Yellowstone Summer

Hal Newsom tells the true story of the summer he worked in Yellowstone Park as a soda jerk at Old Faithful in 1950. He and a friend hitchhike to the park from the Midwest in a series of misadventures with quirky folks who pick them up. After they arrive in the park, Newsom tells the stories of his days and nights in the park, searching for bears, swimming in a hot spot on the Firehole River, celebrating Christmas in July, visiting the Tetons, hiking the back country, dancing at an event for park employees...all experiences I had while working in the park a quarter of a century after Newsom.

I've always wanted to write the story of my summer in Yellowstone, and I'm committed to doing so this year. It gives me hope that it took Newsome over fifty years to write down his story.