Yellowstone, the Bison Kingdom

My brothers and I ventured out to Yellowstone National Park at 5 am because supposedly the region’s wildlife is most active at dawn.

En route we encountered several herds of elk. Eventually we arrived at the north entrance to the park. The roads were hazardous due to snow and ice for the first few miles of driving, but eventually the snow dissipated and the weather warmed.

Beneath the ethereal beauty of the park lurks an active supervolcano, thousands of times more powerful than a normal volcano. For those fascinated by the apocalypse, an eruption of this volcano would bury much of the United States in ash and cease much of life as we know it. A permanent world of darkness would become the new normal.

And judging by how well we predict the weather on a daily basis (not all that well considering our advancements in technology), I’d venture to guess that we won’t know when this will volcano finally erupt.

I find it interesting that an organic world of water resides peacefully over constantly flowing lava. Fire and water are in permanent residence beside each other, separated by a layer of earth. They are yin and yang, order and chaos, and only a thin line exists as a barrier between the two. This line seems very breakable.

The magma that flows underneath the park is the reason for the park’s famous geysers and hot springs.

I gazed out at these geysers and steamy springs as I hiked through the park. The plumes and films of steam that the water emitted seemed to tickle the air for all of eternity. I smelled sulfur as I hiked through.

Besides the elk and bison, I saw crows much larger than I ever thought possible. Some were larger than small dogs.

The notion that I walked over an apocalyptic volcano caused a sort of calm cynicism to take over me. How small are our petty problems, and even our lives, in the grand scheme of eternity? An unforeseen burst of lava can eradicate everything. Suddenly our anxieties, like our plans, would be wiped from existence, and the erasure would not even cause a blip on the universe’s radar of significant events.

Anyways, after the park visit my brothers and I feasted at an excellent barbecue restaurant before returning to our rental home. There we sat in the hot tub and drank bourbon and mezcal for hours while gazing at the stars and talking about life.

I can only summarize this blog by writing that I hope to return here soon.