Chasing Waterfalls

Remember when i said Mr B was a waterfall chaser?

Last week we went on an 17-18 mile hike in the back country of Yellowstone National Park to find a few more.

Our hike took us across the Bechler Meadows.

We walked in fields of gold

i had such a great view :)

We crossed forested areas. We stopped and identified all of the wildflowers...and they were bounteous. 

i may or may not have squealed out of pure joy here

We forded a couple of rivers.

Serenity

Every hour we doused ourselves with mosquito repellent. Those bugs were RELENTLESS. Besides the bugs, we saw a fox, a couple of cranes, many chipmunks and we were cussed out by a couple of ground squirrels who wanted our lunch. Other than the wildlife, we saw very few people on the trails, and were completely alone at each of the waterfalls.

In order to get to two of the waterfalls, we left the trail and bushwhacked for a bit. 

Small but beautiful

Silver scarf cascade went on forever

Most of the hike was relatively flat, but there was a very steep scramble up the side of the canyon at one point. The view was worth it:

But the best part, by far was Dunanda Falls. The waterfall itself was breathtaking.

The falls alone would have been worth the hike and if that isn't good enough...there are hot spring fed pools at its base. Which meant that we brought swimming gear and were able to sit and soak in the gorgeous natural warm springs with the mist of the waterfall cooling our faces. We soaked it all in for a good couple of hours--just the two of us, lunch, the waterfall, the sun and the gorgeous landscape.

Sitting in a hot pot

One of the pools looking downstream from the falls

Between running and hiking, these legs of mine are taking me many many miles. And i don't think i've enjoyed a summer this much in quite a while.

Me and Mr B

PS: He's getting a haircut and losing the curls this week. Although i understand that it needs to be done, i'm already in mourning until they grow back out :-(