Meghan (our hotel Manager) and I had a wonderful invite to go snowshoeing with Ken and Susi Sinay, the owners of Yellowstone Safari Company, the other day. First, we went just north of the Rainbow Ranch Lodge and checked out the Porcupine Refuge area where we saw a mother moose and her year old calf, a herd of elk, and a couple of coyotes. For as long as I have lived here, I have never tired from watching the local wildlife. You know you have come to a special place when you can see all of these amazing big game animals right in your backyard.
The next stop was a rare sighting of our national bird, the great bald eagle. Perched up in a tree, watching for fish in the river below, we slowly pulled over to the side of the road. You could tell that he was watching us out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t find us enough of a threat to stop his hunt.
Then it was on to the snowshoeing!! We went to a beautiful area called Fawn Pass, located just inside the Yellowstone National Park boundaries and about a 20-minute drive south from the -RR.
As we hiked up the hill you could imagine what it must have been like a hundred years ago with thousands of buffalo and elk roaming around. Sadly, we did not get to see the amazing view of the valley below that most see on this adventure due to the ever welcomed snow storm that was rolling in. Our fearless guide, Ken, decided that Meghan and I were in “good shape,” so he broke off his normal, well packed trail and blazed up through the woods in the soft, often swallowing, powder. I quickly found the air pockets that surround the base of the large trees, as I had the pleasure of falling into them, while Meghan had the pleasure of laughing at my expense. At the top of the hill, we munched on granola bars and tea that Ken had packed for us while listening to Ken talk about the area’s history, as well as the animals and nature in it.
As is always the case, we had to go back down to reality. I thought that the fun was in going up the hill. Was I wrong!!! We were able to step glide the whole way down. For those of you who aren’t familiar with snowshoeing, Ken likened it to tele skiing. I would like to say I was very graceful but, sadly, that was not the case. I do have some wonderful evidence of Meghan’s ballerina moves (see photos)! Once back at the suburban, we were greeted with more wonderful food and drink to enjoy through the short trip home.
Thanks Ken and Susi for a great trip!
