Daily Journal

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Our first impression of this adventure — cold — still holds true. When we left Mammoth early this morning, the temperature was –14°F. As we drove to Lamar Valley, the temperature dropped to –30°F. Despite the frigid temperatures, our day was filled with wildlife sightings.

Early on we saw several ravens and a coyote scavenging on a bison carcass. Further down the road we spotted a lone wolf sitting on a hill. During a bathroom break, we watched several Agate Creek Pack wolves and a large herd of elk. At mid-morning, three bison blocked the bridge over the Yellowstone River. When a few impatient drivers tried to force their way across the bridge, the bison started to run, wasting precious energy just to enable someone to gain a few minutes on their drive.

After a great lunch at Buns and Beds in Cooke City, we toured a log cabin that was once a Catholic church but is now a one-room schoolhouse. We then joined photographer Dan Hartman for a snowshoe hike. To some of us, snowshoeing felt like walking with webbed feet. The hike was very peaceful, the silence broken only by the crunch of snow beneath our feet.

On the trip back through Lamar Valley, we stopped to watch a coyote that was about 30 feet from our cars. The coyote was intently watching the approach of another coyote. After circling each other with their tails tucked between their legs, the two coyotes crossed the road and shared a carcass with a magpie.

Near Tower Junction, we spotted another coyote, which we initially thought was making a heard of elk nervous. Looking closer, we spotted several wolves sitting on top of a hill. We jumped out of the cars and heard a wolf's howl — a sound both eerie and spiritual. Shivering in the extreme cold, we watched one wolf make its way down to the herd and wondered if we were about to witness a kill. Unable to stand the cold, we got back in our cars and continued on our way to the hotel, not knowing the outcome of the wolf-elk encounter. Tomorrow we’ll look around Tower Junction for signs of a successful hunt.

Q & A for January 14