David Gray's video: Yellowstone National Park Wyoming Backpacking - June 2023

View and purchase my photos at: https://davidcgray.smugmug.com/ Visit my website at davidgraymedia.com. There you'll find book-length trip reports of most of my trips as well as gear reviews, trail stories, and travel information on memorable lodging, restaurants, and attractions I've experienced. In late June 2023 I continued the hiking season with (only) my second hike, but it was to a special destination - Yellowstone National Park. I joined up with my son, Christian, and Travis to do a long-anticipated hike in the Black Canyon area of Yellowstone along the Wyoming-Montana state line. After two wonderful pre-hike 'staging' nights at the Absaroka Mountain Lodge near Cody, Wyoming, and a repeat visit to the magnificent Madison (car) campground inside Yellowstone NP, we did a 3-day, 20-mile Black Canyon hike starting at the Hellroaring Canyon trailhead. It wasn't what I expected going in. I had images of a Grand Canyon-type hike and instead the hiking was primarily across wide-open, hot, exposed, bone-dry open scrub land. It had a magnificent unique beauty to it, but not what any of us expected. Yellowstone doesn’t have the type of spectacular mountain views that you find in Glacier, Colorado, the Winds, or the Sierra, but it has a unique ‘wild’ feel. We didn’t end up running into any ‘large animals’, but there was never a moment on this hike you weren't keenly aware we were no longer on the top of the ‘food chain.' The 'High Bear Activity' signs and non-stop bones from past kills left no doubt we were in active grizzly country. For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - an hour in length, intended to bring the audience along for the 'ride', and with a still picture slide show with music at the end. If you just have a few minutes skip to the end and enjoy the pictures. Equipment / Gear List: Still and Video Camera: Nikon Z6 https://amzn.to/3Q3Gsco Lens: Nikkor 20mm f1.8 Z-mount lens https://amzn.to/3znpOP7 Lens: Nikkor 24mm f1.8 Z-mount lens https://amzn.to/2QZqNOo Tripod: Sirui T-025X carbon fiber tripod https://amzn.to/3bH3Rvg Camera shoulder clip: Peak Designs Capture clip system https://amzn.to/2wRdusp Video Editing Software: Vegas Pro 16 https://amzn.to/2X5dKyu Pack: Zpacks Arc Blast 55L Tent: Zpacks Triplex Sleeping Bag: Zpacks 20degF Sleeping Bag Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir X-Therm https://amzn.to/2yjrUlj Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite https://amzn.to/39zju6v Pillow: Exped Air Pillow UL https://amzn.to/2WYE5hZ Stove: JetBoil Flash https://amzn.to/3azKRi7 Stove: MSR PocketRocket 2 https://amzn.to/3dPtOL5 Pot: MSR Titan titanium 0.9L kettle https://amzn.to/3bF1RDB Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot https://amzn.to/2R0JvoW Buff: Merino wool Buff https://amzn.to/3dCYHSC Recharging Battery: Anker 3500mAH ‘lipstick’ charger https://amzn.to/2URI7G3 Camp Chair: Helonix Chair Zero https://amzn.to/2xzbwgh Camp Shoes: Xero Shoes Z-Trek https://amzn.to/3bA3X7I Wet Wipes: Survivorware Wet Wipes https://amzn.to/2JwbQ2e