This trip was my first time in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone was established

on March 1, 1872, to protect the region's geysers, hot springs, and the wildlife that lived there.

When I was growing up, my family and I went across the southern border of the United States to

visit national parks. Living in Flordia (Lat. 27.994402 Long. -81.760254), it was unrealistic to

travel across the country to visit Yellowstone (Lat. 44.427284, Long. -110.584389), but I’ve

always dreamt of being here. I took a pit stop in Illinois to visit a friend of mine (also to split up

the trip), and when I arrived at Yellowstone, I was only behind one hour from Illinois.

DAY 1

My campsite, Grant Village, was packed with other tourists, some in RVs but mostly in

tents. I arrived late the night before, so technically, this was my second day here (the third of

June), but all I did on my first day was set up my tent. I chose to do this trip in June because of

the gorgeous temperatures this time of year, with an average high of 70 degrees Ferenheight (21

degrees Celcius) and an average low of 42 degrees Ferenheight (5.5 degrees Celcius) (Average

Yellowstone Temperatures). I also preferred light rain, which was perfect for this month because

of the average of 1.5 inches of rain (Weather).

I considered introducing myself to my fellow campers, but since it was only 6 a.m., I

decided not to. I only planned five days for this trip, so I didn’t want to waste any more time. I

grabbed my backpack, filled my lungs with Yellowstone’s thin air, and took a sip from my

canteen. I usually flavored my water, but I knew that a bear’s sense of smell was so strong that

they could smell the flavoring without the water being opened.

I had my whole day planned, and the first thing I did was go to one of the picnic areas in

the park for breakfast. A grunt from a few yards away grabbed my attention, and a pair of yellow
eyes stared at me. I couldn’t make out anything else because the animal was too far away. Then

another grunt, even closer this time, sounded in the opposite direction. I turned around and saw

an unsteady bison chewing on some grass, paying me no attention. “The bison must be afflicted

with brucellosis,” I wondered aloud. Brucellosis is a rare disease that causes lameness in bison

(Centre, UNESCO World Heritage). I turned back to see the yellow-eyed animal, but it had

disappeared. To fuel me for my hike, I ate some dry oats mixed with peanut butter. Next, I retied

my boots and got ready to hike. There were over 250 trails at Yellowstone, which was obviously

too many for me to complete on this trip, so I highlighted the ones I suspected would provide the

best views. I packed my old Polaroid camera and made my way to my first hiking spot.

My first stop was Yellowstone Lake. After a quick hike, I arrived at the lake, and I was

utterly stunned by its heavenly turquoise color. Although the view was stunning, the smell was

rancid. Sulfur filled my nostrils like skunk spray, and I plugged my nose like I was a child about

to jump into the deep end of a swimming pool. I tried to push the smell from my mind to focus

on the beauty of the lake. A tour guide talked loudly to my left, “Yellowstone Lake was formed

by a collapsing volcano.” I found it interesting that something so violent could make something

so tranquil. The longer I looked at the lake, the more I wanted to leap into it, so I moved on to

my next stop.
 After a half hour or so, I made it to Mammoth Hot Springs. A sign at the entrance told me

that the hot springs were created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled

and deposited calcium carbonate. The white color took me by surprise. When researching for

this trip, I made sure not to get spoiled too much, but I accidentally saw a picture of the hot

springs. Still, though, that image didn’t do this view justice. The sulfuric smell still pushed itself

toward me, but by now, I was getting used to it. Hot steam rose from the many dozens of springs,

making the air heavy and humid. After only an hour, I became tired and decided to return to my

campsite to take a nap.

DAY 2

I woke up on day two in surprise. I fell asleep at noon the day before, and I only just

woke up today at noon. “I must be getting sick,” I mumbled, rubbing my forehead. I was covered

in sweat, which made me feel unclean, but since I wasted so much time already, I refused to take

a shower. Having taken a 24-hour nap, I was plenty rested for the day, so I jogged to my next

destination to try to make up for my lost time. My own odor reminded me of the sulfur from the

day before. On my way, I stopped dead in my tracks as a sturdy elk bit off a piece of grass

Northeast of me. With its horns, the creature stood 7’ tall easily, and its light brown fur
mesmerized me with its uniformity. The elk turned to look at me head-on. Then, it turned

around, took a few steps forward, and looked back at me. The peaceful creature bobbed its head

up and down and took another step forward. “Do you want me to follow?” I asked, not expecting

a response. The elk’s eyes lit up, and it pranced around for a quick moment. The creature was so

large that it shook the ground with its jumps. Once the elk calmed, it slowly walked into the

forest as I followed. This adventure was just what I was looking forward to at Yellowstone. I

knew that I was supposed to stay on trails, but the thrill of nature was too strong for me. The elk

and I walked for about 10 minutes before it suddenly froze. Its head whipped around, and the elk

took off. With its long legs, there was no way for me to catch up with the elk, so I took out my

map and compass to figure out where I was.

A sneeze startled me; not a human sneeze, more like a dog sneeze. I peered through the

brush and saw a set of yellow eyes a few yards away locked on me. I loved seeing wildlife, but

these eyes were too large to be friendly, so I shouted, “Go away!” The entity remained

motionless until a jagged-toothed grin formed from behind the shadows of the dense forest. Even

from this distance, I could see fresh blood staining the beast’s teeth pink. I quickly checked the

map for the quickest escape, but when I turned back, the creature disappeared.

Surprisingly, it took me a full hour to find my way back to the trail. I had always been

bad at directions and map reading, but I was glad no one else knew about this embarrassingly

long side trip. I checked my watch, which read 1:30 pm. “If I’m quick, maybe I can still see the

big one,” I muttered. I sprinted all the way to the Great Fountain Geyser. Remembering a

brochure, I’d read on my way to Yellowstone, I knew that geysers erupt when surface water

seeps underground and comes into contact with magma or hot rocks, heating the water (Physical

Features). The best time for this geyser was 2 pm, and I made it just in time to view the stunning
burst of hot water. I quickly pulled out my Polaroid and took a few pictures, trying not to get any

other tourists in my shot.

After a few more hours of hiking, I ate my dinner, chicken noodle soup, and spent the rest

of my night reading before eventually falling asleep to the sound of heavy rain on my tent.

DAY 3

I woke up after a horrible nightmare in which skeletons breathed fire on me. After I

calmed down, I realized how ridiculous this nightmare was, so I looked at my watch to see if I

had overslept again. What I saw was more terrifying than my nightmare: June 5th, 11:20 p.m.

Not only had I slept through the entirety of my third day here, but I was also drenched in sweat.

“I need a shower… and maybe I need to go to the hospital.” I grabbed my towel and a new outfit

because I was starting to smell inhuman. I put on some flip-flops and exited my tent with a

flashlight in my teeth. The showers weren’t too far, and since they were connected to the

bathrooms, I thought I knew how to get there reliably. Unfortunately, due to my disastrous sense

of direction, I soon became lost. I pulled out my map and leaned back on my left foot to save

energy.

Suddenly, I lost my footing in the wet leaves, and my feet slipped out from under me. My

body quickly slid down the steep, wet hill until my foot broke my fall by slamming into a tree.

Twigs tore up my clothing and punctured my face with bloody scratches, but I was instantly

more worried about my foot. When I lost my footing, my ankle twisted, and unfortunately, this
was the same foot that broke my fall. Pain pulsed through my entire leg; pain so great that I

could hardly breathe, let alone call for help. I sat in agony for a moment to try to regain control

over my breathing when I heard the crack of a large branch about 10 feet away from me. I pry

my eyes open to see the oversized silhouette of the monster hiding behind the dense forest.

All I could see were its general form, its brass eyes, and its shiny teeth. I reached for my

bear repellent spray can, which was attached to a carabiner to my pack, but when I unlatched it, I

discovered that it broke during my fall. Orange liquid spilled over my shaking hand. The beast

approached, and in the moonlight, I saw it: a grizzly bear. My eyes darted around for a safe spot,

landing on a cave only 6 feet from my head. The bear was doubtlessly faster than me, but the

cave was my only hope. I prayed that there was a passage in it that was small enough for me but

too small for the bear. I grabbed a large fallen branch and pushed myself to my feet. The pain

nearly blinded me, but I quickly moved my weight off my broken foot. The bear watched me

with a grin. It was only about 6 feet away from me. One leap, and I’d be a goner. I threw the can

of bear repellent spray at its head and sprinted to the cave using the branch I gathered as a

walking stick. The creature roared, hopefully signaling that some of the orange liquid had

reached its eyes. I made it into the cave, but it was far too dark to know which way to turn. The

bear’s massive legs pounded the ground as it quickly lessened the distance between us. There

was no time to think, so I moved, using my hand to search for an opening in the cave’s walls.

Maybe it was the bear’s breath sending chills down my neck, or maybe I just sensed its

presence. I turned around to see the dark shadow looming above me. One swipe from the

creature’s brutally sharp claws was all it took to bring me down, and the horrid beast gorged

itself on my barley-lifeless body. “Laters ‘gaters.”

 Works Cited

“Average Yellowstone Temperatures.” Introduction to Yellowstone, 22 July 2022,

yellowstone.net/intro/introduction-to-yellowstone/weather-and-climate/.

Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. UNESCO World Heritage Centre - State of Conservation

(SOC 2000) Yellowstone National Park (United States of America),

whc.unesco.org/en/soc/2384/#:~:text=The%20report%20of%20Yellowstone

%20addresses,visitor%20use%20of%20the%20site. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

“Physical Features.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,

www.britannica.com/place/Yellowstone-National-Park/Physical-features. Accessed 30

Apr. 2024.

“Weather.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior,

www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/weather.htm. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.