Why Listening to Your Little Voice Matters: Yellowstone Trip 2021
While on my 16-day road trip through Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, I spent five days in Grand Teton. Since I was only about an hour away, I figured I would spend one day in Yellowstone and check another National Park off my list.
I left around 6 a.m. from my campsite at Jenny Lake and traveled to the South Entrance of Yellowstone via the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memory Parkway. I wanted to get on the road early to beat the crowds, and it had snowed close to a foot of snow a few days prior.
Yes, this was late May.
A Few Facts Before I Share My Day in Yellowstone
In 1872, Yellowstone became our first National Park. Most of Yellowstone is in Wyoming. However, 3 percent of the park is in Montana, and the remaining 1 percent is in Idaho.
There are five entrance points for Yellowstone:
1. North Entrance — open year-round, brings you to Mammoth Hot Springs
2. Northeast Entrance — puts you at the doorstep of the park's wildlife
3. East Entrance — brings you to Yellowstone Lake
4. South Entrance — allows you to tackle two national parks in one day (the one I did!)
5. West Entrance — leads to geyser paradise
Entering through the South Entrance
That morning it was an easy, quiet ride up to Yellowstone, minus the two elks along the road. Once I got to the entrance, my drive got interesting.
It started to snow! Like, snow, snow!
I was nervous driving because it was coming down pretty well. I was driving on switchbacks, the canyon was on my right, and I had no room in my schedule to slide off the edge and into the river that day.
I kept stopping every so often to give my nerves a break and to check out the river that I didn't want to take a swim in that morning. I thought to myself, “My God, Yellowstone is gorgeous!” Granted, I still had another 30-40 minute drive until I was fully inside the park.
Finally, I got to the Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, which you get to by taking a right from the main road. The snow finally eased up some, and I could see better.
When Your Little Voice Speaks, Listen
A strange feeling came over me, and a voice came to me saying, "Keep looking both ways." I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I slowed down even more (I was doing 30 before but was now doing about 15-20).
To my right was Yellowstone Lake. The waves were choppy and coming into shore at a pretty good clip. To the left was the woods with trees covered in white from the snow. I listened to the voice and kept looking both ways every 5 seconds. It was like watching a tennis match without a ball going back and forth.
Then that's when it happened. I looked at the lake and then at the woods and caught something from the lake in my peripheral vision.
My eyes shot back to the lake again.
Suddenly, this massive white creature ran like hell toward the woods. Right in front of my car! I slammed on my brakes (no one was behind me), and all my things flew to the front of the vehicle. And just like that, the massive white creature was gone!
It was a fucking wolf!
In shock and awe, I just stopped for what felt like forever and kept trying to look into the woods for the wolf from my SUV. I couldn't believe I saw one of my favorite animals, let alone almost hit it!
My mind was blown. If I didn't listen to the voice that came over me and my feeling, I would have legit hit this poor animal. Mind you, the speed limit is 45 in most areas, and I was way below that before the voice.
But still.
This isn't the first time something like this has happened to me. Well, ok, almost hitting a wolf was a first. But the voice? That wasn’t.
In my everyday life, I typically don't listen to my little voice (until recently), but I tend to listen to it more when traveling.
When I travel, it's just me, myself, and I. That voice comes out more when I am alone. It has taken a long time to listen to myself and what I really need and want. I am starting to hone that skill.
Now you probably think, hey, lady, congrats for not hitting a wolf, but who cares about the little voice. My comeback would be that being open and letting the voice out more is essential. It could protect you when traveling solo or sheds light on yourself.
Got to love a life lesson with a wolf all before 8 a.m. on a Monday morning!
So tell me, when did your little voice warn you about your wolf?