SAFETY IN YELLOWSTONE

SAFETY IN YELLOWSTONE

I was half listening to the ranger as Tom, my husband, our two children, Linda and Mathew, and I strolled behind the ranger on the long wooden bridges that were provided for our safety. I was too busy looking out at scenery in front of us, and trying to keep an eye on Mathew, who did not seem to fully understand the dangers around us. He was at the age where nothing worried him. Tom had a firm grip on his hand.

We were taking a vacation in Yellowstone National Park in mid August. We were on a guided tour which was taking us through and around the geysers that were located in a section of Yellowstone National Park.

As we were walking on the bridges, we had to be careful and stay on the bridges. Even if we thought that it was safe, we were not to step off of the bridge. It would have very painful consequences.

We would stop for several minutes at a time. The ranger would wait for the group to gather around him. Then he would talk about the geysers in that area. He would tell the group how they had formed, how long they had been there and what the danger was.

The ranger told us that geysers could form very quickly, and they were very dangerous. He also told us that rangers monitor the land every day because of the geysers constantly changing positions. Where there wasn't one on a given day, there would be one there the next day. The rangers were specially trained to give the tours around the geysers as there were many areas.

We had our camera with us and started taking a few pictures of the geyser sites at the suggestion of the ranger. He said if we ever had a chance to come back, they may not be there. If we ever came back again, we were to use the pictures as a guide and see if they were still in the same place.

The areas around the geysers looked like a desert. There was chalk white ground for yards around the sites. We would occasionally see white bones protruding from the dry chalky sand. The ranger said that the buffalo would go in to get some water and could not make it out, not realizing of course that the water was not water as they thought it was and they would die a very painful death as the geysers were made up of acidic chemicals.

Picturing the mammoth sized buffalo in my mind and then seeing the buffalo head lying on top of the chalky sand, I shuddered and made sure that the kids were kept close to us.

In some areas, there were deep craters with steam coming up out of them. You could feel the heat rising and coming at you. The sulfuric smell was most insulting. The ranger told us that the earth would just give way and steam would rise, giving an indication that there was activity starting there.Rangers would then keep a close eye on the situation to see if there would be more activity. The area then would be closed to visitors until further notice.

We ended that tour and we were getting ready to start with another ranger to visit the hottest geyser basin. It was known as the Norris Geyser Basin.

I took a picture of Linda, who was standing and pointing to the sign, which said, NORRIS GEYSER BASIN AND MUSEUM. After taking pictures of the pool size geyser, which was quiet and had steam rising several feet above it, we headed back to our camp site.

A few months after our vacation, I checked the news from Yellowstone National Park on my computer, and found out that the Norris Geyser Basin had erupted at 3:53 a.m. on April 27, 2003. It was called a Steamboat geyser eruption.

The report went on to say that a Steamboat geyser can erupt with the more common minor eruptions reaching approximately 40 feet, but when a rare major eruption occurs,beginning with a super burst, a Steamboat can erupt reaching a height nearing 300 feet, making it the world's tallest geyser. According to the history, this is rare, but does this mean that there may be more for visitors to see in the near future? Time will only tell.

Another report on the park I found, told of two "treasure hunters" that in October of 1872 had been sitting on the top of Bunsen Peak, and had discovered the basin.

The boiling temperature at the Norris Geyser Basin is 92.5 degrees centigrade. It has the largest concentration of acidic thermal features. Most of the thermal features at Norris have a pH that is near 3 to 4. The measured pH in the Basin varies from 0.76 to 8.28.

We always hear of eruptions happening in the Yellowstone National Park. How dangerous is it going to be to visit in the future? No one knows for sure. As long as we have the rangers constantly monitoring the sites, I am sure the visitors will continue to come in droves every year, as there are many more things to be seen in Yellowstone National Park.


I know it will not stop us if we ever get another chance to visit.