Fan Creek Area Day Hike - Yellowstone National Park - May 22 

Nancy, thank you for your nice comments. Not very many people watch this video and it is hard to show how great this hike really was in a video. I don’t get many hikes like this one with all the different wildlife in one hike. It was a magical day. I have not had one day like it this year. For some reason I have not seen as much wildlife and I have only seen 17 backcountry bears this summer. I have seen as many as 40 before but never so few like this year.

Yes!!! They are always adorable.

Thank you very much for your nice comments. I am hiking in a manner to spot the wildlife and try not to scare it away. Unfortunately the mother duck spotted me first and flew off so I know that the only reason she would have been up in the trees like that was because she had a nest. So I stuck my camera in there and sure enough there was a nest. Thanks again for your comments.

@@StanMills I'm pretty sure I can speak for the rest of the folks who view your posts, we sure do enjoy every second of your content and have the utmost appreciation for what you do! I'm like most, I have a decent job, it makes enough to live but that's about it. The problem is that's not living. Being surrounded by so much raw beauty of the natural world and yet being unable to see it in person hurts very much. Especially knowing how quickly the greedy folks are destroying it to make a dollar. You have the ability to do what I would like to. Not only that but you are incredibly knowledgeable about it all and today's tech allows you to share it with us so well, I'm very grateful that you take the time to do so!!! Truly, from my wild and wildlife loving heart, thank you very much for sharing the near untamed power of Yellowstone with us! Thank you!!!!

Paul, Teepee Creek is a great place to go. I am waiting for the snow to clear up more so I can make at least a day hike out of it. I do have a video called “Teepee Creek” and in it I see 2 grizzlies up close and several black bear. All in the same day on Teepee Creek.

Jerry, the gaiters are from REI and are the best ones they sell. They don’t say anything on them other than REI. They are thick, tall, and have both Velcro and snaps and loop straps. But you may notice I wear them all the time so I need something that will hold up for a long time. Here is why I wear them. Along with the totally waterproof Kenetrek boots the gaiters extends up to my knees. So as long as I cross creeks fast they keep me dry in water that is deeper than my boots. Reason 2 is Ticks. They fit tight around the boot so ticks can’t get in. Reason 3 is sticker weeds. There is a certain kind of weed and a certain kind of grass that has terrible stickers that will stick to your clothing and ruin your hike if you don’t wear the right stuff. They will be out when things start to dry out. I see a good crop of them growing in the Yellowstone area right now. Those gaiters have a very tough material 100% nylon so nothing sticks. This is only a concern if you hike off trail like I do. But if you are going to hike on well used trails (trails that you actually see multiple people on while you are hiking) then you probably have no need for gaiters. I hope you have a great time visiting. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you very much for your quick reply and explanation! Will be checking into the gaiters, ticks are very bad this year so those will be good here locally as well. Stan, keep the awesome videos coming!

Stan likely hiked over the long weekend and has another great video coming. Glad to see he picked up some subscribers on this one. Sad state of affairs here in the northeast. Good weather over the holiday weekend and campgrounds and hiking areas mostly deserted. Although most claim to love nature, few appear to indulge in it regularly. I feel like a minority in a forgein country at times! Montana bound in a few weeks!

Green-winged Teal

Sorry, I should have been much more clear. What I was saying was that this is not a very good track so it is hard to determine if it is a grizzly or black bear track. There is a rule to remember about tracks; GIGO - garbage in garbage out. You have to have good information about the track before you can make a determination as to what animal made it. If you don’t have a good track then don’t try to say what it is.