Yellowstone Standoff Read online

  “The clouds, baby-cakes.” Overhead, puffs of white cumulus floated against the azure backdrop. “They’re sky pillows. Can’t you feel them behind your head?”

  Rosie giggled. “I don’t feel anything.”

  Carmelita lay down beside her sister. They snuggled close together on the slope next to Randall. “I feel them,” Carmelita declared. “They’re soft.”

  Rosie giggled some more. “You’re so crazy, Carm,” she said.

  Chuck traded smiles with Janelle. He leaned back on his elbows and closed his eyes. His forearms, resting on the ground, tingled. The sensation increased, becoming a subtle vibration wherever his body touched the earth.

  Everyone stopped talking. Randall and the girls sat up. The vibration vanished, and Chuck tensed. The trembling returned, stronger this time, coming from somewhere deep underground.

  18

  Steam erupted from a fissure on the near side of the thermal area, less than fifty feet from the foot of the slope below the trail. A thick, white cloud wafted away from the jet of superheated water spewing from the black crust.

  The rumbling faded away, and the jet of steam subsided. A third vibration did not come. Chuck pressed a palm to the hillside. Nothing.

  “Kowabunga,” Randall said from where he sat in the middle of the trail. “Dude!”

  “What the hell was that?” Rosie asked.

  “Rosie!” Janelle exclaimed.

  “Chuck says it all the time.”

  Carmelita shook a finger at her sister. “‘Heck. You’re supposed to say heck.”

  Rosie wrapped her arms around her torso, her hands gripping her sides. “I will if Chuck will.”

  Chuck felt Janelle’s eyes on him. “Heck it is,” he said.

  Rosie asked Lex, “What the heck was that? Was it an earthquake?”

  “That’s exactly what it was,” Lex said.

  “Like in the movies? Holy shlamolies.”

  “They’re to be expected, of course. Yellowstone is one of the most active seismic zones on the planet.”

  Janelle said, “You don’t sound too worried.”

  “Big quakes are rare here—that is, in human time. But small quakes of the sort we just felt have been occurring in the park more and more frequently the last couple of years. The Geology Team is looking into what’s causing them.”

  “And their hypothesis at this point?” Chuck asked, anticipating the answer.

  “Hydraulic fracturing around the park perimeter.”

  Chuck told the girls, “That’s where companies pump water and chemicals into the ground to release oil trapped in layers of rock. There was a bunch of that kind of drilling during the last natural-gas boom. Now, the drilled wells are producing—that is, sucking the gas out of the ground.” He asked Lex, “Could the tremors be causing temperature fluctuations in the thermal basins?”

  “At this point,” Lex replied, “I’d say it’s logical to assume the mini-quakes and temperature fluctuations and hydraulic fracturing are related. But, like I said, that’s what the Geology Team is studying.”

  “I read that plain old, everyday earthquakes—with no hydraulic fracturing involved—tilted Yellowstone Lake back and forth over and over in the past, so it drained down one side of the Continental Divide, then the other.”

  “Millions of years ago, yes. But there’s no way fracking could set off an earthquake that big today.”

  “I thought that’s what the Geology Team is trying to determine.”

  Lex averted his eyes. “Since the oil companies started working around here,” he admitted, “they’ve written lots of checks to the park—for research, infrastructure upgrades, you name it. It’s hard to point a finger at them with no proof.”

  “Spoken like a true bureaucrat.”

  Lex grunted. “Which is exactly what I am.”

  Clarence’s stud earrings sparkled in the sunlight as he shook his head. “Hombre. Here we are in one of the most remote places in North America, and we’ve got manmade global warming melting the glaciers and manmade earthquakes messing with the geysers. It’s like the start of the apocalypse or something.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Lex said. “But humans certainly can alter things far from where their activities take place, Yellowstone included. More and more, the questions researchers are studying in the park revolve around what can be done to control, or at least minimize, the effects of those activities.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Two miles to camp,” he said to the hikers. “Shall we?”

  They strode along the open hillside and into the trees, leaving the thermal area and smell of sulfur behind.

  Rosie looked up at Chuck as they walked through the forest. “Is an earthquake going to come and swallow us up?”

  “It’ll take a lot more than a teeny, tiny tremor like that one to get us.”

  She nodded to herself. “So the grizzly bears will get us first.”

  “Rosie!” Janelle said.

  “I think your mom’s going to get you before an earthquake or a grizzly has the chance,” said Chuck.

  The trail wound in and out of the pines as it descended the east side of the valley. It was late afternoon by the time everyone left the last stand of trees and topped the hill overlooking camp. Above the hikers’ cheerful chatter, the walkie-talkie clipped to Lex’s belt beeped, signaling an incoming call. A cry rose from the foot of the slope. Chuck looked down toward the cabin, where a figure was heading up the trail toward them, waving and shouting.

  Part Two

  “Of all the national parks, I prefer Yellowstone because I like working in a park that has at least two man-eaters in it.”

  — Doug Peacock,

  world-renowned authority on grizzly bears

  19

  Justin, the rookie Grizzly Initiative researcher, sprinted up the trail and stopped, out of breath, in front of Lex. “Double whammy,” he declared, hands on hips, sucking air. “Wolf and grizzly, right outside camp.”

  Lex turned to Sarah, who held her walkie-talkie to her ear like a phone, its volume low. She nodded in confirmation, her eyes bright.

  Justin spoke quickly. “Everyone’s saying they’ve never seen anything like it. The bear and wolf went back into the woods together. Toby wants to go after them, but he says we need to check with you first.”

  “I have to know what happened,” Lex said. “Everything.” He stepped around Justin, heading down the hill at a fast clip. “Walk with me.”

  Justin fell in with Lex. Everyone hurried down the trail behind them. Carmelita gripped Janelle’s hand and Rosie pressed herself to Chuck’s side. He put his arm around her. A grizzly in camp? This shouldn’t be happening.

  Lichen on the shake-shingle roof of Turret Cabin shimmered in the late afternoon sunlight like a gray-green mirror. The meadow beyond the cabin sloped gently downward to a wall of lodgepole pines two hundred yards from the cabin and mess tent.

  “Everyone’s been sorting supplies,” Justin explained to Lex, still breathless, as they passed the row of tent platforms and descended the trail toward the cabin. “Someone yelled. People were pointing. Sure enough, there at the edge of the meadow...I mean...right there in full view...” He stuttered to a stop.

  “He’s right,” Sarah called out, walkie-talkie still to her ear. “A grizzly and a wolf, that’s what I’m hearing.”

  “I saw them with my own eyes,” Justin said. “But only for a few seconds. They turned—I swear to God, they did it together, like they were dancing—and disappeared in the trees.”

  Lex lifted his cap and scratched his head. “A grizzly and a wolf?”

  “It was like they were checking up on us or something.”

  “In broad daylight? You’re sure it was a wolf, not a coyote?”

  “I’m not totally sure, but the wolfies are. I know my bears, though,” Justin said with pride in his voice. “It was a grizzly, all right. Big.”

  “How far away were they?”

  “The far edge of the meadow.”
>
  “My God.” Lex resettled his hat on his head and gave the front of its brim a firm pull.

  “Everybody saw them,” Justin said.

  “Only one wolf?”

  “Just the one.”

  “So,” Lex said, “no sign of any other members of its pack.”

  “Not at this point.”

  “Who got footage? Photos?”

  “It happened so fast. Nobody had their phones handy since there’s no signal out here. People were scrambling for cameras, phones, anything. Maybe somebody got something, but I don’t think so. I spotted you up on the hill and took off.”

  “This just happened?”

  “Less than five minutes ago.”

  Lex picked up his pace, jogging down the trail. “Toby’s right,” he said. “We’ll go after them.”

  “I’m coming along,” Sarah called ahead to Lex from the middle of the line, hustling with everyone else to keep up.

  “I want Toby to come as well,” Lex said. “Chuck,” he called over his shoulder. “You’re coming, too. Between the two of us, we should be able to keep Sarah and Toby from killing each other.”

  Chuck blanched at the thought of leaving Janelle and the girls to go after the predators.

  “Can I join you?” Keith asked, his dog leashed at his side. “Chance can track both species at once. We’ll be able to determine how long the griz and wolf stayed together.”

  Lex slowed. “Together,” he muttered, shaking his head.

  “You should include Randall and me, too,” Kaifong chimed in from the back of the line, “in case you need some aerial recon.”

  Lex commented to Chuck, “That’s a lot of people.”

  “With a lot of capabilities,” Chuck replied.

  Lex expelled a puff of air out his nose. He called back to Kaifong, “Okay. You’re in.”

  “We’ll get fresh batteries and meet you at the cabin.” She left the trail and angled across the hillside toward the Drone Team platform.

  “Wait up, babe,” Randall called after her. She didn’t respond. He groaned. “You never quit, do you?” he said to her receding back as he left the trail to follow.

  Chuck took Rosie’s hand in his and squeezed it. She and Carmelita would be safe in camp with Janelle and the rest of the scientists, he told himself. Meanwhile, by going after the bear and wolf with the others, he might well learn something that would provide assurance to him regarding the continued presence in the backcountry of Janelle and the girls—or convince him they needed to return to civilization immediately.

  Moreover, he admitted to himself, the sighting of the wolf and grizzly together was fascinating—not ancient-baskets-and-butchered-bone-slivers fascinating, but intriguing enough.

  Sarah lowered her walkie-talkie and ran alongside the trail until she drew even with Lex. “A single wolf,” she reported to him. “Overriding color: gray. No collar, and no specific features to identify it or its pack. The griz was big. Over five hundred pounds. Presumably a male. Distinctive, light-colored hump.”

  “Two grizzlies in one day,” Lex said.

  “We haven’t seen the second one yet.”

  Lex broke back into a jog. “Maybe there’s still time.”

  20

  Chuck turned to Janelle when they reached the cabin. “Why don’t you and the girls grab a snack in the mess tent? I’m sure Jorge will have something set out. We should be back by dinner.” He shrugged, working to display nonchalance. “Lex asked me to go along,” he said. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “You’re supposed to go with him, that’s what.”

  Chuck straightened. “Really?”

  “It’s part of what you’re here for. This is a science expedition. You’re a scientist. Lex says he needs you to go with him. So, go.”

  Chuck warmed at Janelle’s words. “I don’t mind helping him out,” he replied, no longer hiding his excitement. “Odds are we won’t see either the wolf or the bear again—though it does sound like Chance will be able to give us a sense of which way they headed and where they split up. We might even get an idea of what brought them together. My bet is one of them made a kill somewhere near here, and the other one was attracted to the carcass.” He remembered the rectangular form, almost certainly a grizzly, he’d seen chasing the elk in the meadow yesterday at dusk.

  “I wanna go, too,” Rosie pleaded from Chuck’s side.

  “As if,” Carmelita said.

  “Your sister’s right,” Janelle told Rosie. Then she gripped Chuck’s arm. “I know you’ll be fine out there with everyone. But, still—” she arched her eyebrows “—no need to dive into any more lakes.”

  “Only if I have to.”

  She punched his arm, pecked him on the cheek, and herded the girls into the mess tent.

  Kaifong and Randall joined Lex, Toby, Sarah, Chuck, and Keith, with Chance at his side, in front of the cabin. The drone rode in its frame on Randall’s back.

  “All batteried up,” Kaifong reported.

  Lex held out his hands. “As all of you know, observational analysis is the key to studying animal behavior. If we can catch up with the wolf and grizzly and capture them together on video, we’ll document something never seen before. That’s why I’m in agreement with Toby that we should head out right away. I want all of you to keep your eyes peeled. Toby will take us to the sighting location. Keith and Chance will lead from there.” He glanced at the sun, just above the western ridge on the far side of the river. “It’s later than I thought,” he said. “Let’s get moving.”

  With the rest of the scientists looking on from camp, the group set out behind Toby. He strode across the grass, Sarah close behind. Keith followed, with Chance on a short lead in front of him. Chance came to an abrupt halt after only two dozen yards. Everyone stopped as the dog snuffled at the grass.

  “What are you onto?” Keith asked Chance, squatting. He parted the stalks with his free hand. “What the...?” He picked up a hunk of steak from last night’s dinner. Chance’s snout followed, sniffing. Keith held out the piece of meat.

  Lex’s face grew red. “This is ridiculous,” he stormed. “I could not have made myself more clear about the need to dispose of all food scraps in the sealed refuse kegs in the mess tent.”

  “Looks to me,” Chuck said, “like someone got more than they bargained for.”

  “You think someone did this on purpose?” asked Lex.

  “Like you said, you’ve been adamant with everyone that all food scraps are to be thrown away in the kegs.”

  “But why...?” Lex asked, his face screwing up in consternation.

  “I bet somebody left this out here on purpose, looking for a photo op. They probably thought a coyote would come by, or maybe a fox. Instead, they lured in a couple of examples of the park’s megafauna.”

  “No one would do such a thing,” Lex declared. “Everyone’s a pro out here.”

  Chuck tilted his head to one side. “You’re right,” he said. “What’s your idea, then?”

  “The cook, maybe? He’s new to the backcountry.”

  “Martha would have cleared him. She probably made him take a ten-page test before he came out here.”

  Lex shook his head. “I just don’t know.” His eyes went around the group, stopping at Sarah.

  “What are you looking at me for?” she asked. She pointed at Toby. “He’s the one who probably did it.”

  Toby stepped toward her. “If you think—”

  “That’s enough,” Lex cut in. “Sarah,” he continued, “take the scrap back to the mess tent and dispose of it properly.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “I don’t care what you did or did not do. We’re wasting time.”

  Keith gave Sarah the hunk of meat. Holding it away from her body with her thumb and forefinger, she set off toward the mess tent. Toby headed the other way, resuming his place at the head of the line. He stopped at the bottom of the meadow in front of the trees. Sarah, out of breath, rejoined the scientists as th
ey formed a semi-circle around him.

  “They were standing right here,” he reported, “looking at camp.”

  “How far apart from each other?” Lex asked.

  “Ten feet.”

  “That close?”

  “Maybe closer.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  Kaifong asked, “Did you observe any acknowledgment between them of one another’s presence?”

  “Not that I could tell.”

  Chuck cleared his throat. “Any sign of a cut in the bear’s right ear?”

  “You mean a notch?” Toby glanced at Lex. “No. But it all happened pretty fast.”

  Lex clapped his hands. “Okay. Let’s keep moving.” He turned to Keith. “Ready?”

  “Chance didn’t get here by sitting around munching chew toys all day—” Keith rubbed his dog’s ears “—did you, fella?” He pointed at the ground, then at Chance beside him, then back at the ground. “Search,” he said to the dog. “Search.”

  Chance sprang from Keith’s side, sniffing at the earth. Keith released the spring-loaded reel on the leash as the dog nosed back and forth through the grass. Within seconds, Chance froze, snout to the ground, tail in the air.

  “That’s where the bear was,” Keith announced.

  Chance spun from the spot, padded across the grass, and halted once more with a foreleg raised.

  Keith said, “That’s the wolf.”

  Chuck asked, “How in the world do you know which is which?”

  “He’s predator-trained. We’ve developed a pecking order. Bears first, wolves second, mountain lions third, any other predators—coyotes, badgers, wolverines—fourth.”

  Sarah grunted in approval. “Bears first,” she repeated. “Wolves second.”

  Toby shot back, “The opposite of all the funding lately.”

  Sarah whirled on him. Before she could respond, however, Lex stepped between them. “What did I tell you two?”

  They turned away from each other, their jaws set.

  “Good job,” Keith commended his dog. “You’re right, boy. There are two of them. Now, find. Find them both.”