Waterfall Wednesday: Bechler of the Yellowstone, Part Two

Following our arrival and viewing of Terraced Falls, our trip began to go south. The rainstorm which had mercifully dissipated before we arrived at Terraced had soaked every inch of the Bechler Region down to the core. Coming back through the once pleasant woods from Terraced Falls turned into a soppy, frustrating hell. While the rest of my group would have their sanity broken somewhere else along the trip, mine snapped here. Having rapidly lost my reserves of cheerfulness to the dull wetness and constant brush battle of the off-trail travel, it all came to head when a Yellowjacket slammed its sharped pointy end of pain into the back of my knee. The result was an instant reaction of pain and rage. Screaming expletives at every living thing within 100 feet, I raced ahead of my friends, trying to get as far away from the yellow and black flying demon that had just sent my once joyous afternoon screeching to an abrupt halt.

Crossing a creek in a less than jovial mood. Photo by Ryan Maurer. 

After regaining my composure somewhat and finally arriving back onto the trail, the trip continued on a more melancholy note, trudging the remaining 5 or so miles in on and off rain to our campsite at the edge of the North Fork Mountain Ash Creek. After quickly setting up camp, we donned our daypacks and made a beeline for our second waterfall goal of the trip. about three/quarters of a mile later, we crested a rise and got a face-full of spray rising nearly 300 feet up to meet us. Across the canyon, swollen from the recent rain; Union Falls roared 260 feet into the canyon in an astounding display of chaotic whitewater.

Union Falls at Sunset, Photo by Ryan Maurer

Below the overlook, a steep and slick boot path (No longer open I believe, and if it is, don't try it) led down to the base of this titanic giant, one by one our group descended. And several minutes later I found myself standing at the base of one of the most incredible waterfalls I've ever seen in my life.

The Base of Union Falls, with Will Boekel for Scale, Photo by Ryan Maurer

Standing at the base of Union Falls is chaos. pure chaos. The force of thousands of gallons of water slamming into rhyolitic bedrock after free-falling for over 100 feet sends tempestuous winds blasting outwards. horizontal streams of water trail downwind of any object within 50 feet, Talking here is almost useless, as you have to scream at the top of your lungs to be heard. After 10 seconds of standing 50 feet. from the base, you are utterly and completely drenched and shivering. As our group stood with jaws agape, eyes squinting upwards in complete bafflement, it made the whole hellish ordeal getting here worth it. Waterfall Goal #2 was a success. After saying our goodbyes to Union and heading back to camp, we started the discussion about our final prize, 2.5 miles upriver, the fabled 60-foot thermal fall, Morning.

Waterfall Wednesday: Bechler of the Yellowstone, Part One.

Every hobby has a beginning, and my joy of waterfalling is no exception. I have been chasing after falls across western washington for about a year and a quarter now, and it's fun to look back on where it all began.

In June of 2014 as I was beginning my second season working in Yellowstone National Park, a good friend of mine who was also working in the park came up with an idea. An avid waterfall hunter, he begged me and two other friends to accompany him to a remote section of the park called the Bechler region. He wanted to go see and photograph three massive world class waterfalls there. After looking at work schedules and long term weather forecasts, we decided that we would go on August 5.

The day of departure dawned with the sound of pouring rain, our group realized it was probably a foreboding sign of what was to come. We hopped in the car anyway and drove three hours to the trailhead, with one or two "minor" delays. The trailhead itself is located deep in the countryside, Twelve miles down a winding worn out dirt road that squeezes between the boundaries of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and nearly hidden at the bottom of a old dam.

First starting down the trail it was dry, and actually seemed somewhat pleasant, we eagerly moved forward, hoping to make it to our first waterfall goal of the trip with little hassle. Two miles later, just as we were taking our boots off for the river ford the trail crosses, the sky opened. A deluge of rain drenched us within minutes, and continued for the next hour or so as we began the climb up to a plateau. Finally, just as we were at the point to step off the trail, it let up. Wading through knee high brush in a gorgeous open forest of lodgepole pine, we made our way down towards the canyon which housed our prize. Eventually, a dull rumbling thunder reached our ears, and shortly after, we burst out of the trees onto the rim of a spectacular rhyolite canyon. At our feet, Slamming downward in six consecutive steps totalling 140 feet, was one of the largest, most powerful waterfalls in the Western United States. Terraced Falls.

140 ft Terraced Falls. Note the author and companion on the canyon rim to the left.
Photo by Ryan Maurer, Under A Rock Photography.