Compass? Check. Topo Map? Check. Washer? Uh....

JULY 12, 2007

Intense amounts of bushwhacking.... A campsite reputed to be the hardest in the park to find.... Loads more bushwhacking the following day.... A freaky high cliff and distinctly brilliant vantage point from a rock outcropping christened “The Promontory”.... And finally, the goal: A rare and almost seldom visited geothermal area, far from the eyes and potentially destructive hands of most Yellowstone sightseers. We could only be preparing to visit one place: Fairyland.

The very thought of one day standing in that precise location had resulted in several sleepless nights and week upon week of preparation. I’d first discussed the idea with my pal Zach toward the beginning of our summer stay in Canyon Village. He’d been chillin’ late one night (as he worked shifts from 10 pm-2 am) and I’d told the story of Geyser Gary and of the famous basin. Zach, who immensely loves hiking and the thrill of discovery, was all for the journey. He and I had become backpacking companions, as we had the same days off and a shared love of the backcountry. Of course, he was the more ambitious of the two of us and backpacked more than I did, and he was also the more experienced with route-making, by far. As a kid, his parents had dropped him off in random places and he’d used a compass and topo map to find his way back home.... Yay for lack of television and trusting parents! He claimed to have gotten lost only once, and also said that he’d later taught a class on orienteering. Perfecto.

The expertise of Zach was really the first thing to trigger a newfound belief in our abilities. Fairyland, which had basically been a kind of, “Heck yeah, I’m all for it!.... maybe in 2 years, when I’m not so entirely incompetent and easily targeted by bears in the backcountry....” soon took on real proportions. Dude, it was possible.

We spent about 2 weeks really putting our preparations into place. We talked to Jesse, a cook in Canyon and fellow employee who’d been to the basin, and he drew us a map and imparted some useful directions. I also had the good fortune to talk to Chase, another guy who’d been to Fairyland a few times. That conversation was kind of interesting.... I went to attempt to eat something before we left, and was queasily surveying the cereal in front of me (cos I was ridiculously hyped up and contemplating my death in the event that I goofed and plummeted to a bloody demise.... Yeah, I’m a bit morbid, I’ll admit it....), when I saw him enter the EDR (employee dining room.... or eventual death room, if you prefer....). I allowed him time to get his food, and then accosted him as soon as he’d taken his place. I proceeded to introduce myself, and then said, “I hear you’ve been to Fairyland. We’re leaving to find it today.” He took one look at me and said, “You’ll never make it.” Ah sh**, why not?! I thought that maybe something horrible had happened, like there was more debris along the cliff wall or something. That wouldn’t bode well.... (I was seriously paranoid about the cliff descent, if you couldn’t tell....) As I sat contemplating new scenarios involving different manners of death, Chase continued with, “You’ve got to be prepared.” I jumped at that, and said, “We’ve got a compass, a topo map of the area, and GPS coordinates to the campsite.” He then started to look a bit more impressed, and I eventually started throwing out names of other backcountry geothermal areas I’d visited, to make myself sound more credible instead of coming off as some silly little kid with a death wish.

Chase and I struck up a quick friendship (or at least he was more willing to talk), and he gave me further directions and advised us to stay on higher ground until the last possible minute. I think it was the Higher Ground Approach that led to our success....

*A little side story—
Andi, one of our fellow housekeepers, wanted desperately to find Fairyland this summer and organised two expeditions of her own. However, she was successful in neither of her attempts, which was really too bad. Her first expedition left 2 days before ours, and we were slated to meet their group on their return trip out from 4B1, the backcountry campsite in Joseph’s Coat Hot Springs. I think she had difficulties because they didn’t keep to higher ground either time.... They followed Broad Creek their first go-round, but eventually had to turn round cos the waterfalls along the route were ridiculously difficult to maneuver. The second time she tried another route, but also ended up having issues. It just means she’ll have to come back to Yellowstone again and try once more for the immense brilliance of descending into the basin.... Good luck, Andi, when you have another go!

All righty then, back to the main narrative….

I parted from Chase, keeping his advice in mind, and went to find Zach and also Tim. Tim had decided only the night before to make another addition to our expedition. Eva had planned to go, but ended up deciding against making the trip. She agreed to switch work days with Tim, thus freeing him to go along with us. He was pretty excited, as were Zach and I. I tell ya what, there’s nothing so wonderful as heading off into the Yellowstone backcountry to find places far off the beaten path.