Grand Canyon before the Arizona Grand Canyon but they added Yellowstone to the title.

Thursday, our last hiking day.  It’s bright and sunny.  We are on the bus at 8:00 a.m. and go to the Mammoth Terraces.

All the beautiful terraces of hot springs on Travertine.

It’s great to walk the terraces in the morning.   We walk back through the forrest to our bus.

On to Bunsen Peak is 8,527″ Elevation. 2.1 miles straight up.

I hope you can see the Badgers!

Three Badgers greet us at the beginning of the trail.  I keep hiking and hiking up, up and up.

The Little Brown Building at the Summit

I think of the Little Engine that Could and kept telling myself:  I think I can, I think I can, I can!

Views from the summit.

The hiking group ends on Friday.

I am now in West Yellowstone updating my blog.  I hope to be caught up before I head back in to Yellowstone Park and Lamar Valley.  Next it will be The Buffalo lecture and camping at Madison.