June 17, 2008
 After a morning spend observing wildlife in Lamar Valley, we headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Using a rustic map provided by wildlife photographer, Dan Hartman, our group went in search of the Great Grey Owl. As we trudged through muddy fields and snowy banks, we had little luck in spotting our goal. Just when we decided to go back to the vans, Karen spotted the Great Grey Owl perched high on a Lodgepole Pine branch. We all watched the owl and kept our voices as low as possible in order to not disturb the animal. The owl had its back turned to us the entire time we watched him until one person in the group coughed. Only then did the owl turn to face us. We all had wet feet and soggy pant hemlines upon our return to the van, but the experience was truly an unforgettable moment on our journey.
 After a hearty lunch, we went hiking along the south rim of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. We hiked on Uncle Tom’s Trail, which is a trail of 384 steps at an altitude of 8,000 feet that leads to the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon. On the trail, the steps are made of metal grates and you can see through each one. The view through the steps to the river below was spectacular and showed how powerful and mighty the Yellowstone River is. The hike back up was a stamina-builder for certain, but once again the adventure was worth every step!
Ain’t no mud hole deep enough,
Ain’t no snow bank wide enough,
Ain’t no tree low enough,
To keep me away from you.
~Great Gray Owl theme song
Q & A for June 17
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