The gaze of the wolf reaches into our soul.

~Barry Lopez

It’s hard to believe we have been in our new home now almost three months. Though we have been busy with numerous home projects and family visits, we have managed to get out into the park a few times to enjoy seeing some of the amazing scenery and wildlife that Yellowstone offers. One of the big draws here for wildlife watchers is the presence of several packs of wolves with territories inside the park including a few in the northern range near where we live. Drive through the park on any day and you may see a group of cars lining the road (or, unfortunately, stopped in the middle of the road) and you are right to assume there is some sort of interesting wildlife that has been spotted off the road (or perhaps a bison or two just walking in the middle of the pavement). These congregations of wildlife watchers are known as “jams”.

While we love seeing what has caused these jams, we really prefer to have solo experiences with wildlife so we can really observe the animal’s behavior without the noise and occasional chaos that often accompanies wildlife watching from a roadway. That is one reason we like to get out of the car and hike. You often don’t need to go far to escape the crowds and you never know what you might see. Such was the case a couple of days before the latest family visit when we took a short hike in the Pelican Creek area near Yellowstone Lake. The first part of the hike took us through a small lodgepole pine forest but we eventually reached the opening we were seeking – a wide view of the creek flowing through marshy meadows and rolling hills of sagebrush, grasses, and wildflowers. Earlier, we had passed another hiker heading back to the parking area and when I asked if he had seen anything, he replied “no, just a few bison”.

We moved to a high knoll with an expansive view of the valley before us. A few bison were scattered across the landscape and butterflies fitted around us as a gentle breeze was blowing. Suddenly, we both heard it – a faint sound, a wolf howl. Melissa quickly spotted something moving about 1/4 mile away down the valley. A wolf! There is special excitement when you see “your own” wolf…no crowds, no car noise, just you in a wild place with a wild being.

We watched as the wolf trotted along, occasionally stopping to look behind it. It let out a mournful howl a couple more times as it moved past us, crossed the creek, and eventually ended up bedding down on a hilltop farther up the creek valley.

As we started to get up to leave, Melissa saw a dark spot way down the valley. We put our binoculars on it and it was a large grizzly coming out into a meadow about a mile away. Sharing a few moments with a wolf and a grizzly was the perfect ending to a hike in Yellowstone.

Though we love seeing wolves, our enthusiasm and effort pales in comparison to a truly dedicated group of wolf watchers that go out daily to observe and record the behavior of the wolves. Some of that information is compiled into a daily summary called Yellowstone Reports. There is a nominal fee to subscribe to this overview of wolf activity and I read it every morning to learn what others have observed. Several of the reporters also highlight other interesting wildlife sightings each day giving us a quick overview of where certain wildlife activity is in the park. A couple of weeks ago one of the reports mentioned that there were three bison carcasses in Lamar Valley which is somewhat unusual. One had been taken down by the Junction Butte wolf pack but observers were uncertain what had killed the other two. When Melissa’s parents came to visit that week, we decided to head out to see if the carcasses might draw in other wildlife.

Entering Lamar the next morning, we came to a large wildlife jam that turned out to be a cinnamon-colored black bear feeding on one of the carcasses. Observers shared that several wolves had been on it earlier that morning. Dang it, you often learn the hard way of the benefits of foregoing sleep to get to Lamar at sunrise…oh well. We could see another bison carcass out near the river but visitors had said very little was feeding on this one. We didn’t see the reported third carcass as we went on through the valley and exited the northeast entrance. We continued on up the Beartooth Highway where the clouds, mountains, and flowers were glorious.

Later in the day we headed back to Lamar after a nice dinner in Cooke City. A red fox greeted us along the road soon after we entered the park. As we pulled into Lamar proper, a distinctive coyote was spotted right next to the road. It was the well-known coyote called limpy (some call it tripod) as it has an injured right hind leg. This coyote has been around for several years in this part of Lamar but seems to do very well in spite of its disability. We saw it give chase to something in the sagebrush but it came up short.

We soon arrived at another wildlife jam. As we slowly passed through the cars and people, someone told us there was a carcass just down over the hill, barely visible from the road and much closer than the other carcasses we had seen. This was the third carcass we had missed earlier in the day. As we continued on, Melissa spotted a black wolf down in the flats potentially headed toward that carcass. So, we turned around and miraculously found a parking space in what was soon to become a massive wolf jam.

This uncollared black wolf fed at the carcass for several minutes. Through our scopes we could see it tearing chunks of meat and gulping them down. Soon, it stood up and trotted back the way it had come, disappearing behind the crest of the close hill. We figured it was going back to the den area and would stay hidden below the ridge line as long as it could so we drove down to the low pullout nearest the river. I was anticipating the wolf would come into view down by the river. There was a small small group of folks gathered at the pullout, many of whom had no idea a wold was heading our way. I got out of the car and was standing next to the log rail that forms a barrier for cars at this location. Suddenly, I saw the wolf trotting up over the hill just to the left of us. Instead of being down below us along the river, it was close and coming straight at us. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as the wolf looked directly at me, its piercing golden eyes seemingly jumping from the surrounding black fur. The wolf stopped for a moment, perhaps assessing its situation, before just continuing on along its path at a trot right in front of us. I had stepped back from the railing but when it passed, it was probably no more than 30 feet away.

A little background here about wolf color – about half of the wolves in Yellowstone are black, the others gray to tan in color. The black color is believed to have originated from breeding with dogs thousands of years ago. This genetic variant also gives black wolves a slight advantage when it comes to surviving canine distemper virus outbreaks. Studies have shown there are more black wolves in areas that have more frequent outbreaks of this deadly canine disease. Scientists also found that gray-colored wolves tend to be more aggressive giving them a survival advantage in battles with other wolves and an overall more successful rate of reproduction. And other data shows there is a tendency for wolves of different colors to choose each other as mates which may help boost resistance of the pups to canine distemper virus and lead to more successful reproduction.

After going by our pullout, the wolf headed up towards the road and paused to look at the gathering crowd of cars and people. People were mostly respectful and only one car passed through and then stopped short when it must have seen the wolf right next to the road. After that car stopped, the wolf crossed in front of it and hurried up the hill towards where other wolves form its pack were no doubt waiting for some food.

After the wolf disappeared, the group at the pullout was overjoyed and frankly stunned with what we had witnessed. I have never had an experience with wildlife to equal that. Looking into the eyes of a wild wolf is a powerful thing. It pulls at your soul and when it is over you feel privileged to have been a part of it. I wasn’t concerned for myself as the wolf trotted by but later felt a sadness for the wolf having to navigate the hoards of people (including us). I do worry that the wolf’s apparent lack of concern over the people being so close may lead to its demise if and when it leaves the safety of the park. So, in the end, it was an experience of mixed emotions – surprise, awe, and some sadness and worry for this majestic animal and its kind.

While we all talked and relived that magical moment, a young man from England alerted us to another wolf across the valley. This one was a collared wolf. I believe it was the female wolf known as 1479F. She trotted along a ridge line and then stopped, looked uphill for a few minutes and then laid down.

We soon saw the object of her attention – 4 other wolves coming down slope into the river valley. There were three black wolves and one gray trotting along interacting with one another.

After watching this show for several more minutes and sharing our scopes with various very excited people, we decided to head towards home as it was getting dark. On the drive back we all reflected on how lucky we were to have been in that spot at that time to experience such a moment. As the Barry Lopez quote above implies, the gaze of a wild wolf does change you by touching your soul and making you feel more connected to this vast wild landscape.