Like most of my adventures, nothing ever goes as planned.
This morning started out like any other. Wake up, get ready for the day, put on my hiking boots, grab Watson, and go explore our new back yard.
We make it a couple feet from the front door and Watson decides he doesn’t want to go… So, I put him back in the house, grab my camera, and head out on my own.
The prairie dog colony is just on the other side of the campground, and I decide to go see the little chirping cuties first.
The whole colony was bustling with the light of a new day, scurrying from one mound to the next. They didn’t have a care in the world except for finding their breakfast.
This was a great start to my walk and I was happy to have my camera with me to capture these moments.
I decided to continue to follow the road and make my way to an overlook… there had to be an overlook somewhere, right?!? I was chasing one epic view after another.
And before I knew it, I had traveled farther than my eye could see down the same road I had captured nearly an hour ago.
It is so easy to get lost here! Around every corner, nature pulls you in to wonder “what is around the next corner”. Eventually, the next corner led me to an up-close and personal encounter with one of the many herds of bison who call this magical place home.
Grateful for my zoom lens, I was able to capture these magnificent beasts while keeping my distance along the road. As I continued deeper into the valley, I had hopes of capturing the herd from a different angle with less obstructions… that is when I realized my mistake!
I had gone too far and my route back was now blocked.
The Bison had started to cross the road but never leaving the roads edge far enough to give me safe passage back to where I came from. With a lookout and shelter near by, I decided to sit and watch them and see if I could wait them out.
Genius idea until they decided to join me. I quietly made my way out of the shelter on the far side and back to the road to watch them invade my safe haven.
The herd looked content and with them taking up all the space now, I decided to continue on my journey deeper into the valley to waste some time while the bison occupied my path home. I still hoped that they would eventually continue on and clear the roadway.
So, off I went! The deeper I descended into the valley, the cooler the crisp morning air became and the intrigue of finding out “what’s around the next corner” kept me occupied. It wasn’t long before I came upon a primitive camping area and thought to myself, man I wish I had thought to bring a bottle of water.
I had already been out for nearly 1.5 hours, I didn’t have my phone, and I was miles from the RV with nothing but my camera. It was this point that I found a crumpled up piece of paper on the side of the road that just happened to be a map of the park! I know, I was hoping it was a treasure map too, but alas, it was not. It was a map that showed me how far I was and that route was the only paved exit back. The option to hike back via Eagles Point Trail crossed my mind, but without water and telling someone where they could find my dead body, I wasn’t risking getting off what I thought would be a more commonly traveled route.
So, I decided it had been long enough and the herd most definitely would have moved on by now… I started to make my way back home the same way I came.
I seriously must have found the Bison hang-out location. They were still there and I swear there were more of them than before! There was nothing left for me to do except wait.
After another 20 minutes, one of the motorhome RVs I saw at the primitive camping area started to come up the road from behind me. Like a crazy person, I started waving them down and running towards them. As they came to a stop and rolled down their window, I explained to them my dilemma with being trapped, I asked if I could walk beside their RV as they made their way slowly past the bison. They did one better, and offered for me to just jump on in and ride with them! You have no idea how grateful I was for their kindness. I mean, I wasn’t even worried about being kidnapped, I just didn’t want to die of dehydration waiting on this bison herd to move on. The couple was so sweet and as I told them the whole story of how I ventured so deep into the valley by foot and found myself stranded, they just laughed with me and said “that’s quite the story”. After they dropped me off back at my campground, I thanked them profusely for being my guardian angels! I got out of their RV and couldn’t stop laughing the rest of my journey home.
3 hours later, I finally made it back home safe and sound.