It’s much colder today at only 9 degrees, but at least the snow and wind has stopped. I find a clear sky above me with a bright moon, and about 3 inches of new snow on the car.

I see the local fox on my way in.

At Round Prairie, I see Rick scoping the willows. Alas, he has nothing in view at the moment. He tells me he went out last evening and saw 5 of the 7 Shrimps.

Laurie and Dan join us at the regular lot. Dan finds a moose to the south. In fact, he finds 5 bulls, including one with absolutely huge paddles.

It’s only 3 degrees in Soda Butte Valley. I say hooray for normal weather.

We find nothing in Lamar nor Little America. But when we approach Lower Hellroaring, there is a huge crowd, with everyone looking north.

Apparently 1479F was spotted a little while ago traversing the lower part of Hellroaring slope, moving east towards Little Buffalo.

I set up next to Doug Mac and with his help, I miraculously find her as she moves quickly across the snow and sage hill. She quickly disappears into thick trees.

About an hour before this, Calvin and Lynette found several Rescue wolves on the rocky-forested hill above the Yellowstone to the northwest. They lost sight of them but think they might still be around.

I scope with them a while and find tracks in the snow that were likely made by the Rescues, but we never find the wolves themselves.

Laurie is still feeling poorly today, so she and Dan head back east to Silver Gate.

Around 10 AM I make my own departure, heading back to Bozeman.

I find packed snow on 89 with ice underneath so I slow down. Luckily there is little traffic. But I know Kathie is driving back to Bozeman later today so I text her to suggest she leave plenty early. The road is particularly icy when I get near Livingston.

I arrive safe and sound around 1PM but two hours later, poor Kathie has a different experience. She is struck head-on by a drunk driver near Livingston. Miraculously, she survives the crash and is taken by ambulance to Livingston hospital. When she is released two days later, she stays with me in Bozeman until she heals enough to fly home to CA.

Her Subaru saved her life. And I will always wonder if she may have missed all that trauma had I not texted her about leaving early.

Today I saw: bison, coyotes, elk, a fox, 5 moose, pronghorn, 1 wolf (Junction pup 1479F) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.