Hot days in Yellowstone. How I handle the grizzly bears and the heat.
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- This video is about how I hike in the Yellowstone heat in mid summer. I also talk about how the grizzly bears behavior or daily routine changes and how I consider that while hiking. Knowing that they are in the forest and in creeks during the day should be a warning about hiking, jogging, bicycle riding in the shade of the trees. Also, they may be laying down and sleeping. 'Scaring' a grizzly that is not active and alert is not something I like to do. I have learned from experience to stay out in the open as much as possible. I have run into sleeping bears in creeks and along trails in the shade of the forest. But remember, this is how I do it. I am not telling you how to do it. You should do what feels best for you. I solo hike; I always have. The safest way to hike in grizzly country might be with a group of people. That is your decision.
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Camera - amzn.to/3Y9vnen
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Visitors to the Yellowstone eco system should be required to watch some of your videos. My heart goes out to the women's family from the recent West Yellowstone attack. 😢 I've learned so much from you and incorporate it into my hiking style.
Do you think she did something wrong, or was just unlucky? (honest question)
@@katriona1140 (honest answer)
You should ask the people responsible for the investigation seeing that they would be most qualified to make an assessment like that. 👍
Thank you for not carrying a gun!! And thank you for the reminder that wilderness trekking is a skill, like kayaking, like snorkeling. Bear spray, great, and yet you have never had to use it. A true hiker🥾🥾
Idk if that's a smart move..bear spray isn't saving your life or paying the funeral home
Overall good advice. Hiked solo in that country for 40 yrs myself. Never once had a sketchy situation with a grizzly, but I use some of same tactics and definitely don’t leave the truck without the inReach. That’s a must even in a group. hope to never use the SOS button but I’m grateful to have that insurance
Great video! I'll explain why later.
@@nodescriptionavailable3842lol, that’s funny
Since many years I'm watching a lot videos on CZcams. Your channel is maybe the best and most fascinating I've ever seen here. Thank you very much for showing this amazing impressions.
Thank you so much for your nice comment and have a great day.
Thank you so much for this walk. Be well! Be always safe.😊😊😊😊
Thank you for the fantastic videos and recommendations Stan. You are a well seasoned hiker and you bring valuable peace and serenity to me when I need it most. Your respect for nature is unparalleled. I used to hike the NE USA many years ago with my best friend and have many fond memories. However, we also had an almost fateful grizzly encounter in August 1991. We did day hikes in Alaska with a camping/tour group for 1 week. One day, we were in Denali NP at the 2nd ranger station (the road that leads to Mt McKinley) and decided to hike down to the river. The rangers warned us of grizzly activity and to talk loudly and stay in a group of 4 and we did. We made it down to the river; took pictures; etc and had to decide where to return back to the station. We could have taken the same route, go a little farther west and take the second trail or go even further west to the third trail. Since we had some time to kill, we chose the farthest. Good thing we did. A huge mother grizzly and her 2 cubs were between the #1 and #2 trails and we never saw her. People in our group were yelling for us but we couldn't hear them due to the topography; rushing river water and being windy. Once we saw her and the cubs for the first time, we were a safe distance away and near the road. When the folks told us how close she originally was to us, we all had a severe reality check. To this day, my fear and respect for them is unmatched. Yes, when you go walking threw the dense forests, my anxiety creeps up as well. Again, thank you for sharing your passion with us all and stay safe!!!
Great story of your hike. Thank you for sharing it with all of us. Have a great day.
Sounds very thrilling and exciting!
I respect your “peaceful” approach to hiking, and your right to choose not to carry a gun. However, carrying a gun does not make anyone unpeaceful. I carried during my 27 years of wilderness backcountry experience on the east side of Yellowstone, and I concealed carry in highly populated areas. I have always been peaceful and have never had to discharge my firearm. Peaceful is an attitude, not what you carry or don’t carry.
The beauty of Yellowstone 😍 greetings from Colorado Stan 👋🏻💕🙏🏻
Thank you Stan for all the work you put into these beautiful videos. I feel so lucky here in Australia to be able to see Yellowstone through your eyes. It’s such a magnificent park - great scenery and fascinating wildlife! Keep safe and cool!
Thank you for this awesome video, Stan! I find myself quoting you often....many times to myself! 👍😎🇨🇦🙏💫
Just beautiful! Thks for your insight & videos. Very much appreciated 😎👍
This is such a beautiful hike Stan 😊 I love seeing all the wildlife, and the flowers are beautiful. It looked so peaceful.
I watch your videos before I go to bed. They are so peaceful and the scenery is beautiful and sounds so tranquil.
Thank you so much. Have a great day.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. If you have any insight on the terrible tragedy last week, I'm sure we would all like to hear your thoughts. RIP to the victim and prayers to her family.
Hey! Treasures on the path, good for you!🎉😊
You instantly took my mind on a journey.
It's always so rewarding to explore this trail! Fantastic work 👏👏
Beautiful , just breathtaking country
Thank you my friend for sharing this video, very beautiful and relaxing to watch. 🤗🤗🤗
Do you know the name of that goregeous lake? The teal color of the lake is exceptional, also, do you know what kind of birds those are with the pale lavender legs, their quite comical and entertaining! I enjoyed seeing those supurb Elk as well, WOW, very NICE! 🤗🤗🤗
The first (large) lake is called Albino lake. The lake towards the end of the video is call Lomna lake.
@@StanMills Thank you my friend for answering my question, I sure appreciate that!
Have a great time hiking Stan and I'll keep watching!! 👍👍
The birds are American Avocets and during the non-breeding season they look completely different, white and shades of grey.
@@randallmarsh1187 Thank you for answering my question, I appreciate that!
Thanks Stan! I've never seen those birds before at the end of the video. Nice shots. We had a mother partridge and 4 youngsters in our yard a couple of weeks ago. They pretty much live here all year round.
American Avocets, they turn white and gray during the winter.
Always enjoyable. Thank you.
Your videos are like a moving painting.
Good morning Stan. Your hiking videos are amazing. Watching each relieves my mind of all concerns & worries. I absolutely love nature. Thank you! Summers in Southern USA reach heat index of 100 plus Fahrenheit so my time outside is so limited at this time.❤
It can get to 100 here also. It is not much fun hiking in these high temperatures. Can’t see any wildlife because they are all concealed in the shade.
Thanks. So beautiful and peaceful.
Great video summer hikes are always nice , still green . Beautiful lakes an views . Wildlife was a nice site to see. Thank you for sharing this hike. God bless!!!
Neat plant at the 11 minute 15 second mark. I solo backpacked in Yellowstone 2x, and talked to myself quietly. I had a poem I recited about vegetarian bears. But crossing rivers (5 of them going to Dunanda falls) was scary because I knew it was hard for them to hear over the water, and I didn't want to startle one. I was midway across the final crossing and saw a elk carcass. Happily it was well dessicated. But for 1/2 a second holy cow it was scary. The hot springs made that fade away. I slept with a light on in my tent all night, lol!
“Slept with a light on in your tent”. I never thought of that. I wonder if that would help keep the bears away from your camp. The only drawback that I can think of would be that your night vision would be messed up if you needed it. Thanks for your comments.
I like your idea of sleeping in your tent with the light on.
Lovely thx Stan
I would too elaine. Maybe the light will keep them away, let's hope!! 😉
Beautiful day in Yellowstone, thanks for the video.
Love your vids, Stan. Regarding the end of the video, could you make a special where you show and tell about some of the interesting items you've found on your hikes? Obviously only the ones you are allowed to take home.
Hey Stan, just sending some good wishes as I miss the more frequent posts and hope it is not indicative of anything dispositive. Happy hiking. A fan.
I was out yesterday but didn’t see any wildlife. That is the problem this time of year. I really want to have wildlife in my videos if I make them. It is going good otherwise. Hope things are going great for you. Have a great day.
You're like a wild animal... have to always be on the lookout and fear for ones life . I couldn't live in that kind of fear..great videos 😎
I am always on the lookout to see wildlife. That is the reason I am hiking. I have never feared for my life out hear. Hiking in God’s beautiful creation is Life. Thanks for your comment.
thank you for another beautiful hike
One way I beat the heat here in Florida is something you probably would not want to do. I use one of the silver , reflective , backpacking umbrellas. It provides relief from the direct sunlight and give me a portable shaded area when out for a hike or walk. 'O" it also works quite well providing protection in a rain. I've always wondered if you take a water filter or purification system with you. Especially since there are all of the streams and lakes to draw water from.
This video will show the water filtering system that I use: czcams.com/video/vymy4MBjdp0/video.html
I have actually thought about using umbrellas but I guess it is just as easy to sit under a tree or skip hiking when it gets to hot.
Thanks for the video!
Firearms are allowed in Yellowstone but are not permitted for use in self defense..only in transport to areas outside the park!
I thought they were "permitted" for self defense, either way I guess it depends what you feel your life's worth lol
So you can’t defend your life in Yellowstone ? Bear spray might work…
@@Kelly-oq9nh Bear spray @ max range of 35 feet if you know what you are doing!…I carry an air horn also..if mr grizz is in predator mode all bets are off!
@@nodescriptionavailable3842 Nope. Not for defense, not to be fired, not even against animals in the park. Believe it or not, you can enjoy the park and its backcountry without a gun.
Great info
Hiking solo in that ecosystem is a numbers game to me especially if you hike early morning. You will eventually have a close encounter and you better have done your homework, have a plan and be ready to follow it. I normally have my spray out of the holster and sometimes with the safety clip off when hiking through the timber and blow down
What a beautiful day for a hike.
So quiet and peaceful.
Elk, moose, deer, sandhill cranes, duck, beaver or muskrat(?) and what kind of bird walked thru the trees, grouse(?) What kind of bird at the end with the brown head and looked like long blue legs?
Thanks for sharing the beauty of Yellowstone.
Have a great day.
The bird is an Avocet, I believe.
@@mtb4ever285 thanks.
What a beautiful video. Thank you Stan. "Are there turtle populations in Yellowstone?"
I don’t think so.
The monument plants are blooming like crazy this year
Also always have a good first aid kit. You should do a video on first aid and what all you Carry.
Duct tape
Stan great video. Love all of them. What kind of camera are you using for video ? Thanks.
Stan, I just read a hiker was killed by a grizzly and her cub in Buttermilk Trail, west of Yellowstone. 😢Be careful out there! ❤
Man, I know you respect the dangers of bears and all, but there's always the chance of the unexpected. Just be more careful from every day to the next, thats my advice to you. Stay safe out there. 👍
In YS today; hoping I might run into Stan on the trail….
Curious what he thinks of policies that prohibit leashed dogs on trails in Yellowstone. From the NPS:
“These policies exist to protect pets from being killed by predators like bears and coyotes, to protect them from being burned or killed in hot springs, to prevent the exchange of diseases between domestic animals and park wildlife, and to allow others to enjoy the park without the disruption of pets.”
Given there are exceptions for ‘service dogs’ , and that pets are welcomed all over the park - trail or not (where we all know the wild animals wander)…makes the policy seem unserious to me…the science on disease movement is either inconclusive or shows that bugs are way more likely to move from wild to domestic rather than the reverse….
Anyway. - I’m of the belief that this policy is a net loss in terms of overall social utility and it’s time to reconsider.
(My blood is up admittedly today - as I got hissed at to ‘keep your dog off the trail’ by a woman on a horse at the Slough Creek parking area…)
Hey Stan, love your videos. I have a couple of questions for you. I know that you have been hiking in Yellowstone for a long time so I was wondering if there were trails you haven’t done and how does your wife feel about your solo hikes?
I have not hiked some of the trails in the southern part of the park. Mainly because there are too many people, and not much wildlife. I mainly hike areas where the chance of seeing another person in the backcountry is minimal. I also want the backcountry to be open enough to see grizzly bears at a distance that will not disturb them. My wife is able to monitor me in real time on the internet because I always have an inReach with me. Thanks for your comments and questions.
Thank you again for sharing this video .and your knowledge .
Had to take a brake from the city .and news .
May I ask , have you gotten rain up there ?? And how hot has it been .??
Looks nice and green .
Thank you again .
They also can see just as well at night as they do at day time.
That is what they claim. In fact they say grizzlies can see 4 times better than a person at night. But like most of what ‘experts’ say, I have my doubts. A lot of the ‘expert’ information out there, I have just not seen in my experiences.
@stan mills I forgot to notify you about releasing the video I have of the black bear I saw at Mt Washburn. If you'd still like to see it I've used the footage in my intro to my New Fork Lakes video. Thx for your knowledge.
Never seen those little birds with and I live within thirty-five miles on the Idaho border where the crow would fly to West Yellowstone national Park
Do you know what those birds are called
@@jackqulenmcculloch699American avocet’s according to comments from other people.
Stan, been watching your videos off and on the last few weeks in prep for my Yellowstone trip next Friday. I am kind of afraid of bears…how should I not psyche myself out for this trip? 😅
Hike with the attitude that you want to see all the amazing wildlife. That is why I hike. You should have bear spray, of course, that is fast and easy to get to. One note: I always have 2 cans but have never used one in my life. Just remember that your trip to Yellowstone, and driving around Yellowstone is much more dangerous than hiking in Yellowstone. You got to keep things in perspective. Have a great trip.
@@StanMills I very much appreciate your candid and quick reply! Thank you!
Stan- Thanks for the insight into summer hiking. Do you choose to hike higher elevation this time of year to encounter the most wildlife?
Yes, that would be a choice but getting to those higher elevations in the heat is not much fun. I was at 8,500 ft this weekend and saw nothing. But down on the Specimen Creek trail at 5:30 AM, 1 mile up the trail, were fresh bear tracks and boulders that the bear rolled over onto the trail. Wildlife is always hard to spot this time of year.
Can anyone tell me the name of the birds on the pond 14 minutes into the video? I saw the same birds yesterday on Meadow Creek below Albino Lake.
The birds are Avocets, I believe.
American Avocet(s)
Just checking on you. Are you just avoiding the maddening crowds?
No. I just got home from a hike (Fawn Pass). The problem is it is hard to see interesting wildlife this time of year. I don’t want to publish a video that is not at least a little bit interesting. Thanks for checking and have a great day.
i wonder if the elk know to walk in the meadows during the day to avoid the grizzlies in the deep timber
Safest thing is to get a gym membership and open the window of the gym
I thought it was a snake at first glance. 😂
How do you get access so early? And I'm surprised you haven't run into Bigfoot yet.
Not sure what you mean about access so early. If you mean the Yellowstone gates, they are not open early when I get there so all you do is drive through. As far as Bigfoot, I have seen some strange things out there but since I didn’t get it on video there is no point in talking about it. Thanks for your comments.
@StanMills yes, getting into Yellowstone.. I can't get there. So thank you for sharing such a beautiful place.
Am I looking at two emus? How did that happen? They look too big to be cranes.
Since you are out hiking, do you ever seen Rattlesnakes in the park?
I have not seen one in the park.
If you are a solo hiker that would like a companion to hike Yellowstone I've noticed that the local craigslist has a section called "activity partner" and there are other people looking for hiking partners or you could freely advertise there.
What birds are in this video abt 3min in?
I think you would be content if you died in Yellowstone doing what you love, which is fine. Have you considered working as a Park Ranger or a conservationist. Might allow you to give back to the land thst you are out in so often.
I do give back by picking up garbage; I show this in some of my videos. I would not want to work as a Park Ranger or something because I am out exploring God's beautiful creation, not working. I totally trust in the Lord, so I won't die until it is God's time for me. Thank you for your comments.
Are there No mountain lions there?
There are and people spot them. I have one in one of my older winter videos on Slough creek.
@@StanMills I'll have to check them out
I have hiked a fair amount inside Yellowstone Park. People always mention carrying a gun to me as well. You actually are not supposed to have a loaded gun inside the park anyway. If you did try to shoot a bear, you would actually have to hit it, and if you did hit it and that did not stop it, the bear is going to beat the hell out of you. I think a gun would be better protection from humans, which can be much more dangerous then a bear. Yes to bear spray, I would not hike without it, you can get a good wide spray from it, and much easier to hit your target, if the wind is kind to you. I have seen about 8 grizzlies hiking, they all ran away. Never saw one on my own though. Hiking by yourself is a bit more exciting or invigorating perhaps and you get to do a lot of head turning. But I would much rather hike by myself then hang out in a touristy area due to being fearful of bears.
You are allowed to carry a weapon for protection in national parks. Park visitors are able to openly carry legal handguns, rifles, shotguns and other firearms per a federal law approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in February 2010. Concealed weapons are allowed by state statute.
@@martinyuhas929 I think you are allowed to transport a weapon through a National park. You cannot wander around with a loaded gun on your hip.
Hmm, read on this, it seems you can carry a loaded gun, you cannot discharge it for any reason in the park boundaries. The idea is to allow a hunters to transport their firearms through the park. In either case, I would not want to shoot a bear, I would lose a lot of friends, including Rangers, just pepper spray them if you have to, better yet, sneak by like Stan does, or say Hey Bear a lot so you don’t surprise them. I know one prolific hiking ranger that never says Hey Bear, when I hike with her I go quiet and sneak by ‘em….
@@martinyuhas929 You are allowed to carry a weapon in Yellowstone but NOT for protection because you are not allowed to fire it, not even as protection against animals. You also cannot take a gun everywhere in Yellowstone, for example, not inside visitor centers. Look it up. I once came across three young men on Slough Creek Trail, all of them carrying assault-style rifles. A park ranger was waiting for them to return at the trailhead parking lot.
@@stokebailey Can you shoot a bear in self defense in Yellowstone?
Grizzlies in the Yellowstone region of southern Montana, eastern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming are a federally protected species. Killing one without a good reason, such as self defense, can bring tough penalties under state and federal law. Self defense is a good reason.
What is that lake at 12:10
It is Lomna Lake.
Lead rope for a horse….
Thank you.
Quintessential Stan Mills video! Superb shots and edits, superb advice, and left me with such a feeling of gratitude for the rare places on earth.. such as Yellowstone. Thanks for taking us there!