Geysers by Moonlight 2014, Beehive shoots for the moon.

After the debacle that Beehive and it's Indicator decided to put us through last season, I was pleased to arrive in Yellowstone to find Beehive is now cooperating quite nicely, erupting anywhere between  13.5-19 hours. On June 10 Beehive erupted at 1018 in the morning, I was present for the eruption, and I elected that I would go out during the bright nearly full moon and see a moonlit Beehive while taking some pictures with my new Nikon DSLR Camera. I'm pretty sure the camera was the only thing that saved me from going insane.

Beehive Geyser's cone by Moonlight. Photo by Micah K. 

After hauling all of my gear up to Geyser Hill around Midnight, I was greeted by a nice tall eruption of Lion Geyser, which was finishing up a series it started earlier in the evening. Pleased, I walked past Beehive and set up my camera, and began to shoot some pictures. Eventually, I got everything the way I wanted, put the lens on, and walked away. I was fully expecting Beehive to erupt on a 13-14 hour interval and expected that I would be in my cozy dorm bunk at 3 am, I forgot the number one rule of Geyser Gazing. NEVER say always with a Geyser. 1 am and 2 am waltzed right on by with nothing but a distant Grand and a handful of Big Anemone's to show for it. I began to get chills while muttering made up curses at the 4-foot hunk of geyserite in front of me. Beehive looked dead, I was getting cold, and fog was. gathering on the hill. It was the gazing equivalent to watching paint dry, and I was not pleased with Bug.

Throughout the evening, blowing steam had given me momentary cardiac arrests by giving the illusion that water was in Indicator, but it always turned out to be false. However, at 0300 exactly, I suddenly heard a gurgle and burble. I trained my light on Indicator just as a rocking pool of water appeared, seconds later, Indicator erupted. I whooped and ran to my camera, wary of the ominously shifting wind, which kept on pushing Beehive's steam towards me. I knew that if I moved the wrong way, I could get very cold and wet indeed.

Beehive's Indicator erupting with the lights of the Old Faithful Lodge in the background. Photo by Micah K. 

Then....my camera died, I managed to get a couple photos of Beehive's indicator in eruption. And then kaput. But all the better, because what happened next will be engraved into my memory for the rest of my life. Beehive splashed, splashed, surged, and erupted.

Immediately my jaw dropped, Beehive's roar filled my ears as it rocketed into the sky, knifelike jets leapfrogged from the column and reached for the highest stars. I could help from screaming and jumping up and down as Beehive climbed to almost unbelievable heights. The boardwalk shuddered in tandem with the pulsing cacophony emanating from the cone. A curtain of water fell northeastward and doused a large portion of Geyser Hill before cascading back towards the Firehole.

My smile stayed glued onto my face as Beehive gasped out its last steam huffs into the night sky. It's good to be back.