It’s clear and cold today. Only 1 degree above zero!
The moon and stars above show it’s going to be a clear day.
Alas, there are no signals at all in Lamar, so we continue west. We stop again at Lamar Canyon West. Still nothing. I head the crew has the 8 Mile pack at “Travertine” but I don’t know where that is so I just follow Laurie.
We stop to scope at Hellroaring because there are signals for 763M but we find nothing.
We have a total of 8 bison jams on our way west, including two fairly long ones. As it turns out, Travertine is up the Jardine road. We scope for over an hour – looking directly south at the high shoulders of Sepulcher Mountain. Richard and Sian, Calvin & Lynette, Kirsty and Alan are all here. Rick saw one, Laurie saw one. But I missed them.
We do see numerous elk in the area, cows & calves plus some large bulls.
Around 10:30 we decide to head down and have breakfast at the Yellowstone Grill. It’s very good and fun to hang out with this group. I decide to head back into the Park instead of going to Bozeman.
There are pronghorn just inside the entrance and bighorn on the cliffs, as usual.
I drive all the way back to Lamar and scope at Soda Butte East. Kai & Lisa report that they skied around Trout Lake and found two carcasses up on the hill where the Lamar’s were yesterday AM.
Rick finally came by to check signals and says he believes they are south of Trout Lake, in roughly the same spot where he and I heard howling from, two nights ago.
I head to Round Prairie. Rick lets me listen to 926’s signal, I sure wish I could see her.
It’s nearly 3:30 and I need to head back to Bozeman. I’m sad that I don’t get to see wolves the way I used to. It’s still wonderful to be here, and very beautiful, but it sure isn’t like the old days.
When I get to Mammoth I discover that the “Western Team” is still up the Jardine road, so I drive up to try once more to see wolves. Not this time. So down I go again and see Elk and mulies all through Gardiner and I’m back in BZN by 7:15, just before dark.
Today I saw: bison, mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and the spirit of Allison.