Grand Prismatic: tracks
Because Grand Prismatic Spring's substrate in this location slightly distorts tracks, and it's not possible to get close enough to study the scale of the tracks, it's not clear whether the dog-family tracks are coyote (most likely) or wolf. The round tracks were made by bison.
Unfortunately one also sometimes sees tracks made by human shoes. The substrate around Grand Prismatic Spring is extremely delicate and recovers from impressions very slowly. While it's illegal to get off the boardwalk (for numerous reasons including visitor safety as well as the integrity of the spring itself and surrounds), people cannot resist. On this trip I severely chastised a group of Europeans - who spoke excellent English and had no excuse what-so-ever for not knowing what they were doing was a serious infraction) for walking around on the sinter near Excelsior Geyser, and scolded one Asian visitor, who of course may not have understood enough English to read the signs, hand-outs, and other warnings - for getting off the boardwalk to pose for a photo with Turquoise Pool behind her. Her English may not have been good but she sure understood my gestures and tone of voice.
This is not a grayscale image; some microenvironments in Midway Geyser Basin do not support colorful bacteria/algae and are pretty blah compared to the parts that do.
Grand Prismatic: tracks
Because Grand Prismatic Spring's substrate in this location slightly distorts tracks, and it's not possible to get close enough to study the scale of the tracks, it's not clear whether the dog-family tracks are coyote (most likely) or wolf. The round tracks were made by bison.
Unfortunately one also sometimes sees tracks made by human shoes. The substrate around Grand Prismatic Spring is extremely delicate and recovers from impressions very slowly. While it's illegal to get off the boardwalk (for numerous reasons including visitor safety as well as the integrity of the spring itself and surrounds), people cannot resist. On this trip I severely chastised a group of Europeans - who spoke excellent English and had no excuse what-so-ever for not knowing what they were doing was a serious infraction) for walking around on the sinter near Excelsior Geyser, and scolded one Asian visitor, who of course may not have understood enough English to read the signs, hand-outs, and other warnings - for getting off the boardwalk to pose for a photo with Turquoise Pool behind her. Her English may not have been good but she sure understood my gestures and tone of voice.
This is not a grayscale image; some microenvironments in Midway Geyser Basin do not support colorful bacteria/algae and are pretty blah compared to the parts that do.