Another natural hot tub
It was strange to see the steam rising from these pools. Some were so hot that you could feel the heat radiating up from the ground.
Beginning of the sulfur area
This section of the Park seemed to have a very high concentration of sulfur. Happily, the unpleasant smell was offset by some very interesting formations.
Sulfur mound
This is one of the many sulfur mounds in the area. Over time the geysers have left enough sulfur behind that they now erupt from these mounds instead of the valley floor. Some of these mounds have formed in grotesque shapes, which added to the surreal nature of the scenery. If I can read my old notes correctly, this formation is known as Castle Geyser.
Another view of Castle Geyser
As the picture shows, some of these mounds are quite large. This one spread out for many feet in every direction, with a higher spot in the center. Smaller wisps of steam could be seen escaping from the flatter portion of the mound.
Trees bleached white by sulfurous steam
These trees really amazed me. As can be seen the ones closest to the geyser have been bleached white, and are obviously dead. I can only surmise that the trees had grown to maturity before the geyser broke through the ground, and they then succumbed to the heat and sulfur of the steam. They were bone white, looking for all the world like some strange Christmas decorations.
The ground here is white for a different reason
As mentioned earlier, the weather surprised us by throwing a little snow in our direction. This was quite unexpected, and for us Scouts in shorts, not particularly welcome. There was barely enough snow to make a decent snowball, so it just meant that we froze if we stopped walking around.