Countdown to Yellowstone Wolf Adventure

Back in August, Charlie and I were blessed with the opportunity to go to Jackson Hole, WY on business.  Well, Charlie was there on business.  I was there to spend every possible moment exporing the surrounding wilderness.  We spent hours trekking through the Grand Teton National Forest and surrounding areas. We saw Moose, Bison, Deer and a Black Bear with cub.  Most nights, I returned to the hotel dirty from head to toe, a true mark of a good hiking day.  While we were over two hours away from Yellowstone National Park, I just couldn't be that close and not see it.  We had one day to fit it in so we left at four in the morning so we could see asmuch as possible. I was bouncing in my seat and clapping with excitement as we drove through the southern entrance of Yellowstone  It was everything I could have hoped for.  Beautiful, wild, vast with opportunities to be one with nature at every turn.  We got to see about 3/4 of the lower loop and then had to head back Jackson Hole for a business dinner.  I made Charlie promise we would come back.  He kept that promise and for our 20th Wedding Anniversary he told me "plan it".  When deciding on what type of trip to take, there were many options.  There were lots of "photography" tours.  But was that REALLY the reason I wanted to go to back to Yellowstone?  While I obviously love photography, I wanted this trip to be about the experience not just about trying to find the best photo ops. Before our first trip in August, I had read a little about the wolves of Yellowstone.  While in Jackson Hole, I learned a lot about the struggles between ranchers and hunters and the wolf reintroduction plan. I bought a book that chronicled the release and first years of the Yellowstone Wolves and found it fascinating. By the time I got on the plane bound for home, I had joined the website http://www.yellowstonereports.com/ so that I could read daily reports on Yellowstone wolf activity.  I began reading books, watching documentaries, I had gone wolf crazy.  So I knew that I wanted to go to Yellowstone during winter when the wolves are most active and easily seen.  I finally chose The Wild Side Winter Wildlife Tours &Treks http://www.wolftracker.com/ . Unfortunately, both of their winter wolf tours were already full. They were, however, offering an Extended Winter Wolf Watch that was actually longer in duration with more speakers and opportunities to hike and snowshoe.  On March 4th we leave for a weeklong trip to Yellowstone.  Here is our itinerary:

March 4, 2011 — We will rendezvous with group members at Bozeman airport between about 12 and 1 PM. Our gathering place at the small Bozeman airport will be at the large Grizzly Bear bronze near the baggage claim. We can make special arrangements to pick up at local hotels prior to the airport stop, particularly for those needing to fly in the day before. Once gathered, we will serve lunch near Bozeman before we embark for Gardiner, Montana, at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Transportation will be in the now famous “Adventure Bus,” an ideal vehicle for group touring purposes. Once in Gardiner, we will visit the famous Roosevelt Arch for an official welcome to Yellowstone Park. We will check in at the Absaroka Lodge overlooking the Yellowstone River where the group will be lodged for the week. Our evening meal will be in Gardiner accompanied by an orientation and presentation by your local guides, wildlife biologists Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston of The Wild Side, LLC.

March 5, 2011 — On our first and subsequent days, we will depart early (~6 AM) to the Northern Range for a search for wolves and other wildlife. We will visit such wolf-rich areas as Slough Creek and the Lamar Valley for viewing. The viewing will be mostly road-based during using binoculars and spotting scopes to find wolves and observe other wildlife like bison, elk, coyotes, and moose. Be prepared for possible short hikes to vantage points and have plenty of warm clothes including insulated winter boots for extended periods of largely sedentary activity while searching and viewing. Breakfast will be served on-the-go in the field to maximize our search and observation time. Lunch will be at the gallery of our friend Dan Hartman, a naturalist and wildlife photographer who lives in the forested mountains of Silver Gate, Montana. While enjoying lunch we will be treated to a presentation of Dan’s work as a naturalist, photographer, and wildlife film-maker. Dinner will be back in Gardiner at the Animal Track Education Center to conclude the day’s activities.

March 6, 2011 — Our schedule will be similar through the week, as the goal is to look for multiple wolf packs and make observations of a variety of behaviors and activities (hunting, playing, traveling, feeding, (sleeping!), etc.). This time period is the height of breeding activity for wolves, so courtship behavior may bring exceptional opportunities to learn. Lunch will be back in Gardiner. An after-dinner evening session at the Animal Track Education Center in Gardiner will feature one of our special guest speakers, to be announced. Past speakers have included Dr. Douglas Smith, film-maker Bob Landis, UCLA behavioral geneticist Dan Stahler, and other distinguished experts in the field of wolf biology and behavior.

March 7, 2011 — Again an early start will begin our search of the northern range of Yellowstone for wolves. Each day brings different sightings and different wolf activity, so multiple days create a diverse experience and will give us a chance to see rare moments. Lunch will precede a snowshoe adventure (2 miles) to the Pebble Creek canyon, nature’s colorful cathedral within a winter wonderland. Dinner will feature our second of three guest speakers.

March 8, 2011 — After our morning wolf watch, we will plan on another snowshoe trip to a destination of interest, perhaps a carcass after wolves have finished their use of it. Dinner in Gardiner.

March 9, 2011 — Our final early morning in the field will be followed by an after-lunch snowshoe hike (up to 3 miles to the den formerly used by famous Wolf 9, mother of Wolf 21 who attended this den as a yearling. Our final night at the Track Education Center will feature the last of our 3 expert guest speakers.

March 10, 2011 — On our final morning, we will pack up and depart Gardiner after breakfast in town. Transport to Bozeman airport will be for flight departures no earlier than NOON, or a nearby destination of your choice by arrangement.

This is going to be the trip of a lifetime and I'm SO grateful to have the opportunity to experience it with the man who is both my husband and bestfriend.  Here are are some of my favorite photos from our August trip to Jackson Hole, Teton National Forest and Yellowstone.