A BACKCOUNTRY GEYSER THAT SHUT DOWN MORE THAN A DECADE AGO HAS REAWAKENED WITH SPLASHING ERUPTIONS.
RUSTIC GEYSER, ON THE NORTHWEST SHORE OF HEART LAKE ABOUT SEVEN MILES FROM THE NEAREST ROAD, IS PERFORMING ROUGHLY EVERY 30 TO 40 MINUTES, MORE OFTEN THAN OLD FAITHFUL.Rustic impressed even early explorers of Yellowstone, who reported it tossing water 40 feet or higher. It had become the area's best-known geyser until it fell dormant sometime in late 1984 or early 1985 for the first time in recorded history.
Research geologist Roderick "Rick" Hutchinson concluded in 1990 that Rustic Geyser and adjacent thermal features had fallen victim to vandals who dumped rocks and other debris into their vents.
But last fall, Hutchinson reported that Rustic Geyser was awakening and had begun to erupt again. Hutchinson was killed in March in an avalanche near Heart Lake on a subsequent ski trip to inspect thermal features there.
Observers who have viewed the geyser this summer found that its eruptions start suddenly and include massive, booming bursts of steam and hot water flying 30 feet high or more. The eruptions typically last less than a minute and end as suddenly as they begin.
A hiking trail leads to the geyser basin, but park managers warn visitors the 15-mile round-trip is strenuous.