By Carolyn Bulin
In September 2014, we spent 11 days canoeing the wildest reaches of Yellowstone Lake. Follow along on this adventure of a lifetime below!
September 15 (Day 1)
Route: Paddled from Grant Village to 7L5 in Wolf Bay.
Today’s was a quick paddle, shorter than we’d estimated, I think, and mostly calm-to-slightly-choppy waters, though we had just enough wind and waves to remind us to respect this big lake.
We arrived in camp early, set up the tent among regenerating lodgepole pines, and set out for a stroll along the obsidian beach. We first encountered elk tracks, and then deer tracks, and then wolf tracks. We guessed by the sizes of the elk tracks and the scratching in the sand that perhaps a bull was herding his harem along the shore this morning. Now, as we sit and watch the sun set over the glassy water, we listen to the music of autumn – the bugling of bull elk.
September 16 (Day 2)
Quiet, so quiet it feels like we are the only people on the planet.
Route: 7L5 (Wolf Bay) to Flat Mountain Arm to 7M9 (South Arm).
Highlights: 10 bald eagles! Beautiful calm sunset while eating dinner on the lakeshore. Flat Mountain Arm with old growth forests.
We awoke this morning to a series of light sprinkles – not a big deal until we realized our tent was leaking! Good thing we brought a tarp that we’ll be able to string up over our tent each night for the remainder of the trip.
The rain brought with it a gorgeous sunrise, just the beginning of another great day on the lake. Clouds soon gave way to blue skies, and we paddled on calm waters all morning. We were treated to a surprise otter sighting as we arrived at the mouth of Flat Mountain Arm.
Sights and sounds of fall are all around. Today we paddled past shorelines of volcanic rock aflame with red lichens and the oranges and yellows of aspens. Of course, the elk are bugling. Gill nets are set for spawning lake trout. Meadows are golden, grasses gone to seed. Nutcrackers are busy caching pine nuts, and we saw a flock of migrating flickers. Bluebirds are staging, hawks are moving, cranes are calling and gathering. What a beautiful time to be out in the backcountry.
September 17 (Day 3)
Route: 7M9 to 5L3 (South Arm)
Highlights: Grizzly, many bald eagles. We watched an osprey dive and catch a fish, and then a bald eagle chased the osprey!
With only about 6 miles to go today, we slept in, had a relaxing morning, and finally hit the water after 11 a.m. The rest was needed, as we were awakened last night by a bugling elk in camp. He didn’t stay long, but for a tense few minutes we silently wondered what he would get tangled in first – the food hang ropes or the tent/tarp lines.
Today was full of wildlife: loons, sandhills, goldeneye, grebes, grizzly in a golden meadow, squirrels gathering pine nuts, swans, an osprey diving to catch a fish, and more eagles (6) than people (0). It feels so good to just be. Be here, now. In this beautiful, remote land.
September 18 (Day 4)
Route: Nowhere. We spent all day sitting in the woods in the rain, waiting for the weather to clear enough to paddle, but it never did.
Highlights: Lots of hot chocolate with Bailey’s, and one million pounds of gummy worms saved the day. Realizing that we really can face challenges, count on each other, and make good decisions!
Quote of the Day: It’s just us. Just you, me, and all this food.
Last night was wild. Once again, elk bugling right outside our tent and all around the lakeshore, hoof-falls making us jump all night; plus the wild yodeling of loons, howling of 2 packs of wolves, and coyotes.
We ended up sitting in a dense spruce-forest all day today. We left camp late, trying to wait out a morning storm, but only made it about a mile before the next storm rolled in. We pulled up on shore to wait that one out, but it was followed by another and then another all day, with spectacular lighting. We ate our lunch, drank hot cocoa and Bailey’s to stay warm, got wet and cold, changed into dry clothes, and finally took advantage of a tiny break in the storms to throw everything back into Caballo [our canoe] and paddle like hell back to the last campsite.
While we were sitting in the woods, an airplane flew over, and I thought to myself, the people in that airplane are closer to us right now than any other people on the planet. Nobody knows exactly where we are, or what we’re doing, except us, and nobody can help us, except us – a profound realization, and why it’s important to travel in the backcountry with trustworthy companions!
Now we are warm and dry inside the tent as the storms continue outside. We will decide tomorrow what this means for the rest of our trip.
September 19 (Day 5)
Route: 5L4 (South Arm) to 5L8 (Promontory)
Highlights: Sunshine! Making it to camp by about noon and relaxing and drying out gear for the afternoon. So many pelicans.
Today we heard and saw the first signs of other humans since Flat Mountain Arm on Day 2. It’s strange that everyone thinks of the Southeast Arm as the most remote arm – just because it leads to the Thorofare. From a canoeist’s perspective, the South Arm is far more remote. From the Southeast Arm, or even from here on The Promontory, a paddler could get to the front country in a day, weather permitting. From the South Arm, it’s a solid two days, maybe more. You really are out there, and no one is coming to help for a long time.
We arrived in camp today about noon after paddling through wicked winds and waves all morning. Upon arrival, we discovered fresh griz sign in camp: fresh digs and what looks like an older den. Other campsite options are limited; after the fire last summer, much of the Promontory is closed to camping due to standing dead trees. Silly as it sounds, we’ve been peeing on the game trail that leads into camp, hoping that the scent will warn Mr. Bear that we’re here and we’re human so maybe he’ll leave us alone.
September 20 (Day 6)
Route: Promontory to Southeast Arm
Winged thunder rolled across the southern end of the Southeast Arm as a flock of about 100 waterfowl took frightened flight from a bay along the Yellowstone delta. From where we sat on the beach of our camp site, we couldn’t see what had startled the birds, but our question was answered soon enough. Before we could finish dinner, a long, low howl wafted over the narrow peninsula separating us from the next bay. We both grinned wildly, gathered up our food, and ran down the beach to where we could see toward the direction of the howl.
As we caught our breath, I lifted binoculars to my eyes and immediately saw at least 13 wolves along the opposite shore. Some loped along the shore, long legs making them float over the golden grass; others played or slept.
And Yellowstone wasn’t done yet. Suddenly, the poor ducks took off again, this time in the opposite direction. A juvenile bald eagle flew low over the water, eyes searching. Earlier in the day we’d seen an adult bald eagle demonstrating some truly astonishing acrobatics in pursuit of ducks. That baldy had swooped, hovered, skimmed the lake, rose, dove, and repeated. At one point, the eagle had even landed in the water after a missed dive, sat there for a few minutes like an odd duck, and then laboriously taken flight, soaking wet. This juvenile eagle had no such show in store for us, but the ducks’ reactions indicated that they were aware of his capabilities.
We turned our attention back to the wolves, who now were mostly bedded except for one black pup who was frolicking in the willows and grasses. Soon we were interrupted by an otter swimming quite close to shore. Then, our gazes shifted between wolves and otter like we were watching a wild tennis match. One by one, the wolves bedded more contentedly, and we watched as the otter drew closer and closer to the shore near camp. Darkness falling, we followed the otter back to camp.
September 21 (Day 7)
Route: Day hike from Southeast Arm to West Finger of South Arm
Quote of the Day: “Judgment comes from experience; experience is the result of poor judgment.” – Paul Petzoldt
Cold this morning. Frost everywhere when I awoke just before sunrise.
We’d planned to hike from here to the Thorofare Trail near the Yellowstone River, but less than ½ mile from camp along that route, we smelled a carcass. Tracks in the trail revealed that the wolves had traveled down the trail past our campsite in the night, leaving steaming-fresh meaty scats along the way. The willows ahead were thick, and so we moved on to Plan D rather than risk surprising a hyperphagic grizzly on a fresh wolf kill.
Plan D turned out to be an excellent choice. We followed wolf tracks and grizzly tracks along the lakeshore, through old lodgepole forests, into autumn meadows, past kettle ponds, and through ’88 regen. It was a gloriously remote and beautiful autumn hike.
Thoughts drifted while we hiked. I thought mostly of Jean, who stopped chemo in July after many years. I feel as though she may be gone now. I named my paddle in her honor: Minerva, for the sleek black 14-foot fiberglass canoe that was my favorite during the Teaching of Canoeing class last fall. The canoe was named for the Harry Potter character whose tenacity, intelligence, and power bore a striking resemblance to Jean. Virginia also named her paddle: Goldeneye. And we call the spare, Scooter.
September 22 (Day 8)
Route: 6A4 to 5E3 (Southeast Arm)
Highlights: Watching wolves take down an elk 100 yards from us in the lake! Lots of loons.
As we pulled out of camp early this morning (trying to beat the gathering rain clouds), I set my sights from the stern on a tan-colored bush on the opposite side of our small bay, and we took up our paddles. Not five stroked later, we both noticed copious splashing around the bush. Ducks are freaking out again, I thought, as Virginia said, ‘Are those geese splashing over there?’
Just then, I noticed that the ‘bush’ I’d been watching was in the water, amidst the splashes, and moving frantically. ‘Wait!’ I said, pulling my binoculars up, ‘Those are wolves, chasing an elk!’ We watched over the next few minutes as the six wolves forced the young bull into deeper water, swimming and splashing after it, finally catching up, grabbing the skin in front of the hind legs as the biggest, most barrel-chested gray grabbed the throat and brought it down. When the elk finally fell, it was in water shallow enough that nearly half his bulk lay exposed above the water, and six wagging tails surrounded him.
Silently, breathlessly, we watched. We whispered. We wondered. How many people will ever watch wolves hunt an elk, from the vantage point of a canoe on a nearly perfectly still morning? The wolves ate, and then looked around – and looked directly at us. Without noticing, we had drifted closer while watching the drama, and they were now just 100 yards from us, reflected in the calm water. Silently, we dipped our paddles and moved away, out of the orange-gold willow-lined bay, leaving the wolves to enjoy their meal in peace.
En route to our next camp site, we passed another canoe and actually talked to the people, the first people we’ve talked to in over a week, since pushing off from Grant Village.
September 23 (Day 9)
Route: Day hiked from 5E3 past the Yellowstone River Delta, about 9 miles round-trip. Varied trail through willows, young lodgepoles, old lodgepoles, ancient spruce/fir, wet meadows, and dry meadows.
Quote of the Day: “Hey, Bear! Our approach is imminent! Please roll out the red carpet and get out of the way!” – what we yelled when we tired of the standard, “Hey, Bear!”
Sitting here on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, on the first day of autumn, enjoying the sunshine, the magic hour light, and the peaceful sound of small waves lapping at the rocky shore. Today we dayhiked toward the Thorofare, just about 4.5 miles, from our 5E3 campsite. Far enough to regret missing out on the Thorofare this time, and yet we still feel we made the right decision to adjust our plans.
Thoughts are turning toward home, as our trip is nearing its end. Tomorrow we begin the paddle north. Already we are seeing more people: 4 in canoes today, and 12 on horses. Already we reminisce about the remote South Arm, with 0 people. Today we determined that measured by actual travel miles rather than by straight-line distance, the South Arm is more remote than the Thorofare. We also reminisce about the wolves, as if it was eons ago, and gloat about our beautiful campsite and good fortune today.
September 24 (Day 10)
Route: 5E3 to 5H1
Quote of the Day: “Heading north / Heading home / Where the Northern Sun was born / And the North Wind [fills] my heart again / From the dreams we’ve kept so long / We’re heading north.” – Stormwarrior, “Heading Northe”
Last night while we sat peacefully on the lakeshore, journaling and watching the stars, we had quite a fright. It was already pitch dark when the woods behind us exploded in growls, snarls, and grumbles! We both jumped up out of our Crazy Creeks (and anyone who has sat in a Crazy Creek knows what a feat that is!), instinctively backed up to the lake to protect our back sides, and pulled our bear sprays as we tried in vain to pierce the deep black fores, searching for whatever large animal lurked there.
Was it a bear? Mountain lion? We’d never heard noises quite like that before, but we could tell for sure that it was something large and dangerous. We clicked our headlamps on and backed up farther until our feet were almost in the frigid water of the lake.
Like a flash, two pine martens shot out of the woods, one hot on the furry heels of the other! Who knew such a small critter could make such a big noise? Relieved, we re-holstered our bear sprays and headed off to the tent.
Today we saw four people again, the same four from previous days. The big lake is becoming like a small town. We had a smooth, calm paddle, arriving in camp mid-afternoon to find a stark site, very recently burned and with only one passable tent site. We only have about four miles to go to Sedge Bay, and we briefly considered continuing on and out this afternoon, but we decided in favor of one more day on the lake before heading home.
What a ten days this has been. This site is a good port of re-entry, stark as it is. We are once again on the big lake, rather than on the arms, hearing an occasional power boat, looking out at a teeny-tiny speck of Lake Hotel far across the water, knowing that the road lies an easy 4-mile paddle up the shore. Yet it still feels wild, looking southwest to the Tetons.
September 25 (Day 11)
Route: 5H1 to Sedge Bay take-out
Quote of the Day: “Stick people don’t need life jackets because sticks float.” – explaining why the stick people in the journal drawings are never wearing PFDs.
Not a cloud in the sky, and perfectly calm. We paddled the 4 miles out in just over an hour at a leisurely pace. After months of planning, dreaming, and preparing, we really made it! All the way around the big lake, from Grant to Sedge Bay, with many adventures (and some mis-adventures) along the way.
THE END