So today I was looking at some pictures of my trip to Yellowstone National Park back in 2004.  I was between my Junion and Senior year of college at the time and decided to take the trip while I was able to.  So literally two days after school was out for the summer I was on my way.  I think I left around May 21st, as I remember I was on the road for my 21st birthday.  I packed up my Nissan and started driving.  I went West across NY state, Ohio and into North Dakota on the way out.  I drove pretty much all day besides stopping at rest stops to sleep for the night in my car.  In hindsight it was pretty crazy that I did this...Anyway.  I ended up in Yellowstone National Park for about 3 weeks.  I camped out mostly at backcountry tent sites as they were free compared to $11 a night at the offcial "campgrounds" (not that I would ever sneak into a camground late at night and pack up early in the morning so as not to pay  )  My trip was partly a fishing trip, partly a backpacking trip.  I guess some time to discover myself.  As you can see from the pictures I was a real grizzly adams   Anywa I met the greatest ranger.  My first attempt to get a backcountry permit resulted in me speaking with some volunteers.  They asked, "so you are going backpacking ALONE?"  I said, "That is what by myself means."  They asked, "Have you camped in bear country before?"  I stated, "with Black Bears...."  They were less than impressed and tried to instill the fear of God in me about the grizzlies.  Wouldn't give me a permit until I watched a video on camping around grizzly's and saw proof that I bought that Bear pepper spray....But on to the great ranger, on comes in this old ranger, that apparnetly was a professor of ethics in oregon and had been a ranger in Yellowston for decades.  He talks to me for 10 minutes and gives me a permit.  He said lots of crazies come through that don't know what they're doing and he had trust I wasn't one of them.  I often stopped back and had many a conversation with hime while I used park service outlets to charge my camera batteries   

Well on to the fishing.  I fished only in park so as to save money on licences.  On opening day snow fell, and I was up early.  I had heard the Firehole would be good, so I started towards the river.  Seemed every other fisherman was too and so were the Bison.  I took a detour and decided to fish the Madison.  Nobody else was.  I caught about six brown trout between 10-15"   I saw herons, an elk crossed the river up above me, it was fantastic!  The greatest thing that happened to me was on June 15th (is it bad that I remember the date?)  I hiked into trout lake to do some fishing.  It's a lake with about a mile hike in. It's full of Cutthroat trout.  It opens June 15th due to the spawn of the Cutthroats.  So I hike in the on the 14th to scope things out, then on the 15th early in the am to fish.  I'm one of maybe 8 guys fishing from shore.  I catch a couple of small fish and get talking to a couple of guys my age or a little older that are fishin too.  Turns out one of them guides for a shop out of Gardner Montana and the North entrance to the park.  He asks me what I'm doing the next day as he is off of work, and I said, well I'll be fishing.  He asks me if I want to meet up again to fish the pond!  For real, what are the chances of making friends with a guide who wants to fish on the off duty.  Sure thing next morning, 3" of fresh snow and it's still snowing.  I meet him at the trailead and fish.  I catch a Cutthroat a good solid 20".  He said it was one of the large ones' he's seen caught.  Best time of my life, hands down.  

I fished various other parts of the park.  Caught many browns on the Firehole, Visited Blue Ribbon Flies.  A fantastic Shop by the way, top quality materials.  I highly recommend them for tying supplies.  

I could really go on and on about this trip, and it's been what, 7 years later?  I'm not well....

Here are some pictures as well, I know it's not new stuff, but I figured you guys would appreciate it.

Enjoy!

-Nic

My home...

The Lamar River Valley...This is where they reintroduced the wolves.  I met some great people there that let me use there spotting scope to watch some wolf pups.  I also got to see an elk that three wolves had wounded and it was in the river.  The wolves were taunting it from the bank and howling.  I watched this for about and hour.  The rangers were playing crowd control.  You wouldn't believe the people that were asking the rangers when they were going to rescue the elk....

A nice cutthroat...

This was the larger Cutthroat that I caught..

Some were still finishing up the spawn.

Nice . I love Yellowstone.  I had to laugh Nic I almost didn't recognize you with the beard . I want to say Forest Gump. No disrespect just the way your beard looked reminded me of his beard when running across the states..  Nice Cutt . Great pictures as always Dave V

Nice pics Nic. What a place huh? Thanks for posting.

 Koda,

Don't forget that the beards keep the bugs off yer face as well   I've got the gray already starting, more so on my head, but there are a few...I'll be all gray before I know it!

-Nic

Quote by: LeeGoldsmith

.......Now to the Gray, you have no idea what gray is.  When you see me for the first time you will see gray......

Nic

Ditto on Lee's gray comment

This one was taken some 20 years ago. Now it's about the color of under the hogs chin

The critter blaster is a single shot H&R 45-70 with a 30 inch barrel. Heavy sucker it was. But it knocked em sensless with those Remington factory loads for Trap Doors.  Anything hit fair with one of those 405 grain whammies fell over like a paper doll in a strong wind