In 1870, 14 men led by Henry Washburn, Surveyor General of Montana, set out to explore the Northwestern region of Wyoming, an area known as Yellowstone. During their explorations, they made detailed maps and observations, exploring the numerous lakes, climbing several mountains, and observing the wildlife. They visited the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, and after observing the regularity of eruptions of one geyser decided to name it Old Faithful.

For a 54-year-old U.S. assessor, the expedition through unknown lands was a chance of a lifetime. He fell ill for a few days a week into the journey, having to separate from the party a few days to recover, a precursor of what was to come. The expedition reached Two Ocean Pass, near the headwaters of both the Snake River and Yellowstone River on September 9th, 23 days into the journey. It was in camp that evening that the party discovered that Truman Everts was gone.

We’re now well into our fourth year of the show, and we’re going to do something On this Episode that we’ve wanted to do for a while - revisit one of the first stories we told. Today, we take you back to  Truman C. Everts and the harrowing tale of his 37 days alone in Yellowstone.

Today's show was sponsored by L.L.Bean, follow the hashtag #beanoutsider, and visit LLBean.com to find great gear for exploring the National Parks. 

And by Campendium. Find listings and reviews for thousands of campsites for your next national park adventure at campendium.com.

Make sure to follow the America's National Parks Podcast on Facebook and Instagram, and join us on the RV Miles podcast the hear our travel stories as we journey across America.