[Geysers] Geyser Eruption at West Thumb, (03/01/2008)

[SCOTT BRYAN]

Nope, that geyser is not in the existing edition of my book, but it is in the 4th Edition (which is finally headed into actual copyediting about right now). Based on the location, this geyser was probably "Skinny Geyser", so named in the late 1990s by Doug Holstein (or, perhaps, one of his tour passengers) following the statement "Wow, that's skinny, man" -- which actually, apparently, produced an initial name of Skinny Man Geyser. I am told that the name, Skinny, has been entered into logbooks. Sometime last summer somebody (Grover Schrayer, I think) posted a photo of Skinny; if I still have that photo, then it's in my Montana computer.

I will note that that area behind (west of) Black Pool includes at least one other geyser besides Skinny, but the 'closer to Abyss" statement I think implies Skinny.

Scott Bryan

   
  Today, March 1st, 2008 around 3 pm, Xanterra snowcoach guides Will Reid and Megan Hamilton saw an eruption of a geyser behind Black Pool.  

  Will described it as lasting several minutes, and from 6 to 10 feet in height.  Megan only caught the tail end of it.  Will mentioned it to me when I was at Big Cone (he was touring his group around clockwise, I was touring my group around counter-clockwise, and I'd stopped my group at Big Cone, to let his by.)  He said it had already finished, but the crater was still steaming.  When I got up to Black Pool, the crater that was still steaming, was the one that was closer to Abyss Pool.  We looked in Geysers of Yellowstone, but didn't see anything that fit it.  One of Will's guests got a picture of it, he said when it was about 7 feet in height, that he agreed to email to Denise Herman (the interp ranger at West Thumb).

  I asked around when I got back to Old Faithful.  James Evrard said he saw something last winter erupt behind Black Pool, but didn't know if it was the same feature or not.  

  If this feature does turn out to be unnamed, I propose it be named "Birthday Geyser", since today is the 136th anniversary of signing of the bill by President Ulysses S. Grant, that created Yellowstone as the world's first national park.

  Karen Low
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