♪
IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF WYOMING
LIES A TRULY MAGNIFICENT WORLD...
RINGED BY TOWERING MOUNTAINS...
AND A COLOSSAL DOME OF LAVA, COVERED IN PINES.
IT’S A LAND FORGED
BY THE MIGHTIEST FORCES ON OUR PLANET--
TECTONIC COLLISIONS THAT HAVE THRUST GRANITE PEAKS
MORE THAN 13,000 FEET INTO THE SKY...
SUPER-HEATED GEYSERS
THAT EXPLODE OUT OF THE EARTH BELOW...
AND RAGING WATERS THAT HAVE THE POWER TO AWE.
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND WILDFIRES HAVE DEVASTATED ITS LAND,
BUT ITS FERTILE VALLEYS ARE STILL HOME TO MORE MAMMALS
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE LOWER 48.
♪
WITH ITS STAGGERING BEAUTY...
FRAGILE CREATURES...
[SQUAWKING]
AND COLORFUL SPRINGS
THAT MAY HOLD SECRETS ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF LIFE...
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH.
A PLACE CALLED YELLOWSTONE.
♪
AS SOON AS THE FIRST RAYS OF MORNING LIGHT
HIT THE GREAT GRANITE FORMS OF THE TETONS,
ON WYOMING’S WESTERN BORDER,
YOU CAN ALREADY SENSE THAT THIS IS NO ORDINARY WORLD.
♪
THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE LANDFORMS
IN AMERICA.
THE TALLEST, KNOWN AS GRAND TETON,
SOARS 13,770 FEET INTO THE SKY.
THIS GIANT HUNK OF GRANITE
HAS BEEN PUSHING UP OUT OF THE GROUND
FOR JUST 10 MILLION YEARS.
IT’S ONE OF THE YOUNGEST MOUNTAINS IN THE ROCKIES.
BUT THE ROCK IT’S MADE OF IS SOME OF THE OLDEST ON EARTH.
THE TETONS HAVE BEEN FORMED
BY A CLASH OF TECTONIC PLATES IN THE EARTH’S CRUST.
AS THOSE PLATES COLLIDE, THEY TRIGGER EARTHQUAKES,
WHICH PUSH UP LAYERS OF ANCIENT ROCK, INCH BY INCH,
INTO THESE FORMS WE SEE TODAY.
ONE REASON THE TETONS ARE SO SHARP AT THEIR TIPS
IS BECAUSE EROSION HASN’T YET ROUNDED THE EDGES
OF THESE YOUTHFUL MOUNTAINS
AND WHITTLED THEM DOWN.
THEIR JAGGED SHAPES
ARE WHAT MAKE THEM SO EASILY RECOGNIZABLE.
♪
THE TETONS LIE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT’S KNOWN
AS THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM,
WHICH STRETCHES FROM SOUTHERN WYOMING
ACROSS THE NORTHERN CORNER OF THE STATE,
WEST INTO IDAHO
AND NORTH INTO MONTANA.
AND AT THE HEART OF THIS VAST REGION
ARE THE 2.2 MILLION ACRES OF PROTECTED WILDERNESS
THAT MAKE UP YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
♪
WHEN YOU DESCEND INTO THE VALLEYS OF YELLOWSTONE,
IT CAN SEEM LIKE A VERY PEACEFUL WORLD.
BUT DEEP UNDER THESE MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, AND FORESTS
IS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST DESTRUCTIVE VOLCANIC FORCES
ON THE PLANET--
A GIANT PLUME OF RISING MAGMA
KNOWN AS THE YELLOWSTONE HOTSPOT.
FOR THE PAST 2 MILLION YEARS,
THIS SUPER VOLCANO HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE
FOR CATASTROPHIC ERUPTIONS SO POWERFUL
THEY’VE COVERED MUCH OF THE CONTINENT WITH ASH.
BUT IT’S ALSO WHAT HAS GIVEN BIRTH
TO MANY OF THE WONDERS OF YELLOWSTONE’S LANDSCAPE.
IN 1870,
ONE MAN SUDDENLY FOUND HIMSELF LOST AND ALL ALONE
IN THIS FORBIDDING WORLD.
♪
HIS NAME WAS TRUMAN EVERTS,
AND HE WAS ANYTHING BUT A MOUNTAIN MAN.
HE HAD BEEN THE INTERNAL REVENUE OFFICER FOR MONTANA,
BUT WAS UNEMPLOYED WHEN HE GOT THE CHANCE
TO TAKE PART IN THE FIRST MAJOR EXPEDITION
INTO THE YELLOWSTONE REGION, ON HORSEBACK.
WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM HERE
WOULD SOON BE A WARNING TO OTHERS
ABOUT THE RISKS OF EXPLORING THIS REMOTE VOLCANIC LAND.
IT ALL BEGAN IN THICK FORESTS
ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF YELLOWSTONE LAKE,
WHEN EVERTS SOMEHOW GOT SEPARATED
FROM HIS FELLOW EXPLORERS.
SOON AFTER, HIS HORSE BOLTED,
ALONG WITH ALMOST ALL OF HIS SUPPLIES AND HIS GUN.
BY NIGHTFALL, HE WAS COMPLETELY ALONE
IN THIS WILD LANDSCAPE OF LAKES AND TREES.
ALL HE HAD LEFT WAS A COUPLE OF KNIVES,
AN OPERA GLASS, AND THE CLOTHES ON HIS BACK.
OVER THE COMING DAYS,
HIS FRUITLESS SEARCH FOR HIS COMPANIONS
BROUGHT HIM TO THIS RIVER...
AND THE SHORES OF HEART LAKE.
THIS IS STILL
ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE AREAS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK TODAY.
♪
EVERTS SPENT MOST OF ONE NIGHT HIGH UP IN A TREE,
TRYING TO ESCAPE A HUNGRY MOUNTAIN LION
THAT GROWLED AND PACED THE EARTH BELOW HIM.
IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED,
HE SUFFERED A REMARKABLE SERIES OF MISFORTUNES.
HE MANAGED TO LOSE BOTH HIS KNIVES.
NOT FAR FROM THE LAKE,
HE SLEPT NEAR SOME THERMAL POOLS TO STAY WARM.
BUT ONE NIGHT, IN HIS SLEEP,
HE ROLLED ONTO A STEAMING VENT
AND SCALDED ONE OF HIS HIPS.
HE EVEN ESCAPED A RAGING FOREST FIRE
THAT HE HAD STARTED HIMSELF BY ACCIDENT
AND HAD BURNED OFF MUCH OF HIS HAIR.
EVERY DAY HE GOT MORE AND MORE DELIRIOUS,
AND OLD FRIENDS STARTED SPEAKING TO HIM.
ONE OF THESE PHANTOM COMPANIONS ENCOURAGED HIM TO FORGE ON
UNTIL HE REACHED THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER.
♪
IT WAS ON HIS 37th DAY ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS
THAT EVERTS SUDDENLY HEARD A VOICE CALLING HIS NAME.
IT WAS A BOUNTY HUNTER KNOWN AS "YELLOWSTONE JACK."
WHEN EVERTS WAS FINALLY RESCUED,
HE WEIGHED JUST 90 POUNDS
AND WAS WHAT ONE MAN LATER DESCRIBED
AS "NOTHING BUT A SHADOW."
AT FIRST, HE WAS MISTAKEN FOR A SMALL MANGY BEAR.
EVERTS PUBLISHED AN ACCOUNT OF HIS SURVIVAL,
WHICH HE CALLED "37 DAYS OF PERIL."
SOME QUESTIONED HOW MUCH OF IT WAS TRUE.
BUT IT SUCCEEDED IN PAINTING A PICTURE OF YELLOWSTONE
AS A STRANGE AND FRIGHTENING PLACE,
WHICH ONLY INSPIRED OTHERS
TO WANT TO COME AND SEE IT FOR THEMSELVES.
♪
TODAY, THE LURE OF YELLOWSTONE
IS STILL JUST AS STRONG AS IT WAS 150 YEARS AGO.
THIS TRAIL RUNS FOR ALMOST 17 MILES
UP WHAT’S KNOWN AS SPECIMEN RIDGE.
IT GIVES HIKERS THE CHANCE
TO EXPERIENCE THE YELLOWSTONE REGION
JUST AS NATIVE AMERICANS, TRAPPERS, AND EXPLORERS DID
WHEN THEY FIRST MADE THEIR WAY ACROSS THESE VAST OPEN SPACES.
MANY PARTS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
ARE STILL AS WILD AS THEY WERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.
ONE OF THEM IS THE HAYDEN VALLEY.
♪
UNDER THIS MORNING MIST
LIES ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST MAGNIFICENT LANDSCAPES--
A VAST FERTILE GRASSLAND
FED BY STREAMS THAT WIND THROUGH IT LIKE RIBBONS.
♪
ONCE, THE HAYDEN VALLEY
WAS COVERED BY THE WATERS OF A GIANT LAKE.
BUT, OVER TIME, THE LAKE RETREATED,
AND EVENTUALLY GLACIERS FILLED THE VALLEY.
WHEN THOSE GREAT RIVERS OF ICE MELTED,
ROUGHLY 13,000 YEARS AGO,
THEY LEFT BEHIND DEPOSITS OF CLAY AND SEDIMENT.
THAT NUTRIENT-RICH SOIL
IS WHAT FEEDS THE GRASSES OF THE HAYDEN VALLEY TODAY
AND HAS TURNED IT INTO A PRIME HABITAT
FOR SOME OF NORTH AMERICA’S MOST POWERFUL PREDATORS.
♪
IT’S EARLY JUNE,
AND THE LARGEST WOLF PACK IN YELLOWSTONE
IS ON THE HUNT.
CALLED THE WAPITI LAKE PACK,
IT’S ROUGHLY 20 WOLVES STRONG.
SOME MEMBERS OF THE PACK ARE FINISHING OFF A RECENT KILL--
AN ELK.
TODAY, THERE ARE ABOUT 100 WOLVES
INSIDE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
CENTURIES AGO, THERE WERE MANY MORE.
BUT IN THE 1800s,
WESTWARD EXPANSION AND HUNTING REDUCED THEIR POPULATIONS.
AND STARTING IN 1900,
U.S. GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED HUNTS
REMOVED THEM FROM YELLOWSTONE COMPLETELY.
♪
IN 1995, WOLVES WERE REINTRODUCED INTO THE PARK
TO TRY AND RESTORE THIS ENDANGERED SPECIES
TO ONE OF THEIR ORIGINAL HABITATS.
THEY QUICKLY MADE A COMEBACK.
TODAY, THERE ARE 11 DIFFERENT PACKS INSIDE THE PARK,
AND THEIR TRACKING COLLARS
ENABLE THEM TO BE STUDIED AND MONITORED.
EACH PACK CAN RANGE OVER HUNDREDS OF SQUARE MILES
IN ITS SEARCH FOR FOOD.
BUT THE WAPITI LAKE PACK
OFTEN HUNTS HERE, IN THE HAYDEN VALLEY.
THESE CREATURES MAY BE TOP PREDATORS IN YELLOWSTONE,
BUT THEY ARE SURPRISINGLY VULNERABLE.
THEY OFTEN KILL EACH OTHER
IN BATTLES OVER TERRITORY AND MATES.
SOME HAVE BEEN CRITICALLY INJURED
BY THE PREY THEY HUNT.
ONE DIRECT KICK IN THE JAW FROM AN ELK
CAN EASILY KILL A WOLF.
AND SOME WOLVES
THAT HAVE STRAYED OUTSIDE THE PARK’S BOUNDARIES
HAVE BEEN SHOT BY HUNTERS.
BUT NOW, DURING SPRINGTIME,
THESE WOLVES HAVE PLENTY OF PREY.
AND WITH A PACK THIS BIG,
THEY CAN EVEN TAKE DOWN AN ADULT BISON.
♪
PEERING DOWN ON YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
FROM ABOVE
IS A CHANCE TO WITNESS AN AMAZING ARRAY OF CREATURES
AS THEY TRY TO SURVIVE ONE MORE DAY
IN THIS WILD VOLCANIC WORLD.
BUT IT ALSO MAY BE THE BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND
HOW CATASTROPHIC GEOLOGICAL EVENTS
HAVE FORMED AND SCULPTED
YELLOWSTONE’S MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, AND CANYONS.
♪
THIS 24-MILE-LONG CHASM,
CALLED THE GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE,
IS ONE OF THEM.
♪
THE WALLS OF THIS CANYON PLUNGE 1,200 FEET INTO THE EARTH
AND HOLD THE WATERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER.
♪
GEOLOGISTS BELIEVE IT BEGAN ITS LIFE
AS A LONG FRACTURE IN THE EARTH,
CREATED BY VOLCANIC FORCES
AS THEY PUSHED UP THE CRUST THAT COVERS THE YELLOWSTONE HOTSPOT.
OVER TIME, THERMAL VENTS HELPED BREAK UP THE LAVA
THAT LINE ITS WALLS.
WATER STARTED RUNNING ALONG THE FLOOR OF THE CANYON,
AND EROSION FROM WIND, RAIN, AND MELTING SNOW
ALSO OXIDIZED AND EXPOSED COLORFUL MINERALS IN THE EARTH.
SOME HAVE CLAIMED THAT THE YELLOW WALLS OF THIS CANYON
WERE THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NAME "YELLOWSTONE."
BUT IT PROBABLY COMES INSTEAD
FROM A NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE CALLED THE MINNETAREE,
WHO NAMED THE RIVER "STONE YELLOW"
AFTER THE SANDSTONE BLUFFS THAT LINE ITS BANKS
DOWNSTREAM IN MONTANA.
♪
WHERE THE GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE STARTS
IS ONE OF THE MOST CAPTIVATING SIGHTS
IN THE AMERICAN WEST--
THE GREAT CASCADE OF YELLOWSTONE’S LOWER FALLS.
♪
WHEN AN EARLY EXPEDITION OF EXPLORERS ARRIVED HERE IN 1870,
THEY CLIMBED OVER ROCKS AT THE TOP
AND DANGLED STRINGS, DARINGLY, OVER THE EDGE
TO TRY AND MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF THE FALLS.
THE LEGENDARY MOUNTAIN MAN JIM BRIDGER
HAD CLAIMED THEY PLUNGED A THOUSAND FEET.
♪
THEIR ACTUAL HEIGHT IS 308,
WHICH IS ALMOST TWICE THE HEIGHT OF NIAGARA FALLS.
♪
DURING THE LAST MAJOR ERUPTIONS OF YELLOWSTONE’S SUPER VOLCANO,
ROUGHLY 640,000 YEARS AGO,
MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF MAGMA POURED OUT OF THE EARTH
AND FILLED IN THE FLOOR OF THE VOLCANO’S GIANT CALDERA.
THE LANDSCAPE THESE LAVA FLOWS CREATED
WASN’T VERY FRIENDLY TO PLANTS AND ANIMALS.
BUT OVER TIME, ONE SPECIES OF TREE
MANAGED TO THRIVE ON THE SHALLOW EARTH
THAT COVERS ALL THIS HARDENED LAVA.
THEY’RE CALLED LODGEPOLE PINES,
AND THEY MAKE UP 80% OF ALL THE TREES IN YELLOWSTONE.
♪
ONE REASON THIS SPECIES THRIVES HERE
IS BECAUSE LODGEPOLE PINES HAVE SHALLOW ROOT SYSTEMS
THAT CAN CLING TO THE THIN LAYER OF EARTH THAT COVERS THE LAVA.
BUT EVERY YEAR,
WILDFIRES DESTROY VAST SWATHS OF FOREST IN YELLOWSTONE.
THE LARGEST SERIES OF FIRES, IN 1988,
CAUSED THE ENTIRE PARK TO BE EVACUATED
AND BURNED CLOSE TO 800,000 ACRES.
BUT LODGEPOLE PINES
HAVE AN AMAZING ABILITY TO REGENERATE,
THANKS TO A SECRET WEAPON THAT THEY DEPLOY
WHEN THEY ARE ON THE VERGE OF DEATH.
♪
THESE PINE TREES ARE EQUIPPED WITH A SPECIAL KIND OF CONE.
UNDER INTENSE HEAT FROM WILDFIRES,
THEY BURST OPEN
AND SHOOT THEIR SEEDS OUT ACROSS THE FOREST FLOOR.
♪
AS STANDING TREES ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES,
THEY ARE ALREADY GIVING BIRTH TO NEW ONES THAT WILL REPLACE THEM.
IT’S ONE OF THE MANY WAYS
THAT YELLOWSTONE’S ECOSYSTEM IS EQUIPPED TO BOUNCE BACK
FROM CATASTROPHIC EVENTS.
♪
TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FIRES THAT COULD BURN OUT OF CONTROL,
RANGERS ARE STATIONED HERE AT THIS LOOKOUT TOWER.
IT STANDS ON THE SUMMIT
OF THE 10,243-FOOT-HIGH MOUNT WASHBURN.
BUT WITH MORE THAN 10,000 HYDROTHERMAL FEATURES
IN YELLOWSTONE,
EVEN RANGERS AT THIS STATION NEED TO HAVE A TRAINED EYE.
♪
AS HEAT AND STEAM FROM VENTS, FUMAROLES, POOLS, AND GEYSERS
HITS THE WINTER AIR,
IT’S EASY TO BELIEVE THAT YELLOWSTONE
IS BEING RAVAGED BY FIRE.
IT CAN EVEN LOOK LIKE THERE’S AN INFERNO
RAGING UNDER THE EARTH ITSELF.
WHEN EUROPEAN TRAPPERS, MOUNTAIN MEN,
AND OTHER BRAVE SOULS
JOURNEYED INTO YELLOWSTONE IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY,
THEY OFTEN CAME BACK WITH FANTASTICAL TALES
OF WHAT THEY HAD SEEN.
IN 1829, A 19-YEAR-OLD TRAPPER NAMED JOSEPH MEEK
WROTE IN HIS DIARY THAT
"THE WHOLE COUNTRY
WAS SMOKING WITH THE VAPOR FROM BOILING SPRINGS.
INTERSPERSED AMONG THESE WERE LARGER CRATERS,
SOME OF THEM FOUR TO SIX MILES ACROSS.
OUT OF THESE ISSUED BLUE FLAMES AND MOLTEN BRIMSTONE."
THE LARGEST HOT SPRING IN YELLOWSTONE,
CALLED GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING,
IS ENORMOUS,
WITH A DIAMETER OF 370 FEET.
THAT ALSO MAKES IT THE THIRD LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
BUT IT’S NOWHERE CLOSE TO THE SIZE THAT MEEK DESCRIBED.
NEVERTHELESS,
COLORFUL AND EXAGGERATED TALES LIKE HIS
GOT PEOPLE MORE AND MORE INTRIGUED
ABOUT THIS WILD AND REMOTE REGION.
♪
BY THE MIDDLE OF THE 19th CENTURY,
RUMORS WERE SPREADING ABOUT WHAT LAY INSIDE
THE MYSTERIOUS REGION CALLED YELLOWSTONE.
AFTER THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
AUTHORIZED THE NEW TERRITORIES OF MONTANA AND WYOMING
IN THE 1860s,
THERE WAS ALSO GROWING INTEREST BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
TO EXPLORE EVERY CORNER OF THESE NEW WESTERN LANDS.
FINALLY, IN 1870,
THE SURVEYOR GENERAL, A MAN NAMED HENRY WASHBURN,
LED THE FIRST MAJOR EXPEDITION INTO YELLOWSTONE.
♪
ON AUGUST 22nd, THE 19 MEMBERS OF THE PARTY,
KNOWN AS THE WASHBURN- LANGFORD-DOANE EXPEDITION,
SET OFF FROM FORT ELLIS IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA,
ON HORSEBACK.
THIS FARM NOW LIES ON THE SITE OF THAT FORMER FORT,
WHICH IS NO LONGER STANDING.
WASHBURN AND THE OTHERS MADE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE PLATEAU
AND ALONG THE RIM
OF THE GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
A FEW DAYS LATER, THEY THOUGHT THEY SAW SMOKE IN THE DISTANCE.
BUT REALIZING IT WAS ACTUALLY STEAM,
THEY CELEBRATED.
FINALLY, THEY WERE CLOSE TO THE MYSTERIOUS THERMAL FEATURES
THEY HAD HEARD SO MANY STORIES ABOUT.
WHEN THEY REACHED THE UPPER GEYSER BASIN,
THIS WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST SIGHTS
THEY SET EYES ON.
SINCE THEY THOUGHT IT LOOKED LIKE TURRETS ON A CASTLE,
THEY NAMED IT "CASTLE GEYSER."
IT STILL ERUPTS EVERY 10-12 HOURS
AND SENDS A STREAM OF WATER UP TO 90 FEET INTO THE SKY.
♪
AS THEY MAPPED, MEASURED, AND DOCUMENTED
EVERYTHING THEY SAW,
THEY NAMED MANY MORE OF YELLOWSTONE’S IMPRESSIVE SIGHTS.
♪
AFTER WATCHING THE WATERS OF A SMALL CREEK
RACE THROUGH THIS NARROW CHANNEL
AND THEN PLUNGE TO THE VALLEY BELOW,
THEY NAMED THIS SITE "TOWER FALL."
BUT SINCE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF WATERFALLS IN YELLOWSTONE,
BIG AND SMALL,
THERE WERE FAR TOO MANY FOR THE EXPEDITION TO NAME.
♪
ONE OUTCOME OF THE WASHBURN EXPEDITION
WAS THAT MORE AND MORE SCIENTISTS
STARTED GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT YELLOWSTONE.
IN 1871, THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
BACKED PLANS FOR A NEW EXPEDITION
TO THOROUGHLY DOCUMENT THE REGION’S PLANTS,
ANIMALS, AND MINERALS
AND TO MAP ITS LAKES AND THERMAL FEATURES.
IT WAS LED BY A GEOLOGIST NAMED FERDINAND HAYDEN.
WITH THEM WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER, WILLIAM HENRY JACKSON.
LUGGING 300 POUNDS OF GEAR,
INCLUDING HIS LARGE FORMAT BLACK-AND-WHITE CAMERA,
JACKSON TOOK THE FIRST-EVER PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
OF YELLOWSTONE.
♪
BUT IT WAS AN OIL PAINTER ON THE EXPEDITION
NAMED THOMAS MORAN
WHO BROUGHT IT ALL ALIVE
IN FULL-BLOWN COLOR.
♪
MORAN’S MOST FAMOUS PAINTING IS OF THE LOWER FALLS,
VIEWED FROM INSIDE
THE GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
THE IMAGES AND SPECIMENS THAT HAYDEN’S TEAM COLLECTED
WERE PUT ON DISPLAY IN WASHINGTON
AND HELPED ENERGIZE A MOVEMENT
TO CONVINCE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO SET ASIDE AND PROTECT YELLOWSTONE
AS A HUGE PUBLIC PARK.
IT TOOK THREE TRIES TO GET CONGRESS TO VOTE ON THE BILL.
BUT WHEN IT DID, ON FEBRUARY 27, 1872,
IT PASSED, WITH 115 VOTES IN FAVOR.
AND THAT’S HOW YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
WAS BORN.
IT WAS THE FIRST PIECE OF WILD LAND IN AMERICA
SET ASIDE FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES
TO BE MANAGED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SINCE THEN, 58 MORE NATIONAL PARKS HAVE FOLLOWED.
♪
SOON AFTER YELLOWSTONE WAS CREATED,
A NEW MOUNTAIN TOWN IN MONTANA, CALLED GARDINER,
BEGAN SERVING AS ITS NORTHERN GATEWAY,
AND STILL DOES TODAY.
HIKERS AND FISHERMEN COME HERE TO OUTFIT THEMSELVES
FOR THEIR JOURNEYS INTO THE PARK.
IN 1903, A STONE ARCH WAS ERECTED TO MARK THE ENTRANCE.
WHEN IT WAS BEING BUILT,
PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT
HAPPENED TO BE ON VACATION IN YELLOWSTONE.
THE MASONS CONVINCED HIM TO LAY THE CORNERSTONE,
AND THAT’S WHY THE ARCH WAS NAMED IN ROOSEVELT’S HONOR.
SINCE THEN,
MILLIONS OF EXCITED VISITORS HAVE PASSED UNDER IT,
EAGER TO SEE AMERICA’S FIRST NATIONAL PARK
FOR THEMSELVES.
ABOVE THEM ARE THE WORDS,
"FOR THE BENEFIT AND ENJOYMENT OF THE PEOPLE."
ANOTHER MAJOR JUMPING-OFF POINT TO THE NEW PARK
WAS THE TOWN OF JACKSON, WYOMING.
IT GOT ITS START AS A FUR TRADING HUB,
AND LIKE GARDINER,
JACKSON IS ALSO FAMOUS FOR AN ARCH.
IN FACT, IT HAS FOUR OF THEM ON ITS TOWN SQUARE.
EACH ONE TOOK ABOUT 10,000 POUNDS OF ELK ANTLER TO BUILD.
JACKSON LIES IN THE VALLEY OF JACKSON HOLE,
ALONG THE SNAKE RIVER,
SOUTHEAST OF THE TETONS.
BY THE 1920s, A PAVED ROAD HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTED
FROM JACKSON INTO YELLOWSTONE,
AND MORE THAN 400 YELLOW TOUR BUSES
WERE ALREADY SHUTTLING VISITORS ALL AROUND THE PARK.
TODAY, A FEW OF THESE HISTORIC VEHICLES
ARE STILL IN OPERATION.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
COVERS 3,472 SQUARE MILES OF TERRITORY.
BUT IT HAS ONLY 466 MILES OF ROADS.
♪
IN THE BUSIEST MONTH OF JULY,
THEY CARRY MORE THAN 30,000 VISITORS,
WHICH IS THREE TIMES THE POPULATION OF JACKSON.
AND THAT’S WHY TRAFFIC JAMS ARE COMMON.
BUT TOURISTS ARE JUST THE LATEST
IN A LONG HISTORY OF THOSE WHO HAVE EXPLORED
YELLOWSTONE’S HILLS, RIVERS, AND VALLEYS.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE
THAT NATIVE AMERICANS WERE HERE 11,000 YEARS AGO.
LATER, THE REGION WAS USED BY ANCESTORS
OF THE TRIBES KNOWN TODAY AS THE BLACKFEET, BANNOCK,
NEZ PERCE, SHOSHONE,
AND UMATILLA, AMONG OTHERS.
BECAUSE OF YELLOWSTONE’S HARSH WINTERS,
MOST TRIBES CAME IN THE SUMMER MONTHS
TO FISH IN ITS RIVERS,
JUST LIKE PEOPLE STILL DO TODAY.
BUT THEY ALSO CAME TO HUNT.
THE PLATEAU’S LOCATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT NATIVE AMERICAN LANDS
MADE IT A CONVENIENT PLACE FOR TRIBES TO GATHER AND TRADE.
ONE KNOWN MEETING SPOT WAS HERE,
ON THE NORTH SIDE OF YELLOWSTONE LAKE,
WHERE FISHING BRIDGE NOW CROSSES THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER.
♪
BUT YELLOWSTONE HAD SOMETHING ELSE TO OFFER,
THANKS TO ITS VOLCANIC PAST--
A SPECIAL KIND OF ROCK
THAT WAS PERFECT FOR MAKING TOOLS AND WEAPONS.
DEPOSITS OF IT CAN STILL BE FOUND HERE
AT OBSIDIAN CLIFF.
THESE DARK, JAGGED FORMS ARE ACTUALLY VOLCANIC GLASS.
TODAY, SURGEONS USE SCALPELS MADE FROM OBSIDIAN
IN SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST DELICATE SURGICAL PROCEDURES.
BUT FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
NATIVE AMERICANS USED IT TO MAKE KNIVES AND ARROWHEADS.
BY X-RAYING OBSIDIAN,
RESEARCHERS CAN TELL WHICH VOLCANIC SOURCE IT COMES FROM.
IT’S HOW THEY DISCOVERED
THAT TOOLS FOUND IN NATIVE AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS
AS FAR AWAY AS OHIO
CAME FROM THE WALLS OF OBSIDIAN CLIFF
IN YELLOWSTONE.
IT’S POWERFUL EVIDENCE
OF YELLOWSTONE’S RICH HUMAN HISTORY,
LONG BEFORE TOURISTS FLOCKED HERE
TO SEE ITS RIVERS, WILDLIFE, AND THERMAL FEATURES.
♪
THE LAST MAJOR ERUPTIONS OF YELLOWSTONE’S SUPER VOLCANO
HAPPENED MORE THAN 600,000 YEARS AGO.
THE NEXT MAJOR ERUPTION
COULD OBLITERATE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
BUT SCIENTISTS SAY
THAT’S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON.
BUT WHILE YELLOWSTONE COULD ULTIMATELY BE DESTROYED
BY FORCES UNDERGROUND,
MUCH OF WHAT GIVES THE PARK ITS LIFE
FALLS DOWN FROM THE SKY--
SNOW.
ALONG YELLOWSTONE’S EASTERN BORDER
IS A PIECE OF THE ROCKIES KNOWN AS THE ABSAROKA RANGE.
IF YOU FOLLOW THE RIDGES OF THESE JAGGED PEAKS
AS THEY CLIMB HIGHER AND HIGHER,
THEY WILL LEAD YOU RIGHT TO THE TOP
OF A SNOW-COVERED SUMMIT CALLED YOUNT’S PEAK.
♪
IT TOUCHES THE SKY AT 12,165 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL
AND WAS NAMED AFTER A COLORFUL CHARACTER
NAMED HENRY YOUNT.
HE WAS A 19th-CENTURY HUNTER, PROSPECTOR, CIVIL WAR SOLDIER,
AND THE FIRST OFFICIAL GAMEKEEPER
OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
COME WINTER, THIS IS A HARSH, UNINHABITABLE WORLD.
BUT YOUNT’S PEAK AND ITS SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS
ARE ALSO THE LIFE FORCE OF YELLOWSTONE.
♪
OVER MILLENNIA, SNOWMELT FROM THESE GIANTS
HAS FLOWED DOWN INTO THE VALLEYS BELOW
AND CONVERGED TO CREATE THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER.
FOR MONTHS AT A TIME, THIS RIVER IS COVERED BY SNOW,
AS IT WINDS THROUGH THE THOROFARE VALLEY.
THIS VALLEY HAS BEEN CALLED
THE MOST REMOTE PIECE OF WILDERNESS IN THE LOWER 48
BECAUSE IT LIES MORE THAN 20 MILES FROM ANY ROAD.
TO AID THOSE WHO VENTURE THIS FAR INTO YELLOWSTONE’S INTERIOR,
A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RANGER IS POSTED HERE
AT THE TINY THOROFARE RANGER STATION.
OVER THE YEARS,
THESE RANGERS HAVE RESCUED MANY INJURED HIKERS.
THEY ARE ALSO HERE TO NAB POACHERS
WHO VENTURE ILLEGALLY ONTO PARK LAND.
BUT WHEN THE SNOW ARRIVES,
THIS LONELY OUTPOST IS SHUTTERED FOR THE HARSH WINTER AHEAD.
THIS VALLEY GOT ITS NAME, THE THOROFARE,
BECAUSE IT WAS ONCE THE PRIMARY ROUTE
THAT NATIVE AMERICANS AND FUR TRAPPERS USED
TO GET INTO YELLOWSTONE FROM JACKSON, WYOMING, TO THE SOUTH.
IN WINTER,
THEIR EARLY TRAILS PROBABLY LOOKED A LOT LIKE THIS ONE,
MADE BY THE SNOWSHOES OF HIKERS
AS THEY CROSSED THE FROZEN WATERS
OF THE THOROFARE VALLEY.
LIKE THEM, EARLY TRAVELERS ALSO CARVED HOLES IN THE ICE
TO GET TO WATER AND FISH BELOW.
♪
UNDER THIS FROZEN WILDERNESS,
THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER CONTINUES ITS JOURNEY.
ITS WATERS ARE THE SOURCE OF ONE OF YELLOWSTONE’S WONDERS--
A 132-SQUARE-MILE BODY OF WATER
THAT’S THE LARGEST HIGH ELEVATION LAKE
ON THE CONTINENT.
YELLOWSTONE’S LAST MAJOR VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
LEFT BEHIND A GIANT CALDERA.
OVER TIME,
WATER FROM THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER AND THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS
FILLED IT UP AND CREATED YELLOWSTONE LAKE.
THE FLOOR OF THIS LAKE DROPS TO A DEPTH OF 390 FEET,
AND LIKE THE GROUND ALL OVER YELLOWSTONE,
IT, TOO, IS RIDDLED WITH ACTIVE THERMAL VENTS.
BUT IN THE WINTER,
THE TOP TWO FEET OF THE LAKE ARE STILL OFTEN SOLID ICE.
♪
ON THE NORTH SIDE,
THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER EMERGES AGAIN
TO BEGIN A SLOW, WINDING JOURNEY THROUGH THE HAYDEN VALLEY.
THIS IS A FREQUENT GATHERING SPOT
FOR ONE OF YELLOWSTONE’S MOST FRAGILE SPECIES--
TRUMPETER SWANS.
WITH A WINGSPAN THAT CAN REACH 8 FEET ACROSS,
THEY ARE THE LARGEST WILD WATERFOWL IN THE U.S.
THIS SHALLOW, SLOW-MOVING SECTION OF THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER
IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR THEM TO FEED ON PLANTS UNDERWATER,
EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER.
♪
LESS THAN A CENTURY AGO,
THIS SPECIES WAS ALMOST EXTINCT IN NORTH AMERICA.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS HELPED THEM MAKE A COMEBACK,
AND BY 1961, THERE WERE 72 SWANS INSIDE THE PARK.
BUT SINCE THEN, THEIR POPULATION HAS BEEN DECLINING.
ONE REASON IS THAT SWANS HAVE BECOME PREY FOR EAGLES,
WHICH USED TO FEED PRIMARILY ON NATIVE CUTTHROAT TROUT.
BUT THEN, A NON-NATIVE SPECIES OF TROUT
INVADED YELLOWSTONE’S RIVERS AND LAKES.
NOW THE EAGLES HUNT SWANS.
JUST 29 OF THESE GRACEFUL CREATURES
ARE LEFT IN YELLOWSTONE,
AND SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING HARD TO TRY AND SAVE THIS SPECIES
BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS COMPLETELY.
♪
THE AVERAGE ELEVATION OF THE YELLOWSTONE PLATEAU
IS 8,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
AND IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER,
TEMPERATURES HERE CAN DROP
TO 40 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT BELOW ZERO.
HIGH UP IN THE MOUNTAINS,
RECORDED ANNUAL SNOWFALL HAS BEEN KNOWN TO HIT 30 FEET.
♪
BY FEBRUARY,
MANY LAKES THROUGHOUT THE YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
ARE FROZEN SOLID.
AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SOME LOCALS EAGERLY WAIT FOR--
SO THEY CAN HEAD OUT,
BRAVE THE COLD, AND FISH.
EAST OF THE PARK’S BOUNDARIES
LIES THE LOWER SUNSHINE RESERVOIR,
IN MEETEETSE, WYOMING.
TODAY, IT’S JUST ONE GIANT SHEET OF SOLID ICE.
IT’S ALSO THE SITE OF THE ANNUAL MEETEETSE ICE FISHING DERBY.
EVERY YEAR, TEAMS COME HERE AND SPEND A DAY ON THE ICE
TO SEE WHO CAN CATCH THE BIGGEST FISH.
THE TEAM THAT CATCHES THE SIX LONGEST AND FATTEST FISH WINS.
MOST ARE CUTTHROAT AND RAINBOW TROUT.
THIS YEAR, THE WINNING TEAM’S SIX FISH
MEASURED IN AT 189.75 INCHES.
♪
FOR CREATURES ALL ACROSS THE YELLOWSTONE REGION,
THE BEGINNING OF EVERY WINTER
IS THE START OF ANOTHER TOUGH SIX-MONTH BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL.
AND THERE’S NO BETTER PLACE TO WITNESS THAT BATTLE
THAN HERE, THE LAMAR VALLEY.
IT’S WHERE BALD EAGLES JOURNEY OUT OF THEIR NESTS TO HUNT
AND SCAVENGE LEFTOVERS FROM THE KILLS OF GRAY WOLVES.
♪
ABOVE THE LAMAR VALLEY,
BIGHORN SHEEP USE THE STEEP ROCKY LANDSCAPE
TO HIDE FROM PREDATORS.
LIKE MANY OF YELLOWSTONE’S CREATURES,
THEY FIND SAFETY IN NUMBERS.
BUT NEARBY, A EWE HAS BEEN LEFT BEHIND.
WITH A LAME FRONT LEG,
SHE STRUGGLES TO GET THROUGH THE DEEP SNOW.
SHE’S THE PERFECT TARGET FOR A PACK OF YELLOWSTONE’S WOLVES.
BUT SHE HASN’T BEEN SPOTTED YET.
♪
IN A LAND THAT’S PLUNGED INTO A DEEP FREEZE
FOR MOST OF THE YEAR,
YELLOWSTONE’S CREATURES HAVE HAD TO HONE THEIR SURVIVAL SKILLS.
♪
BUT WINTER IS PARTICULARLY HARD ON ONE SPECIES--
BISON.
WEIGHING UP TO 2,000 POUNDS, THEY HAVE TO MOVE CONSTANTLY
TO FIND ENOUGH NUTRITION TO SURVIVE UNTIL SPRING.
THIS HERD IS FOLLOWING A MIGRATION ROUTE
ALONG THE FIREHOLE RIVER.
WHEN BISON DO FIND FOOD,
THEY USUALLY GRAZE UNTIL IT’S ALL GONE.
♪
ONCE, THESE CREATURES BLANKETED THE GREAT PLAINS
BY THE TENS OF MILLIONS.
NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES TOOK PART IN ANNUAL BISON HUNTS
AND USED JUST ABOUT EVERY PART OF THE ANIMALS THEY KILLED--
FOR FOOD, SHELTER, AND TOOLS.
AFTER EUROPEANS STARTED FANNING OUT ACROSS THE WEST,
BISON WERE SLAUGHTERED BY THE TENS OF THOUSANDS
FOR THEIR MEAT AND SKINS,
AND SOMETIMES JUST FOR ENTERTAINMENT.
WITHIN A FEW DECADES,
AMERICA’S BISON WERE ALMOST EXTINCT.
TODAY, ROUGHLY 5,000 OF THESE CREATURES
INHABIT YELLOWSTONE.
IT’S THE ONLY PLACE IN THE NATION
WHERE BISON HAVE LIVED CONTINUOUSLY
SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES.
THE LARGE HUMPS ON THEIR BACKS ARE JUST BIG BUNDLES OF MUSCLE
THAT PROVIDE EXTRA POWER TO A BISON’S HEAD
TO HELP THEM CLEAR SNOW
SO THEY CAN ACCESS GRASSES BELOW.
BUT WINTER GRASSES HAVE ABOUT AS MUCH NUTRITION AS CARDBOARD.
SO, WITHOUT RESERVES OF FAT
BUILT UP DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS
AND THICK COATS,
THESE ANIMALS WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SURVIVE
WINTER IN YELLOWSTONE.
AND MANY DON’T.
ABOUT 9% OF ADULTS WON’T MAKE IT UNTIL SPRING.
BABY BISON ARE EVEN MORE VULNERABLE
TO THE COLD AND LACK OF FOOD.
EVERY YEAR,
UP TO 40% OF THE PARK’S YOUNGEST BISON
PERISH DURING THE WINTER,
FROM EXPOSURE, PREDATION, AND ACCIDENTAL DEATH.
BUT YELLOWSTONE CAN BE DANGEROUS AND EVEN DEADLY
FOR HUMANS, TOO.
EVERY YEAR, AT LEAST ONE OR TWO VISITORS TO THE PARK
ARE GORED BY BISON
AFTER GETTING TOO CLOSE FOR PHOTO OPS AND SELFIES.
AND IN 2018,
TWO WOMEN WERE KICKED BY ELK NEAR A YELLOWSTONE HOTEL.
AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN THE PARK’S THERMAL POOLS.
MOST FALL IN ACCIDENTALLY.
BUT IN 1981, A MAN DECIDED TO DIVE INTO A POOL
THAT WAS 202 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
TO TRY AND SAVE HIS FRIEND’S DROWNING DOG.
NEITHER HE NOR THE DOG SURVIVED.
BUT FOR HIKERS OUT IN YELLOWSTONE’S BACKCOUNTRY,
ONE OF THE BIGGEST POTENTIAL DANGERS
IS A MOTHER GRIZZLY WITH CUBS.
BEAR ATTACKS IN YELLOWSTONE ARE RARE.
BUT, SINCE 1872,
AT LEAST EIGHT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MAULED TO DEATH BY BEARS,
INSIDE THE PARK.
ONE HAPPENED SURPRISINGLY CLOSE TO THE MAIN ROAD.
IT WAS ABOUT 8:30 A.M. ON JULY 6, 2011,
WHEN A COUPLE FROM CALIFORNIA PARKED THEIR CAR IN THIS LOT
AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE HAYDEN VALLEY.
THIS IS THE STARTING POINT OF THE WAPITI LAKE TRAIL.
AS THEY SET OUT FOR A DAY HIKE, THEY PASSED A SIGN THAT READ,
"DANGER, YOU ARE ENTERING BEAR COUNTRY."
THE COUPLE HEADED EAST, ACROSS THIS OPEN HILLSIDE.
THEIR FIRST DESTINATION WAS YELLOWSTONE’S CLEAR LAKE.
AFTER THEY LEFT THE FOREST, ANOTHER HIKER ALERTED THEM
TO A MOTHER GRIZZLY AND HER TWO CUBS
FORAGING IN A FIELD BELOW THEM.
THE COUPLE PHOTOGRAPHED THE BEARS,
WHICH STILL LOOKED LIKE TINY DOTS IN THE DISTANCE.
THEY DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE A THREAT,
SO THE COUPLE CONTINUED ON AND CROSSED HOT SPRING CREEK.
♪
BUT SWARMS OF MOSQUITOS QUICKLY FORCED THEM TO TURN BACK.
THAT’S WHEN THEY SPOTTED THE MOTHER BEAR AGAIN.
BUT NOW SHE WAS MUCH CLOSER,
JUST 100 YARDS AWAY.
AS THE COUPLE TURNED AND HEADED TOWARD THE TREES,
THE MOTHER GRIZZLY SPOTTED THEM.
♪
SUDDENLY, SHE STARTED TO CHARGE.
THE MAN AND HIS WIFE BEGAN YELLING
AS THEY RAN INTO THE FOREST.
BUT WITHIN SECONDS, 500 FEET UP THE TRAIL,
THE GRIZZLY CAUGHT UP TO THEM, KNOCKED THE MAN DOWN,
AND MAULED HIM TO DEATH.
SHE TURNED BACK TO FIND HIS WIFE,
WHO WAS HIDING UNDER A FALLEN TREE,
JUST 15 FEET AWAY.
THE GRIZZLY PICKED HER UP BY HER BACKPACK
AND PUT HER DOWN AGAIN, UNINJURED.
THEN SHE LEFT.
♪
AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK,
THE COUPLE WAS LESS THAN A MILE AND A HALF FROM THEIR CAR.
SINCE THAT DAY,
THERE HAVE BEEN TWO MORE FATAL BEAR ATTACKS
INSIDE THE PARK.
AT THE SCENE OF ONE OF THESE KILLINGS,
PARK OFFICIALS FOUND DNA FROM THE SAME MOTHER GRIZZLY
THAT HAD MAULED THE MAN IN 2011.
THEY ALSO FOUND DISTURBING EVIDENCE
THAT SHE HAD FED ON HUMAN REMAINS.
FEARFUL THAT SHE MIGHT NOW CONSIDER PEOPLE AS FOOD,
THE PARK’S SUPERINTENDENT
DECIDED TO FIND THE BEAR AND PUT HER DOWN.
HER CUBS WERE SPARED AND SENT TO THE TOLEDO ZOO.
♪
EVERY HIKER IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
WHO HAS SUDDENLY FOUND THEMSELVES
FACE TO FACE WITH A GRIZZLY
KNOWS JUST HOW TERRIFYING THESE GIANT PREDATORS CAN BE.
MALES LIKE THIS ONE,
FORAGING ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HAYDEN VALLEY,
CAN WEIGH UP TO 700 POUNDS.
THEY ARE YELLOWSTONE’S APEX PREDATOR
NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR SIZE;
THEIR BONE AND MUSCLE DENSITIES ARE 10 TIMES THAT OF HUMANS.
THEY CAN BITE, SCRATCH, AND MAUL WITH MORE POWER
THAN ANY OTHER PREDATOR IN NORTH AMERICA.
BUT GRIZZLIES AREN’T JUST CARNIVORES.
UP TO 90% OF THEIR DIET
IS MADE UP OF PLANTS, ROOTS, AND BERRIES.
USUALLY, THEY ONLY ATTACK HUMANS
WHEN THEY FEEL THREATENED OR GET SURPRISED.
BUT WITH AN ESTIMATED 150 GRIZZLIES IN YELLOWSTONE,
IT’S EASY FOR BEARS AND PEOPLE TO GET DANGEROUSLY CLOSE.
♪
BEGINNING IN THE FALL, THOUSANDS OF ELK
FROM YELLOWSTONE’S SOUTHERNMOST MOUNTAINS
MIGRATE DOWN TO THE VALLEYS BELOW.
MANY HEAD OUTSIDE THE PARK’S BOUNDARIES
AND GATHER HERE IN JACKSON HOLE.
THEY COME TO ESCAPE YELLOWSTONE’S DEEP FREEZE.
IN 1912, CLOSE TO 25,000 ACRES WERE SET ASIDE FOR ELK
ON LAND JUST NORTH OF THE TOWN OF JACKSON.
THIS IS THE NATIONAL ELK REFUGE.
IT’S HOME TO ONE OF THE LARGEST HERDS OF ELK IN THE NATION.
♪
ONCE, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE CREATURES
WINTERED HERE.
BUT ROADS, DEVELOPMENT, AND HUNTING
HAVE REDUCED THAT NUMBER TO LESS THAN 7,500 TODAY.
ELK BREED IN THE SUMMER AND FALL,
AND SO, BY FEBRUARY,
THE COWS ARE LATE IN THEIR 8 1/2-MONTH PREGNANCY.
TO CONSERVE ENERGY,
MOST SPEND THEIR DAYS RESTING ON THE VALLEY FLOOR.
THE BULLS ARE OFTEN THE ONES THAT HEAD UP TO THE HIGH SLOPES
TO FORAGE.
IN EARLY SPRING,
THE ANTLERS ON THE BULLS NATURALLY LOOSEN AND FALL OFF.
IT’S A WAY FOR THESE ANIMALS
TO REDUCE THE CALORIES THEY NEED TO SURVIVE.
♪
BY THE TIME ELK BEGIN THEIR MIGRATIONS
DOWN FROM YELLOWSTONE’S MOUNTAINS,
THE PARK’S HUMAN VISITORS START TO DWINDLE TO A TRICKLE.
IN WINTER, THERE’S ONLY ONE ROAD OPEN INTO YELLOWSTONE,
FROM GARDINER, MONTANA.
FOR ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR,
FROM OCTOBER TO MAY,
MUCH OF THE PARK IS COMPLETELY INACCESSIBLE.
MOST OF ITS HOTELS AND LODGES ARE CLOSED.
DEEP SNOW BLANKETS THE NORMALLY CROWDED BOARDWALKS
THAT LINE MANY OF THE PARK’S MOST VISITED SITES,
LIKE THIS ONE--
NORRIS GEYSER BASIN.
DURING THESE MONTHS,
SOME VISITORS GET AROUND THE PARK
ON GROOMED SNOWMOBILE TRAILS.
OTHERS USE OFFICIAL SNOW COACHES,
WHICH ARE REALLY JUST SHUTTLE BUSES
THAT RIDE ON GIANT SNOW TIRES.
BUT WITH SO FEW HUMAN NOISES IN YELLOWSTONE DURING THE WINTER,
THIS IS THE TIME WHEN THE PARK’S ANCIENT SOUNDSCAPE
CAN BE HEARD IN ITS PUREST FORM.
THE SILENCE OF ITS VAST OPEN SPACES
MUFFLED BY SNOW...
[WIND HOWLING]
THE HOWL OF WINTER WIND WHIPPING AROUND JAGGED PEAKS...
[BIRD CHIRPING]
VALLEYS THAT ECHO WITH CALLS OF THE WILD...
[WOLF HOWLING]
[CRACKLING]
AND THE CRACKLING SOUNDS OF SHIFTING ICE
ON YELLOWSTONE’S STREAMS.
[CRACKLING]
BUT ALSO, THE ENDLESS SPUTTER OF MUD POTS,
BUBBLING AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS...
[HISSING]
AND THE SUDDEN RUSH OF GEYSERS,
EXPLODING INTO THE SKY.
♪
SOUNDS LIKE THESE
HAVE BEEN ECHOING ACROSS THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS...
WHILE THE SNOW-COVERED PEAKS OF THE TETONS
HAVE BEEN CLIMBING HIGHER AND HIGHER INTO THE SKY
AND GREAT WINTER SNOWFALLS HAVE BEEN FEEDING THE RIVERS
THAT RACE AND PLUNGE THROUGH YELLOWSTONE’S CANYONS.
BUT WHAT MAKES THIS VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE TRULY UNIQUE
IS HOW IT SUPPORTS SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LIFE.
AND SOME OF THE MOST FASCINATING ONES
ARE INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE,
UNTIL THEY CLUSTER TOGETHER BY THE BILLIONS.
♪
THE BRILLIANT YELLOWS, ORANGES, AND GREENS
OF GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING
ARE ACTUALLY THE COLORS OF UNIQUE MICROORGANISMS,
CALLED EXTREMOPHILES.
SINCE THEY THRIVE IN EXTREME CONDITIONS,
SCIENTISTS HOPE THEY MIGHT HOLD CLUES
ABOUT WHAT LIFE COULD LOOK LIKE ON PLANETS LIKE MARS.
WITH EVERYTHING FROM TINY MICROBES
TO TOWERING PREDATORS,
YELLOWSTONE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST NATURAL LABORATORIES
ON EARTH.
IT’S NOT SURPRISING
THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY FANTASTICAL TALES
ABOUT THIS STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE
AND WHY EVEN THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE IT FOR THEMSELVES
CAN HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT IT’S REAL.
♪