Today we tried to get out a little earlier, but we were unsuccessful. This was mostly because I couldn’t find my keys, and it took a while to locate them.

Once we did get out, our first stop was to hike Storm Point. My main purpose was to see the marmot colony. We drove to the trail at least 4 times in the last week, and it was closed due to bear activity. A sow and cubs had recently decided to frequent the area.

I was very excited because the trail was finally open. As we got ready another couple came by from the trail. We started talking, and they only did a small portion due to concerns with bear activity. The other couple asked if they could come with us. We said yes. They were from the United Kingdom, and they were only in the United States for three weeks.

The trail goes by Indian Pond which has a few water birds. Then, it goes into a wooded area. The wooded area has tiny Red Squirrels. (The Eastern Grey Squirrel that I am familiar with is 50% longer and 2x-3x heavier.)

We saw some squirrel tree parkour,

some foraging,

and some marmot watching.

The forest opened towards an field with rocks and bushes. All of a sudden, I saw a marmot run across the open area to a rock. Then another and another. We found the colony of Marmots. Yeah!! John was able to take some awesome pictures. I think we saw around 6 different marmots of various sizes.

Opposite of the rocks with the marmots was the view of Lake Yellowstone.

The path walked around the lake and back into the woods. In the woods, we talked with another couple who just saw a Pine Marten. They showed us pictures and gave us a general area to look. John went ahead of us to take pictures. The Pine Marten came out, but, unfortunately, we were unable to take a great picture. Our plan is to come back to the trail and hopefully see the Pine Marten again for pictures. The Pine Marten is in the weasel family, and it looks like a cross between a fox and a wiener dog.

In total, the hike was 2.8 miles. So far it has been one of my favorite hikes due to the animals, enjoyable company and great views. At the end, we managed to get a few more pictures of a male and female Mountain Bluebird.

After the hike, we went to Pelican Creek to see if any new or interesting birds or animals. We saw a few birds but no bears. Bears are known to frequent the creek.

Finally, it was time for lunch. We sat on Fishing Bridge with our camera gear and food enjoying the scenery and hopefully seeing the wildlife.

We took a break and went back to the trailer. I’m thankful we did because the camper in front of us arrived and had issues with their water line. So, the park asked if they could split our water line to share with them temporarily. We (meaning John :-)) wrapped our campground water spicket with foam and ran heat tape around the valve to keep the line from freezing. Our hose is heated so we don’t have to worry about the water freezing in the hose. So, all the wrapping had to be undone and setup again. The campground said they will be fixing the line tomorrow.