The concierge hesitated. “Are you friends of theirs? I was kind of told not to talk to anyone except the Park Police about it since it’s still officially an open investigation.”
“It’s still an open investigation? I thought Search and Rescue stopped looking for them a week or two ago,” Riley said.
The concierge nodded his head. “True. I guess it’s not a state secret. They wanted to spend a month hiking some of the most off-the-beaten-path backcountry areas in the park. They were interested in the Pitchstone Plateau, the Lamar Valley, and the Gallatin Range. They disappeared in Lamar Valley, hiking from the Northeast Entrance down to Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone Lake.”
“Is the Lamar Valley dangerous?” Riley asked.
“The entire park is dangerous, but Lamar Valley is especially wild. Lots of predators, like grizzlies and wolves. There are some hazardous thermal features as you get closer to Yellowstone Lake. Unless you’re experienced, I wouldn’t recommend hiking there without a guide. And even with a guide you would need to apply for a backcountry permit from one of the ranger stations or visitor centers. Plus, some areas of the park are restricted access. It’s mostly for visitors’ safety so that the rangers know where to look if they get lost.”
Emerson nodded. “Did the lost hikers have a permit? And what kinds of areas are restricted?”
“There are lots of different areas,” the concierge said. “Most of them are bear management areas with high densities of dangerous grizzlies. Others have ecologically sensitive hot springs and mud pots. There are also some that are used as dumping grounds for bison and other animal carcasses. And yes, I believe they had a permit.”
“Where would we obtain backcountry permits?” Emerson asked.
“If you’re going to Mammoth Hot Springs, you can get them at the Mammoth Visitor Center.” He shook Emerson’s and Riley’s hands. “I need to move on. Hope you folks have a good day.”
—
The concierge’s words ran through Riley’s head. Have a good day. She supposed there were all kinds of good days. Some would undoubtedly be better than others. This good day she wasn’t so sure about.
She was at the wheel of the rental car, chauffeuring Emerson to Mammoth. He had spent the morning reviewing maps and geology articles, but they were finally on the road. The ninety-mile drive around Yellowstone Lake and past the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was breathtaking.
The hot springs themselves were an otherworldly outcropping of terraced crystallized calcium tinted in unnatural shades of red, orange, and green. Geothermally heated water flowed from the top of the terrace down to Boiling River.
Fort Yellowstone came into view just past the Hot Springs. Constructed in 1891 by the U.S. Army, it originally contained sixty structures, some made of wood and some of sandstone, that included barracks, a jail, a chapel, and a hospital. Today, thirty-five buildings survived, mostly used as administrative offices and personal residences for park staff.
Riley parked near a one-story wooden building with a red roof. The sign out front read YELLOWSTONE CENTER FOR RESOURCES.
“What’s the plan?” she asked Emerson.
“I want to talk with somebody from the Physical Resources and Climate Science Branch. They’re responsible for monitoring the Yellowstone Caldera.”
The inside of the small building housing the Physical Resources and Climate Science Branch was set up very simply as a central reception room with three cluttered offices off to the sides. No one was in the reception area.
“Hello,” Emerson called out. “Is anyone here?”
A ponytailed college-aged guy dressed in jeans, hiking boots, and a flannel shirt poked his head out of one of the offices. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Emerson Knight, and this is Riley Moon. We were hoping to talk with one of the scientists about the volcanic activity underneath the park.”
“Sorry, there’s usually just a skeleton crew manning the offices. Everyone spends most of their time out in the field. I’m Dan. I started working here last month, so I’m sort of low man on the totem pole.”
“Perhaps you can answer some of our questions,” Emerson said.
“I can try. I’m a grad student working on my PhD in geology, so I know the basics of the area.”
Emerson pulled a map of Yellowstone from his knapsack. “There’s a giant blob of magma buried underneath the park. Do you know the boundaries?”
Dan took the map and spread it
out on the table. “It’s roughly the same as the Yellowstone Caldera.” He got out a red pen and started drawing a rough circle on the map. “The caldera extends pretty much from the western boundary of the park to the eastern side of Lake Yellowstone. Shoshone Lake is on the south side, and on the north, it’s the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Gallatin wilderness sits to the northeast of the caldera. Old Faithful is more or less in the center of the circle.”
Emerson frowned at the map. The area delineated in red was a huge circle with a diameter of at least forty miles. “We still need to narrow this down by quite a lot. Is there anything of value in the area?”
Dan looked surprised. “Of monetary value? No. However, from a scientific perspective, it’s unique. Really one of a kind.”
“Are there any research programs or studies being conducted on the caldera right now?” Emerson asked.