Here's the obligatory video: http://vimeo.com/11957531
Moreso than normal, words fail here. This was a powerful experience.
Warm conditions made the skiing gnar factor pretty high, and that was before my d%@$ homemade bindings broke (more on that in the MYOG forum).
The trails were saturated, and my feet were dry for about 20 minutes starting out, total. Thin wool liners, Hydroskin socks, MT100s, and scree gaiters kept my feet quite happy considering what they were subjected to.
The river crossings were not bad at all. The Yellowstone was big and opaque with sediment, but Thorofare and Mountain Creeks were clear and cold (very cold). I found a way across the former that kept my nutz dry, and the later was swift but barely knee deep. All in all they blended into the many, many knee deep creek wades.
I had ridiculously excellent camps all three nights, but Park Point North on Yellowstone Lake takes the cake. The grassy bluff, cobbled beach, 20 mph biting wind, and big frozen lake could have fooled me into thinking I was camped on Isle Royale or Pictured Rocks, until I realized it was mid-May, I was at 8000', and I could see the tips of the Grand Teton and Mt Moran off to the SW.
I intend to write more later (perhaps a proper essay/article) once I've had some time and perspective to help me understand this thing we do called backpacking. Life is good!
