Took 19 teenagers and lived!
Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:35 pm
I'm a Girl Scout leader and my scouts decided that they wanted to go to Yellowstone as a big trip two years ago. In order for them to make the trip possible, they sold cookies, lots and lots of cookies, over 7500 packages. The amazing part of this is, because of their dedication, it didn't matter what the financial status of a girl's family, everyone was able to go.
So, 19 girl scouts and 10 adults went in 7 cars for Yellowstone. Just before we reached Grand Teton National Park, we were treated to our first bear sighting!
The Tetons were AMAZING!
We stayed in the Old Faithful Rustic cabins, without a bathroom. We were trying to be as economical as possible. The bathrooms were close, it would have been nice if there were more showers available, but I never had a long wait. The beds were comfortable and the cabins were small but clean. It was really nice to have a sink in the cabin.
The best part was, we were a two minute walk from Old Faithful. At a 7am eruption we practically had the geyser to ourselves. After that, we hiked 14 miles! We went along the pools to Biscuit Basin. Then a few of us took the HARD way up and around to Mystic Falls. We were treated to a gorgeous view of the valley and an eruption of Old Faithful.
The second full day we had planned on hiking the southern trail along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Unfortunately, even though I continually watched the NPS site, I didn't understand exactly where the closures were. We ended up driving to Artist Point.
A few of us hiked to Point Sublime. This is where we really began complaining about "Yellowstone miles." We found that whenever we came across a signpost with a mileage marker on it, to double the mileage and that would be a more accurate description of how long the trail would be. I didn't make it to Point Sublime due to the 14 miles I hiked the previous day.
We made our way to Mammoth Hot Springs and hiked all around that area. We saw elk calves playing on the hillside. The whole area was just magical.
We stayed in the cabins in Mammoth, these are so much larger! However, the walls were very thin and we could hear conversations outside and between the rooms.
When the girls and adults got home, every single one was just in awe over the entire trip and several were wondering how they could make plans to return. In fact, when I showed the pictures to my husband, mother, and mother-in-law, we decided that they needed to experience Yellowstone too. I'm in love and I can't wait to go back.
So, 19 girl scouts and 10 adults went in 7 cars for Yellowstone. Just before we reached Grand Teton National Park, we were treated to our first bear sighting!
The Tetons were AMAZING!
We stayed in the Old Faithful Rustic cabins, without a bathroom. We were trying to be as economical as possible. The bathrooms were close, it would have been nice if there were more showers available, but I never had a long wait. The beds were comfortable and the cabins were small but clean. It was really nice to have a sink in the cabin.
The best part was, we were a two minute walk from Old Faithful. At a 7am eruption we practically had the geyser to ourselves. After that, we hiked 14 miles! We went along the pools to Biscuit Basin. Then a few of us took the HARD way up and around to Mystic Falls. We were treated to a gorgeous view of the valley and an eruption of Old Faithful.
The second full day we had planned on hiking the southern trail along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Unfortunately, even though I continually watched the NPS site, I didn't understand exactly where the closures were. We ended up driving to Artist Point.
A few of us hiked to Point Sublime. This is where we really began complaining about "Yellowstone miles." We found that whenever we came across a signpost with a mileage marker on it, to double the mileage and that would be a more accurate description of how long the trail would be. I didn't make it to Point Sublime due to the 14 miles I hiked the previous day.
We made our way to Mammoth Hot Springs and hiked all around that area. We saw elk calves playing on the hillside. The whole area was just magical.
We stayed in the cabins in Mammoth, these are so much larger! However, the walls were very thin and we could hear conversations outside and between the rooms.
When the girls and adults got home, every single one was just in awe over the entire trip and several were wondering how they could make plans to return. In fact, when I showed the pictures to my husband, mother, and mother-in-law, we decided that they needed to experience Yellowstone too. I'm in love and I can't wait to go back.
