Book excerpt: Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Yellowstone National Park exists on two planes of reality. There is Yellowstone the place, which is the physical, tangible landscape. And then there is Yellowstone the legend, which is the mythical, magical idea of the park. #2 Yellowstone is the first place I wanted to start my journey because it marked the beginning of America’s public-land legacy. The park is visited by four million people every year, but 95 percent of them never leave sight of a road. #3 Camping in the backcountry of Yellowstone is not for the faint of heart. The park is home to one of the highest concentrations of grizzly bears in the Lower 48, but the chance of a negative encounter is extremely low. #4 We were excited to backpack in Yellowstone, but our excitement was short-lived when we realized how heavy our backpacks were. We had to learn to adjust to the weight, and it took us half a mile to warm up.