!!!Yellowstone National Park

by Dmitry Moiseenko,
member of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

17 February 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

‘The world as we know it, is nearly over', I am listening to a song by
Boris Grebenshikov on my iPhone. ‘So, damn it' he concludes.

Nowadays apocalyptic articles about approaching eruption of presently
dormant stratovolcano, which is situated in Yellowstone National Park in
Wyoming, U.S., are published more and more often. Both mass exodus of
bisons and increased seismic activity are reported. It is said that this
volcano erupts once in 30 thousand years and that it missed its previous
time, so by now it has gathered two times more energy. It is predicted
that the bigger part of the USA will be covered with ache and the dust
curtain will deprive Earth of sunlight resulting in a new ice age.

No doubt that being in Russia, on the opposite side of the Earth, we got
used to any crisis and cold weather so all this story about volcano
seems not real and not that frightful. Well, just in case, we have
decided to publish our heli-virtual tour around snowy Yellowstone
National Park.

[{Image src='01_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='514'}]

In fact, there are only five places on the Earth where geyser activity
exists. These are Iceland, New Zealand, Kamchatka, the USA and Chile.
And this is exactly Yellowstone where two thirds of the world's erupting
thermal springs are situated! Though we are very sad to admit it, but
our Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka looks like a small part of the huge
geyser field in Wyoming. Yellowstone has this immense thermal ‘treasure'
due to the fact that the Park is situated in a crater (to be precise in
caldera) of a huge dormant volcano and the heat comes very close to the
surface which consists of the thin lava crust hardened more than 60
thousand years ago. It looks like Uzon in Kamchatka but ten times
bigger, so that in Uzon there is only one geyser and in Yellowstone — 3
thousand!

[{Image src='02_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='663'}]

I have been to this National Park before, in 2002. I was making some
reports for NTV company. I was there in June, the snow had already
melted and I remembered it ever afterward: the beauty and grandeur of
the Park, great number of geysers and thermal lakes, bright-blue colour
of hot springs and its multicoloured shores which were the result of the
activity of bacteria and waterweed. That is why the decision to go to
Wyoming in December for taking photos of the active geysers was made
without hesitations.

[{Image src='03_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='613'}]

We decided to enter the park from the side of the town called West
Yellowstone. Having arrived at the destination we found out that the
weather forecast promised one day of snowfall and only then a fine day.
So our idea was, as it was a day of snowfall, to enter the Park on
snowcats and take photos of thermal springs in freezing temperatures.
For this purpose we were given super-warm suits (afterwards I requested
one more for flying in a helicopter).

[{Image src='04_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

There were very few people in the Park, instead we came across bisons,
foxes and deers. The most famous geyser named Old Faithful was waiting
for us 30 miles from the entrance of the park. On our way to it we were
going to visit the biggest, most beautiful, and colourful Grand
Prismatic Spring. What was our disappointment when it turned out that
its marvellous colours were pale due to a gloomy day and its surface was
hidden by evaporations of boiling water. Old Faithful Geyser erupts with
a strict interval of 90 minutes. We got there exactly in time to look at
30-meters high stream of boiling water and then went back.

[{Image src='05_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

After getting warm in a hot bath and finding out that the weather
forecast was not going to change, I ordered a helicopter to take me to
the Park in the early morning. Indeed, the morning was truly fine, but
the temperature dropped to around 25 °C below zero. We were going to fly
in a helicopter with an open door for around 2 hours. So, having
cocooned myself in that snowcat suit, prepared ski glasses and hidden my
nose in a protective neoprene scarf, I gave a command to take off.

The morning mist was streaming above the Park, we headed for Grand
Prismatic Spring. Soon in a distance we distinguished a strange static
cloud that was not moving. Having flown around this cloud the pilot
noticed that, according to navigator, the Spring was left behind. He
turned round and headed for the cloud again. We still couldn't spot a
multicoloured lake. On the third attempt I asked the pilot to go down a
little bit and, oh wonder, the Grand Prismatic Spring appeared just
below us. The cloud itself turned out to be the evaporation of the
Spring. A soft wind blew this cloud slightly into the side, so I had an
opportunity to take several photos.

[{Image src='06_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='659'}]

Thus we were given an idea that we should look for these clouds of mist
as they hid the most interesting things. Having finished with Old
Faithful we headed for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which is famous
for its waterfalls. The Park was covered with snow, chilly air was
piercing through my suit, occasional spots of hot springs and thermal
lakes could be hardly noticed under the clouds of vapour.

On our way back we again came across the concentration of mists and
hovered over Norris Geyser Basin. From my point of view it was the most
beautiful geyser area that I saw in wintertime. The sun was gleaming
through evaporations and silvering all the surrounding landscape.
Feeling spellbound by this beauty I totally forgot that my feet grew
numb and my fingers in snowboard gloves could hardly bend. Having taken
some pictures we finally left the park.

[{Image src='07_Yellowstone National Park, USA.jpg' caption='Yellowstone National Park, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='576'}]

In my hotel room I spent more than two hours warming by a heater. But a
couple of cognac shots suggested by my helpful friend did it part and,
to my own surprise, I did not fall ill.

I have to admit that Yellowstone National Park is not a friendly and
picturesque place in such weather; its main treasures, such as
multicoloured geysers and springs, are hidden under its own
evaporations. However, there was not a single second of doubt or regret
about my decision — very few people are brave enough to visit the park
at this time of the year. And you have a unique chance to see
Yellowstone in winter time.

\\ \\
[10 Panoramas of Yellowstone National Park|Geography/America/United_States/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Yellowstone_National_Park]









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