I, personally, think that the only way to see Yellowstone is on the back of a snowmobile.
I've driven through the park in a car a couple of times, and it sucked. And I've ridden through the park on the back of a motorcycle and, while better than a car, it was still way too crowded for my liking. Part of that is because those times were during the spring and summer months when the National Park is the busiest. But it's also because it's just not as much fun as it is during the winter on the back of a snowmobile.
It's less chaotic, less crowded, and wildly different of an experience, something that sticks with you well past when you leave the wilderness it inhabits. Maybe it's the scenery draped in snow. Or the animals moving around in very different mannerisms compared to the summer. Whatever the case, it's just plain cool.
There is, however, a problem. And it's a problem that the entire world faces: people.
People are, at their core, flawed beings. I include myself in that lumping. But when you intentionally do something shitty to wildlife for giggles, i.e. causing a stampede of the park's bison herds, well, you're extra shitty and deserve not only to be ridiculed but to lose your damn job.
Hopefully, that happened here.
Now, when I went to the park, the guide leading our merry band of misfits told us explicitly, "If we encounter bison on the road, which we absolutely will, we'll all come to a stop and wait until they've moved on." And he said that I think at least three times before we set off. Under no uncertain circumstances was it kosher to do anything but come to a complete stop and just let these truly massive and unpredictable animals be. Because if they decide to turn on us, our dinky little snowmobiles with nary an ounce of protection aren't going to stop a 2,000-pound bull from deciding that it doesn't like the cut of your jib.
Yet, whoever the hell was guiding this tour just decided "F-it! YOLO!" and sped along a herd with their entire tour group trailing behind. And guess what happened? No, they don't get punted off one of the impressive cliffs or into one of the bone-chilling rivers that crisscross the landscape. Unfortunately. No, the bison, which are a protected species, began stampeding. And, honestly, everyone is lucky to be alive. Especially since there looks to be a few calves in the herd.
Imagine one of the cows, which range from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, just turning on a snowmobiler to protect its baby? I mean, I've come close to bears and lions while out hunting, but the one thing that scares me more than them are the moose cows with calves. Those I don't mess around with and they're 1,000 pounds lighter than these bison.
The video above is from a year ago, but I haven't been able to find anything on whether or not this tour guide was fired. I do wonder, however, if the safety schpeel that was given to me and my cohorts was because of this person...
Don't mess with wildlife, folks. It's not that hard.
