[Geysers] Giant - Saturday

[Paul Strasser]

Part 2 of 3.

 

Saturday.  Mike went out and verified Grotto was still i.e. at 0212, so we
were reasonably safe til daylight.  Suzanne and I got out a bit before 7,
and I saw that Grotto had quit very recently, within the last 20 minutes or
so.  I relayed this to Mike and anyone else who was interested, and we began
our vigil.  Four, six, eight hours passed, and more gazers arrived in the
basin.  When they heard what was going on at Giant, they headed there.
During this time the GIP, which started out higher than the previous day -
only 30 minutes after the end of a 19-hour marathon - rose and rose.  By
noon we began seeing water deep in Mastiff on occasion.  These occasions got
closer and closer together, and the water kept rising and rising.  At first,
you'd have to stand on the railing to see the top of the high water.  By 4
you could sit on the bench and see the water at its low point.  Several
fills came within an inch or two of overflow.  Those with some experience in
matters of a Giant persuasion thought these signs were for the most part
very ,very good.  But this was beyond what most of us had seen. "Good signs"
were morphing into truly unknown territory. And the GIP?  Ridiculous.  A
nice pool, maybe 8 inches below overflow.  Easily seen by the smallest
person standing on the boardwalk hour after hour.

 

Finally, a minute after 5, another high rise in Mastiff and resulting boil
was sufficient. Feather turned on, and within moments Feather's Satellite.
And that was all. Nothing from the SW vents, or Turtle, or anything else on
the platform.  Mastiff surged a bit, then dropped.  Bijou turned on.  Damn.
10 hours after a marathon and all we get is a puny 2-minute cheesy hot
period?

 

Bijou roared.  Feather and Feather's satellite kept playing, with no
reduction in their strength, for minute after minute.  Occasionally, Giant
would splash a bit.  The platform crowd got oddly silent.  We had no idea
what this was that we were looking at. 10 minutes in, and still no change.
Then, Mastiff started splashing, at first low in the crater but increasing
in strength - somebody said they saw water.  Confusion turned to giddiness
as we saw the water level rise even higher and Bijou slow down and stop -
all the while, Feather and its satellite continued.  

 

Things got hectic.  The SW vents turned on, and Mastiff surged quickly - 1,
2, 4 feet.  Then 6 feet and equally wide - and suddenly the height of the
cone.  Cheers and joy were running amok. Mastiff started bursting
("booming," we call it) and the more pyramid-shaped back vent surged to
20-25 feet. The sun illuminated the surging double-water column beautifully.
I yelled "we got it!"  

 

Well, we didn't got it.  I ran back to the boardwalk to get the big, overall
view and shortly Mastiff quit.  Nothing at all.  I asked Mike if this is
what happened that time he saw Mastiff quit and then come back before a
Giant eruption.  Yep, he replied - about 3 minutes or so. We waited a few
minutes and sure enough - Mastiff began filling again and surging to 2 feet
or so, and enthusiasm grew (albeit with a tinge of suspicion in the crowd,
but maybe I was projecting).  I ran yet again back to the boardwalk, turned
around, and Mastiff was boiling to maybe a foot.  Bijou turned on, Mastiff
quit. 

 

This looked like a real end of a hot period.  Bijou was in steam (7th time I
saw that in 2 days).  The conversation among the assembled was multiple
variations on "What the $#^# did we just see?"

 

This huge hot period/Mastiff solo did give Suzanne and me a reprieve from
the cage, and we partook of "normal" geyser gazing, including Grand,
Fountain, and a nice sunset Castle.  (We'd heard KC's call of Grotto's start
at 1830, 19 minutes after the start of Grotto Fountain). Around 2015 we
decided to go down to the Giant platform because a hot period was at least
possible.  I asked KC if Bijou had ever quieted down - No, he said, not
while he saw it.  Sure enough, when Giant was in sight Bijou was still
playing heavily.  At 2028 there was the most normal hot period we'd seen in
two days, lasting 4m 0s.  It seemed peculiar to see such normal activity on
the platform.  As we left the area I noticed that Grotto was still on, and
Spa was rising.  That's kind of long for a recovery Grotto, but not
unprecedented.  It was still on at 2100, though, and thoughts of double
marathons (and a second opportunity for a recovery hot period) went through
our heads.

 

--

Paul S.

 

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