Making Tracks

The park was full of bugling elk, we saw several males with their harems. The call sounded a bit like a large tin door swinging in the wind, or as our campsite neighbours described it a crystal elephant - I think a crystal elephant might sound a bit more ethereal and less like the noises from a scrap yard.

The elk male - my attempts to capture the call on video failed so here is one someone else prepared earlier. The scenic yellow pole is so the snow plough knows where the road is.  The park staff were quickly planting these out along all the roads as snow was forecast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fddfmn5M5QA 

One male and his harem were situated right in the village of Mammoth hot springs, close to the visitor centre. 3 staff were on hand to stop people getting too close and they had a video on loop in the visitor centre showing what happens if people or cars get too close to the male, it was very entertaining.

One of the ladies from the hareem at Mammoth Hot Springs.

After our trip to the Boiling river, Ashea, a friend of Dave and Lisa kindly took us to the tracks and scats centre in Gardnier run by a friend of hers. The guy who ran the centre has written books on tracking and has been doing it for over thirty years, even after all his time in the wilderness he still hasn't seen a Wolverine which shows how elusive they are.

Ralph with a beavers foot.  The second claw is in two parts which it uses to groom with.

A wide selection of casts of prints

big ass bear print

bird prints

bear claws

A Bighorn sheep horn

bear skulls

dismembered hooves

a stunning array of penis bones

Ashea with her favourite statue

beetle tracks

Grand canyon (of Yellowstone)

The lower falls at the grand canyon