John Colter was an explorer and mountain man who traveled west with Lewis and Clark and after splitting off from the group traveled through the Yellowstone region in the winter of 1807-1808 being one of the first white men to see and describe the area. His description wasn't believed, of course, (who could believe such a thing?) and the area became know for a time as Colter's Hell. Actually, the area he saw was closer to eastern part of the park. He probably didn't see this view in what we call the Norris Basin. It certainly would be a fitting description of Colter's Hell. Hard to express the weirdness and wonder of this area with all of these geysers, mud pots, hot springs, bubbling and gurgling areas all around you. The heat and the smell as you walk through the steam is impressive. I like the more landscaped shot I have of this area, but for Facebook and the blog, this shot is certainly one in the running as Shot of the Year.
