A friend of Laura's is a colleague at Bike Labyrinth, and that is how we heard about this amazing trip. After a quick discussion and a brief explanation about the cameras, Laura was ready to hit the trail and film routes for us.

Five days on horseback through Wyoming

"For five days, I traveled with a group of about twenty people on horseback. We stayed at a farm near the nature area, and each morning we drove in small groups with a horse trailer to the wilderness," Laura explains. Laura works as an elementary school teacher and lives in the Netherlands, but she could not resist the opportunity to ride horses through the mountains. You simply don't get views like this in the Netherlands! The area in Wyoming is very remote and has few established trails, which makes horseback riding the best way to explore it.

Each day they rode for about four hours through the mountains, with breaks in between. "Every day we took a different trail. High up in the mountains there was no cell service, which meant the guides never rode the same route twice," Laura continues. "The horses were very well-behaved and they had to be, since we rode straight through rivers and rugged terrain."

Galloping with a slipping camera

That was not always ideal for filming, however. Laura discovered that a small screw had come loose in her camera. "We were galloping along a trail and I noticed the camera slowly sliding downward. When we slowed to a walk again, I was luckily able to reposition it and the view was visible again," Laura says with a laugh.

Moose and remote wilderness

In addition to the stunning scenery, moose also roam the nature area. Although the chances of spotting one are slim when traveling with a large group of horses, Laura came very close. "I just caught a glimpse of a dark shadow moving away, probably a moose. It was a shame I couldn't see it better, but it all happened so fast."

Geysers, hot springs, and a mud volcano

Alongside the horseback routes, Laura also filmed routes through Yellowstone National Park, a vast nature park known for its geysers, hot springs, and a mud volcano. "For each route, I walked along boardwalks of about a kilometer past the geothermal sites."

The natural processes in these areas can sometimes produce quite a strong smell. "The Mud Volcano smelled absolutely terrible a very strong scent of rotten eggs, so that was not my favorite place to film," Laura admits. Fortunately, you won't notice any smells during the virtual route.