On my drive to the valley this morning I see the local fox at Thunderer.

I go straight to the carcass spot in Little America and climb up to the square boulder with my flashlight. Gary, Celia and Ginny are already here. They have a bear on the carcass and several wolves, too.

By the time I get set up the bear is leaving. I see him amble through the flats across from the pond. There is just enough light for me to see three black wolves on the carcass. Others see at least six, including one gray.

As the light improves, I count seven wolves in the area, six black and the one gray. They have a rally just west of the three boulders then start to wander about. The black male climbs up the lower slope of the Peregrine hill and poses for us on a boulder.

The gray remains feeding and when I get a little more light I see it’s 907!

Most of the other wolves move to the right, playing and goofing off. The gallant alpha male remains

bedded where the rally took place, waiting for his mate to finish. About 5 minutes later she’s full enough so she leaves and greets the male. They set off after the others.

There is ample light now to distinguish grays and blacks. I see a total of nine; five blacks and four grays.

Once they are out of sight, I follow others who are already driving back to Slough.

Dusty is already there and relays the news that all five pups are active near the den with two adult black babysitters. Two adults?

Wow, that means we have a total of 11 adults! I think that’s a full count for the Junction pack.

Dusty has some other surprising news: the “goal post tree”, the second of two aspen that once stood in the western end of the spring meadow, has apparently been felled by the fierce wind that raged last night.

When I get set up on Dave’s Hill, I find it poignant to see the trustworthy marker lying flat a few feet away from its old partner. I think immediately of the George Harrison song: “All Things Must Pass“.

I tell Celia, it’s going to be a lot harder to help first-time visitors figure out where to look!

The two babysitter wolves are 1477F (GPS collar) and an uncollared black female. I’m glad to see these two. In recent months, they have not always been seen with the pack. But I suppose when there is free bison for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they are more likely to stick around the old homestead.

The pups are their usual bouncy, happy-go-lucky selves. A black wolf (1386F) is spotted travelling quickly past the small diagonal forest, very likely bringing food to the pups.

As she reaches the Parrot Rock all the pups and both babysitters rush to meet her. She lowers her head and feeds them all. She’s such a good mom!

More wolves are seen in the flats below Marge, traveling slowly north and a bit east. For whatever reason, instead of them coming up the lion meadow to feed the pups, this group takes a different route.

They first travel along the base of the Lion Meadow then stay low, continuing east for quite a long time.

907 is trailing the group at first, but breaks off and follows the route taken by 1386, past the small diagonal forest. She rests a short while in that area then continues to the parrot rock. Below the western trees she is swarmed by the pups and adults already up there. She gives them a feeding.

Someone spots a bear passing the mixed forest to the north, very likely the grizzly that was on the carcass early this morning.

Shortly after this, 1478F takes her own route up the Lion Meadow and gives a feeding when she is met by the inevitable puppy swarm.

I check in with the low-traveling group, finding several of them stopped well below the Diagonal forest, looking intently east. Several watchers pan east but never figure out what caught their interest.

They resume their eastward march for a while before they turn left and move uphill, following the zig-zag willows then back behind the Horizontal forest. Now this group heads towards the den area, crossing the lower portion of the rocky knob below the Diagonal forest.

This meandering group includes the alpha male, dark gray, black male, 1479F, the uncollared gray female and 1385F. They all finally reach the eastern side of the spring meadow, where they greet the pups and a rally ensues.

There are multiple feedings at this point as well.

All the wolf watchers at Slough are thrilled to be seeing 16 Junction wolves together in their traditional den area! I know I am very lucky to see this.

After the rally, 907 beds near the sage den while 1385 beds near the parrot rock. The pups begin a bout of play, with several adults joining in.

They remain bedded for maybe 20 minutes but then we have wolves on the move again, back to the west, past Parrot Rock and through Aspen pass.

They reappear in the Aspen drainage and continue down to the flats once more, heading steadily south. Some travel along the creek bank; others below the rocky bench out of which Marge grows.

In the latter group I see the alpha male, dark gray, 1386F and one black pup. A little while later, a black adult (not sure who) herds this pup back up the hill towards home.

Watchers in Little America report that three wolves have returned to the carcass for a second breakfast (two blacks and a gray, including 1386F).

Jeremy is up on Dave’s this morning with his parents, so I’m able to grab a short conversation with him to clear up a few identifications.

He agrees with me that 1479F is very likely the daughter of 1276F, but the DNA is not in yet.

It’s nearly 11AM when I leave Dave’s Hill, with four pups and a few adults still in view lounging in the grass between the Western and Eastern trees.

The day has warmed to 70 by now, so after a quick visit with Kristina at the Peregrine carcass, I head east for a break.

After my stretches and a bit of dinner I go back to the valley. There is a moose jam at Pebble for a large bull with huge antlers. And I have two bison jams in Lamar on my way to Slough.

I join Dusty and Celia at the Bob’s Knob lot and we set up in my new favorite spot just west of the cars.

Gary reports from Little America that 1479 is back on the carcass.

As he is speaking, 907 walks into my scope. She has just emerged from the Hidden Meadow, going west. Then Celia spots all five pups, along with two black adult babysitters, marching from the Diagonal Forest towards the bottom of the flower hill.

They begin a delightful play session among the eastern trees. They carry on, romping and chasing, moving closer to the parrot rock.

The alpha male is one of the “babysitters”. He eventually leads the group, including all the pups, over Aspen pass. The pups are in high spirits, goofing off and bouncing almost the whole way.

We lose them for a while then find them again when they reach the flats. A fifth adult, another black, appears southwest of the group, coming towards them.

They greet and rally and then head a bit further south until they stall out near the southern round tree.

The wind is pretty stiff tonight, but not quite as fierce as last night. It’s very warm, 78, so it has a welcome cooling effect.

My total for the evening is 10 wolves, with five adults and five pups.

As the light begins to dim, I head back east. What an amazing day!

Today I saw: a grizzly bear, bison (and calves) coytes, a bald eagle, pronghorn, 16 Junction wolves (the full pack) including 907, alpha male, 1385F, 1386F, 1477F, 1478F, 1479F, big black (M), dark gray (M), uncollared black female, uncollared gray female (light gray) plus 4 black and 1 gray pup) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.