For the first time in over a week and a half, today involves seeing another human on purpose. My hiking buddy for the day is also my host for the weekend, though this is his only free day, so I woke up early to book it through Yellowstone into Montana, whereupon we went back into the park to try for a hike, despite the atmosphere.
In the surreal morning, I could not tell the difference between fog, mist over rivers, steam from thermal vents and geysers, and wildfire smoke from not only the intensifying Pacific Northwest fires but also the Lone Star Fire currently burning in central Yellowstone. Each in excessive measure, likely. I only stopped at the Grand Prismatic Spring boardwalk on the way through, but very little was visible.
After meeting up in Livingston, Montana for breakfast and a stroll through this lovely little town, Joe and I headed back into the park for the meadow hike through the Lamar River Valley.
The smoke lifted slightly through the afternoon but settled back in as event approached, bringing another hauntingly orange sunset.