Life in the Mountains: 5 Days Kayaking on Yellowstone Lake

Life in the mountains does not have to be all peaks, elevations and pine trees. As we found out, our keen interest in watery environments can be combined with that for mountains , providing new adventures and beauty. The adventure this time comes in the fact that the Yellowstone Lake backcountry is a wilderness. My friend Carl reminded me, tongue in cheek, that we were entering the food chain. There is an element of truth to that. We had no previous experience with things like navigating, weather patterns, or water variability on Yellowstone Lake. The unknown and newness of kayaking heightened our senses and made for a rich experience. As I did in Nepal, I am recording the memories from the trip.

6/8/2019 Drive to Yellowstone

After a quick brake overhaul on our "new" car, the 2005 Honda Pilo (Pilo because the T is missing from the emblem) we struck out about 10:30 am on a 12 hour drive. Thanks for the lifetime warranty on brakes Midas. At one point on the trip, the Pilo passed 222,222 miles without skipping a beat. We were up late the previous night learning how to pack for the kayak trip. The term "divide and conquer" turned out to be the way to go. The boats hold a lot of gear if it is divided into small parcels (dry bags) that fit in the odd shapes of a boat hull, as well as through the small hatch openings. For the record, we have a Valley Aleut II double and a Pygmy Coho single, sea kayaks. We bought them on Craigslist. The Valley came with a trailer which I modified to also carry the Pygmy. I know this is not recommended but it performed beautifully even in 40+ mph cross winds while traveling 65 mph down the highway all day. We were thankful for the brake overhaul as we entered the East entrance of the Park. There were numerous long descents all day and just outside of Cody, at dusk, we started up the final climb over Sylvan Pass, elevation 8,524 feet. Snow was falling and enough fell throughout the day that the plows were needed to clear the road at the summit. We had the summer tires put on the Pilo a few days prior and I longed for the studded snow tires. As dusk turned to night we made our way down the other side of the Sylvan pass. We drove past rocks on the shore of Sedge Bay but the darkness did not allow me to get a good look at the terminus of our trip. We passed the sulfurous smells of hidden geothermal features and rolled into our glamping site sometime after 10:00 pm. The boats and trailer were covered in ice and mud. We set the tent up in the dark and slept until dawn the next morning. The heated bathrooms did the trick after emerging from a frosty tent in the morning.

The Pilo, Valley, and Pygmy in Thermopolis Wyoming

A frosty Pygmy

6/9/2019 Grant Village to Breeze Bay North (7L1)

Traveling by kayak requires camp tear down/boat pack and camp set up/boat unpack each day. We quickly became very good at it. We drove to Grant Village where we met our friend Mike for the start of the trip. The boats were registered, Max had a fishing license and we finished a breakfast of oats with nuts and raisins. The rangers mentioned there was a thin skin of ice on the lake earlier in the morning. Good. That means flat water. Shortly after we were on the water, the wind picked up. We had following seas and were making good time. We felt confident and the 3 boats traveled a direct route to the first false point of land (similar to a false summit). Rounding the point we found ourselves on the lee shore. The water calmed immediately and the feeling was wilderness! We left the other Yellowstone behind and were alone. We reveled in the sensation. This is what we came to see. The long keels of the kayaks cut through the flat water with ease. The birds on a sand spit were nearly at eye level and seemed undisturbed at our passing. We could see the lake bottom at what must have been at least 15 feet down. Chris (navigator) took a GPS reading and determined a heading to 7L1, our first camp. I could not believe the sight when we arrived. The sun was shining on a patch of grass along the shore that seemed to welcome us. There was enough grass for the 3 boats to land softly beam to shore. It was perfect for the fragile fiberglass and marine plywood hulls. What a spectacular campsite.

The campfire pit had huge logs for the participants to sit, chat, and prepare food. We set everything up and Max decided it was time to fish. Papa gave us a travel rod and reel that breaks down perfect for kayak trips. We brought 4 spoons (lures) for the trip and Max chose the red and white "little cleo". It was his great grandpa's. I wish grandpa Van Lanen could have seen Max using it. There was a nicely mounded beach near camp made of 1/4 inch pebbles, radiant with stored heat. I showed max how to cast with the spinning reel and settled in with the radiant beach against my back. Max soon became very good at casting. A bald eagle perched in a nearby tree to watch. Max reeled in the little cleo after each cast, sometimes picking up weed when the retrieval was too slow. Then:

"I think I got one."

"No. It looks more like weeds." I was still enjoying the warmth on my back.

"No. I have a fish. What do I do?"

By this time, the fish is splashing about while being reeled into the pebbled shore. I couldn't believe it. This was the biggest cutthroat trout I have ever seen. It was like those mounted on the wall in the visitor center back in Grant Village. I honestly think it was in the 17+ inch range. It was as wide as my hands cradled in the shape of a C. Cutthroat are protected in Yellowstone. I removed great grandpa's lure, the fish swam away, and we all said "Wow!". What a beauty.

The next morning we heard loons maybe? The sound was wild and similar to bugling elk during the Fall rut season. An otter swam near the boats and could not wait to get started.

Mike in the morning before the wind kicked up

The lee shore with sand spit

nice!

Mike, Max, and Jeff at 7L1

Max, Mike, Jeff at 7L1 camp

Max becoming a fisherman

The Valley kayak put away for the night

6/10/2019 On to Flat Mountain Arm North (7L8)

Max loaded the coordinates of the rest of our campsites into the GPS. Mike (76 years old) returned to Grant Village and our family paddled the opposite direction along a lee shore enjoying the morning sun. However, as soon as we turned right, into one of the many tributaries, we felt the brunt of our first headwind. The wind was probably 12 to 15 mph from the West, the direction to 7L8. The waves rise quickly on Yellowstone Lake and there were small whitecaps by the time we landed. Again there was a slim spit of beach consisting of pebbles. These beaches seem to form isolated lagoons behind where the frogs like to live. Max emerged with the rod, reel, and 4 lures. Our passage was quicker and afforded Max more time to fish. He fished constantly for over 2 hours but had no luck. He tried all 4 lures and became quite good at casting. When we returned to camp Chris was holding some mountain lion scat. She has an eye for these things. ☺

"You can tell it is mountain lion by the way it is pinched off square."

It was right next to our tent. We slept well that night.

Leaving 7L1 in the morning

Passing a floating tree before turning into a headwind

Enjoying some calm conditions

The Valley put away for another night

An elegant Pygmy no longer frosty

The 3 of us used custom Greenland style paddles (pictured above) made by our son Max. They started as Western Red Cedar 2 X 4's at Home Depot. We sorted through the pile to find 3 boards approximating CVG (clear vertical grain). I laid out the lines according to our individual measurements. Max scraped, shaved, chiselled and sanded to form the paddles. We finished them with Tung Oil and the results are beautiful, functional, light weight, and easy to refresh.

Max fishing and Jeff enjoying some radiant heat

6/11/2019 To 5L5 with 5L6 coordinates, Promontory Point

We paddled in calm winds the entire day. We were all strong and confident and chose a direct route across 2.26 miles of open water to Promontory Point. However, the coordinates we entered took us to campsite 5L6 and our permit was for campsite 5L5. We checked the map and realized our site was 1 km further down the shore. Just then, the wind changed and was at our backs. We arrived full of enthusiasm. I went to search for a spot of level ground for the tent and returned a bit put off. There was a fresh hatch of flies. They were so heavy I covered my mouth with a scarf to breath the air. On top of that, there were a pair of men's blue underwear forgotten by a previous camper. Then there was a camping permit still in its' plastic bag. They must have been in a hurry to leave.

The wind picked up, the bugs settled down, and Max was soon casting lures out into the water. I barely found some driftwood to sit on. .. .

"Dad I have one."

This happened more than once. In fact, he caught 6 more cutthroat trout from that beach. All were in the 14 to 15 inch range. At some point Chris joined us and walked along the beach. Standing a few feet from Max.. . . .

"Oh look. Grizzly tracks. They look less than a day old. The waves haven't washed them away yet. It was a female and a cub."

She has an eye for these things. ☺ Later Chris and Max snuck up on the frogs in one of the lagoons I mentioned earlier. There were about 1 million frogs making their frog noise. Maybe 2 million. I never heard anything like it. These are Chorus frogs and they perform, as if conducted, creating a single sound. They even turn off at the same time. Chris managed to see 2 and it was one of the highlights of the trip for her.

photo by Max: Chris on the way to Promontory Point

Our blue tent on the hill above the Chorus frog pond

Max looking rather professional by this point

Beautiful

Max really enjoyed fishing on Yellowstone Lake

Max fishing next to some bear tracks

Grizzly

Chorus frog

picture by Max of Chris (our photographer)

6/12/2019 To Park Point North (5E9)

On this leg I worried about the possibility of being forced against the windward shore with a heavy prevailing westward wind. The worry was all for nought and we steered a direct course to our destination. We seem to be able to paddle 3 mph with no issues easily covering 6 miles in 2 hours. The Valley kayak tracks well with the rudder down and has a lot of inertia when fully loaded. The Pygmy carries a lot of things and moves gracefully through the water. I enjoyed watching Chris paddle it through the water. 5E9 is a grassy stretch of shoreline preceded by a rocky beach. We carefully hauled the boats and discovered the grass field is frequented by some of the Park's bison. I found a beautiful site and pitched the tent with the door facing West looking across the vast expanse of Yellowstone Lake and where we started the trip. Max spent a few hours improving his casting but got skunked on this day. A thunderstorm passed through at night and we packed a wet tent in the morning.

The beach at 5E9 Park Point North

Max Writing:

At this campsite, my mom (Chris) and I went for a walk on the beach while my dad was in the tent. We followed a beaver for a while and came to a small inlet of standing water connected to the lake. There was no way to go across except a narrow tree that had fallen across it and was partially buried on the far bank. I went across with a straight stick I had found to balance with, but the only stick for my mom was not straight, or easy to balance with. I made it across easily, but my mom was nervous, so it was harder for her. We went across and continued our walk for a little ways before turning back and heading to camp.

Max showing Mom how to balance with her stick

6/13/2019 To Sedge Bay

Sedge Bay is on the eastern most end of Yellowstone Lake. It is known for big waves. The rangers suggest completing this leg in the morning before the prevailing westerly wind has time to build waves that make landing in delicate craft quite daunting. We skipped the warm breakfast and hot drink opting to get an earlier start than usual. We packed, ate a couple bars, and hit the water. After rounding Park Point North we could begin to see the glint of sunlight reflecting off the cars driving into the Park from the East entrance. The water was calm on this day and we hoped for a calm landing vs something reminiscent of the Duke Kahanamoku surfing classic in Hawaii. With that in mind, we paddled a constant 4 mph for 11km and landed calmly 1 hour 45 minutes after starting. Nice! Chris hitched rides back to Grant Village to retrieve the Pilo and kayak trailer. Max and I waited with all the gear. We met an older gentleman who windsurfed at Sedge Bay back in the day. He claimed the waves could reach 6 feet tall at times. I was glad we did not have to contend with that. We returned to Bridge Bay for a night of glamping. We ate a nice dinner at a diner in the historic Lake Hotel (opened 1891). Max suggested going to see Old Faithful before driving home the next day.

Calm before the storm Sedge Bay

Storm clouds building as we waited for Chris and the car

Rain
We began the day where the rain is falling
Thanks Gamma Ray for the updated weather forecast the day before

6/14/2019 Visit to Old Faithful

We broke camp at dawn and drove to Old Faithful. We were looking for breakfast and I remembered the Old Faithful lodge. It is a truly amazing log structure. We enjoyed a nice sit-down meal and then went for a walk among the thermal features. Right on time, Old Faithful gave us and many guests a beautiful display of awe and wonder before we drove 12 hours back home.