One of the most famous places in all of Yellowstone is the Lamar Valley. The first European to lay eyes on this magical landscape was a man named John Colter who had accompanied the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Colter served as a hunter and scout and honed his survival skills on the western frontier. At the end of the expedition, Colter stayed behind, spending two more years exploring this dangerous and uncharted territory alone on foot.
I captured this frosty image of the Lamar Valley last month on a morning when the temperature was -12°F. Hoar frost covered the sage brush and the cottonwoods off in the distance. John Colter actually passed through the Lamar, and you can read all about his incredible journey in the book by David Marshall titled Mountain Man. It’s one of my favorite books about one of my most treasured places.