Thanks Chris and everyone for your input, this has been a most helpful thread.

Will your Yellowstone trip be written up in TGO? 

I don't know if this years Yellowstone trip will appear in TGO. It won't be for a while as the account of last year's trip appeared in the February 08 issue and I doubt Cameron will want two Yellowstone igloo trips in the same year.

I have alreadyy written it up for Backpacking Light.com  but you need to be a subscriber to read it. 

Thanks - I am hoping to trek Yellowstone the year after next so would be very interested to read the article. The nearest I got last time were the Bighorn Mountains. I thought the Park was shut in February, but I suppose that was the road. Can you get access at any time if you are hiking in? May I ask did you go with a guide? Sorry this has rather gone off the original thread and I hope no one minds me asking you these questions, including you!

The roads are closed to private vehicles in February but there are commercial snow coaches that can be booked. On both my trips we used these to get to Old Faithful where some facilities are open in winter.

We didn't go with a guide but planned the routes ourselves and then adapted them according to conditions. In February everywhere is under deep snow of course so a trip then is very different to a summer backpacking trip. I have crossed Yellowstone in summer once - on my Continental Divide Trail hike.

There is always access on foot or skis/snowshoes to Yellowstone but you do need a hiking permit.  

Hi Trevor

The MSR Dragonfly was my original stove of choice until I read various user reviews and the Primus seemed to stand out as easier to use and more reliable. I keep reading about the MSR plastic fuel pump being a weakness, whereas the Primus pump is made of metal. What are your views on this? 

By the way, can a stove that burns diesel, also burn bio-diesel?

Dawn 

I'm not familiar myself with the Dragonfly, but know some that were for many years; so really thought it remiss of me not to then go onto suggest it too, as a possibility for some folks to look at maybe.

Bio-diesel, chip fat fuel for cars and all sorts of plant crop bio-fuels should be able to be used in a camping stove fairly easily - although the stove might well take a good deal more cleaning perhaps afterwards. I am still waiting to hear what the Bolivians are up to in trying to make a viable bio fuel out of their Coca plant crop they have there; that currently just gets burnt or spray poisoned by the anti-drug program backed by America! If they could change that into a workable multi-purpose fuel then it would be amazing! It would help people around the world no end, and mean there is something other than a drug use for the plant internationally. It would also then help out the poorer folks in South America no end, the traditional coca-growers.