Resurrecting Mammoth

After the spectacle of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, we continued counterclockwise around Grand Loop Road towards Mammoth Hot Springs. The springs, like many features of the park, are a result of the combined influences of volcanic activity and highly mineralized waters. The result is, as you can see from the pictures, a stunning cascade of solidified ripples that fluoresce in hues of copper, seaweed green, and alabaster. The entire area is a hillside of fountains, bubbling softly from a source within its own core. The ground resembles a network of blood vessels pumped full of adrenaline, a stark contrast to the slow, peaceful glide of glass from one pool to the next. The water is so warm that any contact is prohibited, but even on the walkways you can feel the heat shimmering up into the cool air around you like a singe. This alone was our endgame, to feel the ground enveloping us with its pulse, whispering that somewhere deep beneath the marble steppes there was a fire that would outlive us all.

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