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Students construct an
herbarium during a vegetative sampling exercise on the bench
above Red Lodge. This area is representative of a high prarie
ecosystem. (From left to right: Heather, Jen, Amy, and Miriam.)
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A Female moose was spotted
while driving the Upper Loop in Yellowstone National Park. She
and a male moose were grazing on new plants sprouting among the
fallen trees (or snags) which fell several years after the big
Yellowstone Fire of 1988.
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Besides the animals, the natural
wonders of the park are plentiful. The students are given several
hours on one day of the fieldtrip to tour the geyser basin on
their own. The basin is quite large and includes Old Faithful
as well as numerous geysers, hot springs, and mud pots.
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The class takes a break on the
side of Clark's Fork Canyon, while Gieg explains the regional
geology. The Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River can be seen
in the background.
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Some years the students get a
half day off durng the two weeks that they are in camp. Many
of the students take this time to go horseback riding, river
rafting, hiking, or shopping in town. This year I took a day
after the camp was over to take a day hike on the Beartooth Plateau.
This hike started and ended at Beartooth Lake and had some of
the most spectacular scenery I have seen. This is Horseshoe Lake
about half way through the hike. The scenery was gorgeous, the
mosquitoes voracious, the trail extremely wet at times, and the
female moose we encountered a bit too friendly, but all in all
well worth the time and effort.
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