[Geysers] Suggestions for upcoming trip to Yellowstone

[Mike O'Brien]

> Our 2 kids are experienced hikers here =
> in Colorado so we could go at least a little away from the roads =
> (probably up to 6-8 miles RT) and they are willing to wait a few hours =
> to see geysers erupt.  What do the experienced gazers suggest?

	Here are my personal recommendations for "close-in but
still back country" geysers:

	Narcissus.  Park on the Firehole Lake Drive, probably
where they've rolled in the boulders to block an old road, a
mile or so past Great Fountain, just a hundred yards or so
past Pink Cone.  Cross the road and dive into the woods.
Go to the base of the ridge, which is quite close to the
road there, and follow it around the base through the woods
till you see Narcissus at the treeline on your left, no more
than a quarter mile or so.  You must wear forest-colored clothing,
nothing bright, and stay in the trees.  Most important is that
you under no circumstances be seen by a car driving by Pink
Cone.  The notion here is that the ground between Pink Cone
and Narcissus is deadly, so you must not give anyone the
idea that you got there by hiking over from Pink Cone.

	Pocket Basin Geyser.  This is in the River Group and
is a fun little guy if it's currently erupting.  It's a great
place for lunch amid the River Group even if it's not erupting.
>From there, go away from the river to see the Pocket Basin
mudpots, which are great, and/or continue along the river as
far as Fortress Geyser, which blorps impressively every 5-7
minutes or so, and burned the (&*(&( out of one experienced
gazer who got too close and didn't know about the blorping part.
Stay respectfully away, but it's quite fun to watch.  Tiny
little Brain Geyser is nearby and you might get lucky and
catch that.  I'm fond of it because it's the last place
I saw Marie Wolf.

	Imperial and Spray Geysers.  These are a few miles
out the Fairy Falls trail.  They go all the time and are
great to see, and it's a pleasant area to have a sit after
the hike.  The Falls, which are on the way, are also quite
nice.  The burn area is less nice, but on the other hand, you
get a nice view of Grand Prismatic Spring from the backside.

	Lone Star Geyser.  Another pleasant place to sit after
a hike, and you can take data, and see a minor and a major
eruption, probably.  Don't leave after the first eruption
you see.  Wait a half hour and see if you get another, bigger
one.  "Buried" Geyser is across the river but I had to use
a GPS to find it the first time.  It's not really possible
to describe its location adequately just using words.  You
could try just following people.  :-)

	These places are all relatively safe for the kiddies.
Note I say "relatively", which means you can still par-boil
an urchin or two if you're not careful, but this outcome is
much less likely at these locations than at some other back-
country locations I can think of.

Mike O'Brien