Yellowstone's Physical Heartbeat

You can't really discuss Yellowstone without what has made it what it is-- it's a volcano. Not like ones we are used to seeing but a caldera. It is believed it last fully erupted 600,000 years ago. If it goes again, it will be bigger than the biggest that mankind has ever witnessed. Will it go again? Who knows for sure since its time span for eruptions has not been with a reasonable guarantee like Old Faithful. Man, who thinks he controls so much, has no control here. Perhaps that is part of the appeal of Yellowstone. We are a small cog in a huge wheel; and when there, we are reminded of that.

Because I am not interested in writing a geology lesson, and others have written it much better than I could anyway, here is further information for anyone interested.

Explanation of calderas
Yellowstone Caldera

The physical aspects of Yellowstone, its beauty, its size, its possible future, the danger, the excitement, the mystery, they are part of what makes it what it is. It is beauty and danger side by side and that happens in all aspects from the possible grizzly you might run into as you walk a trail, to the falls and cliffs so easy to slip and tumble over, the buffalo or elk that would sooner gore you as look at you, the hot pools that one tumble into would be the last. The danger of Yellowstone is part of its deep and abiding appeal.

When you are walking in a geyser basin, there is the feeling something could spew out toxic gases and you'd be dead. Sure, I know, it's unlikely but who can say that it positively could not happen? The earth is doing something beneath your feet. As best they can, scientists observe it, calculate it, evaluate its dangers but it's all human measurements; and when you are there, you know-- mankind is an observer, not a controller.

Could Yellowstone erupt without warning creating the super volcano that has been talked about? Maybe or maybe not. It is building up heat under the caldera. The earth is rising (tiny amounts), but perhaps it has done that many times then subsided. Perhaps. It's the unknowing quality that brings you to the edge of excitement at everything you see or experience while there.

Yellowstone is untamed, nature's power, from the buffalo grazing in a meadow to the mud pot bubbling up chemicals from deep in the earth. The colors are absolutely unreal which earned it the name Yellow Rock -- yellow stone seeming to go together better in our language. It's not just yellow though but red, intense blues, all the colors. You drive down a road and suddenly you smell the sulfur. You may not see the hot pool, but it's around somewhere perhaps hidden under a cold river for now.

Since Farm Boss has had a thing about geysers for several years, it seemed obvious we should stay at Old Faithful. We, along with a lot of others, from all around the world, watched the geyser do its thing-- me twice and him three times. I admit I loved the beauty of it, the shapes of the hot water as it went up into the sky like fireworks only better. It is awesome but too bad somebody didn't come up with a better name than Old Faithful, something more beautiful and less predictable. Yes, it goes up more or less on a schedule but its not ours. We simply take advantage of it to observe.

There is a theory that the Yellowstone caldera has moved east with its eruptions. Yelseismap might verify that. One thing is for sure, it'll be a terrible thing if it ever does go up, not just for the country, but the loss of this beautiful place for another several hundred thousand years.

The knowledge that it might not be here forever, the danger that you can feel when you are there, that's part of why it mesmerizes so completely. It is not just beautiful or dramatic scenery; it is the power of Gaia. If you stop and let the energy soak into you, it takes your breath away.

I have experienced earth energy many places, but nothing is the equal of what I felt in Yellowstone this time. It was as though the earth was singing to me. Perhaps it's because the earth's core is so near the surface. You can hear its heartbeat if you listen.

The geyser basins made me uneasy, and I admit it. While their beauty was unsurpassed and their colors made me long for a paint brush, something untamed and out of control was right there beneath the surface. I was both drawn and made uneasy by it.

In the end, we humans have little real control over the earth, and perhaps that is what Yellowstone most teaches. Live on this earth, value it, but don't fool yourself about who is in control.