Top: Another of the lush meadows that lie about halfway down the mountainside. During the worst of the winter storms, elk and bison often seek shelter in these forest glades. Many die there on the wooded slopes, leaving the deep grass littered with their bones and antlers.

Below: Paul poses with a huge elk skull and rack that we found in the forest on Specimen Ridge. This may be the biggest rack that I've run across in Yellowstone. We left it in a secluded glen, where it still may lie today.