Yellowstone National Park: Around Camp

We camped amongst tall Lodgepole Pines at Indian Creek Campground.  The kids got to learn about how forest fires are necessary for the reseeding of Lodgepole Pines, as they have a serotinous cone that only opens in the high heat from fires. It reminded me of the white pines at Crater Lake that are only opened by the Clark's Nutcracker. Erik fought fires in Yellowstone in 1988, when nearly a third of the park was burned. We were able to see many areas that were burned that summer. The new forest is lush and beautiful. 

    We just spent three nights camping and exploring Yellowstone National Park. Ever since we left British Columbia on August 1st we've been really busy, and were all looking forward to being together in nature and having some time to relax. We didn't end up sitting around relaxing much, but it was a wonderful, refreshing time exploring the wonders of creation. I knew very little about Yellowstone prior to going there, so it was one discovery after another, and it was fun to experience it together with the kids. I have a lot more pictures of the park itself, its wildlife and wonders, but here are a few shots from around the campground, where we enjoyed retreating at the end of some full days of exploration. 

Erik took the kids down to wade in the creek that ran near our campground. It's amazing how much water there is in Yelllowstone: rambling lazily along, rushing through canyons and over cliffs, bubbling up from the ground, steaming, boiling, seeping, springing, bursting forth from geysers! 

There's a happy boy wading in the stream. 

The kids were thrilled to see deer grazing in the trees around our campsite. One morning there was a doe and her two fawns. 

The older three kids worked hard to earn Yellowstone Junior Ranger patches. They had to complete several activities in the book, answer questions about things they did in the park, hike a trail, and attend a Ranger Talk. They were all so pleased to earn their patches and be sworn in as Junior Rangers. 

This was "back to school" week for many, and even though we didn't crack open the books, the kids learned a lot about geology, wildlife, ecosystems, and more as we explored Yellowstone. The Junior Ranger program is fantastic, as the kids really have to do quite a bit to earn their patches.  Yellowstone also has a Young Scientist program. We didn't have time to complete it, but I would love to do it someday. 

  

The campground host told us we could gather wood from anywhere in the park, and since  the area around camp was pretty picked over, the kids scavenged wood as we explored throughout the park. The result was a raging fire at the end of the day! 

Boy + stick + fire = happy!

Campfire Kids