Day 22: Yellowstone National Park

The TransAmerica team was extremely fortunate to have a day off to explore Yellowstone National Park. So everyone was looking forward to leaving Bozeman in order to go exploring. Once we arrived in West Yellowstone we went to an IMAX movie about the park and we also went our separate ways and got dinner. We kind of just hung out for the first night and then on the second day we all set out super early for the park.

It was really surreal as we got into the park. Growing up I’ve always heard about Yellowstone in classes and through textbooks but actually being there was truly amazing. The first thing we see when we get into the park is a moose and there are all kinds of cars parked along the road so naturally we pull aside and look at it as well. Then we made our way to Old Faithful as a group to see it. To be honest, it was more of a “I’m glad I can say I saw it” experience than it was a “it was so cool” experience. 

After that we all set out in different vans depending on what we wanted to do. I stayed with the group that was going on a hike. We decided we were going to hike Mount Washburn in the park. It starts at Dunraven Pass which is about 8,900 feet high and the mountain stands at 10,243 feet. We set out and as we got closer and closer to the top we ran into people who kept looking as us oddly. Once we got closer we found out why. Apparently there was still snow from the winter season that was almost ten feet deep. That definitely made our climb a lot harder considering we were all in shorts and short sleeved shirts. Once we reached the top though it was completely one hundred percent worth it. To look out into Yellowstone after climbing a mountain that stands that high is such a surreal experience. You can’t tell me there is no God after seeing what I saw. I looked out and I saw rolling hills, I saw the flatlands, the canyon in the park, other snow capped peaks, the waterfalls, everything. It was truly one of the most magnificent things I have ever laid eyes on. I wish I would have more time to climb other mountains and see the other views but I think I picked the perfect one for the amount of time we had. I firmly believe there is no way you can see everything there is to see in Yellowstone if you only have one day. I wish we would have had more time so bad.

After we got down off of the mountain we headed to dinner and then home. I can say that I tried a bison burger that was SO delicious. Once back at the high school we all passed out relatively soon because the day in the park exhausted us all.