Today’s forecast calls for snow later in the day.

I stop to listen at Round Prairie, Footbridge, Picnic and Hubbard Hill. The only critters I see are four coyotes romping about.

I stop again at Dorothy’s, where Rick is talking with a group of biology teachers. Don and Paula are here, too, so we scope Jasper Bench for a while. The radio crackles. Bob L has howling at Slough.

A bunch of us trek out to the Knob. Soon someone finds a collared gray up by the Crescent Rock.

The Junctions have been found.

I see five, including 907F, the alpha male, 1385F, 1478F and 1479F. They travel through the den area, passing the eastern trees, sniffing here and there.

They cross the den meadow and pass the western trees. Somewhere in here, 907 finds a reason to momentarily pin 1385. But not for long. They are up and moving in a few minutes.

The group takes the middle pass onto the rocky knob, continuing west.

Once the wolves are out of sight, Rick and I drive to Long pullout, trying to find the Junctions from here. We see three coyotes instead.

Sian has been scoping from Boulder. She calls us to join her.

We arrive in time to see the group of five milling about in the rocks of Little Mom’s Ridge. I follow them as they continue west, until they top the skyline at the eastern edge of the trough.

Rick continues to Elk Creek and soon radios that he has them in sight. Unfortunately, by the time I arrive, the wolves are out of sight again. Jeff pulls in and the three of us hope-scope for a while, chatting away.

A snow squall arrives and Rick heads back to Silver Gate. Jeff and I wait it out in his camper with some tasty hot chocolate. When the sky clears again, we can see the Crew way across the valley on a high, snowy slope below the western basalt face of Junction Butte. Hmmm.

It certainly looks like they are seeing something that might last a while. Like a wolves at a carcass. Jeff suggests we join them. It looks like it might be a doable hike if we start high enough on Wrecker grade.

I have several hours to kill before I can check in at the Super 8, so I agree to join him.

Note: the Wrecker lot has been closed due to construction on the new bridge over the Yellowstone. However, with so little snow this winter, there is ample parking on the shoulder of the road uphill of the barricade.

We park here and pack up. Once I start up the hill, I realize the Crew is much higher on the slope than I thought. But I feel committed at this point.

There is no clear trail; just a bushwack through sage brush with alternating sections of mushy snow and icy snow. There is also a good bit of dry/rocky ground, for which I become quite grateful.

There are at least two dozen people up there with the crew. It’s the same teacher’s group Rick was talking with earlier. I tell myself, if all those people can do it, so can I.

My progress is slow, but I keep plodding ever higher, needing and taking many breaks to catch my breath. Finally, I get to the last section, and Jeff and Johnny come down, carrying my scope and daypack the rest of the way.

I normally refuse this type of help, kind as it is, but this time I accept with thanks. A young woman from the teacher’s group comes down, too, taking my heavy coat which I tied around my waist 10 minutes ago!

I am grateful to them all.

And the climb is definitely worth it. But it’s not the Junctions. It’s the Rescue Creek pack on a fresh carcass.

The view is of an area east of the sheep cliffs. You can see the top of these cliffs from Boulder and Elk Creek, but the carcass area where the wolves are is NOT visible from any roadside viewpoint.

The entire Rescue Pack is here, feasting on a small bison. When I finally catch my breath and get my scope up, I see five wolves, mostly pups, still feeding. The others have moved up the hill to bed down and digest.

I follow a dark black wolf as he walks up the hill, by-passing other bedded wolves, looking for his “perfect” spot. I find that many of the wolves in this pack are particularly good-looking, with robust, mange-free winter coats.

I am immediately struck by the look of one pup whose color I find unique and attractive. Its body is kind of mottled black/brown overall, with dark legs and a dark face and a distinctive gold/blonde shoulder stripe (kind of like a grizzly vest). This pup is a bit smaller than the others, possibly a female.

I decide to call this wolf “gold stripe”.

Jeremy says all 14 pack members are here. I count at least 11 of them.

There are two gorgeous grays; offspring, no doubt, of the founding alpha male (now deceased) we once called “the gray male” (because once he was the only male gray in the Junction Pack.)

According to the Crew, this sighting is significant because it marks the first time that the Rescue Creek wolves have a carcass on the north side of the Yellowstone. Normally, this pack has stayed south of the river, leaving the north side to the Junctions.

And the Junctions are close, today; we just saw them at the edge of the trough, which is only a few miles from here. Perhaps this is a harbinger of changes to come, given that the Rescue Pack is robust and on its way up while the Junctions are diminished.

Three bison come up from below, perhaps curious about their dead comrade. They displace the remaining wolves still feeding. Both bison and wolves bluff charge each other, but in the end it’s the wolves that back off.

When the bison first start to approach, my “gold stripe” wolf is savvy enough to grab a sizeable chunk of meat and carry it into the sage to enjoy undisturbed.

Jeremy helpfully points out some individuals when I ask: namely newly collared alpha female 1490F; a beautiful gray yearling 1484M, and a newly collared black pup 1489M.

He also confirms that the new alpha male of this pack is a large uncollared gray. Unfortunately, he is one of the wolves now bedded out of sight. And he says the Junctions are now well to the west of here.

A few of the pups begin to play together, chasing and jumping and wrestling. Other individuals explore on their own, motivated by their own curiosity. After about an hour of very pleasant watching, though, the wind begins to pick up. It appears a largish squall is on its way.

The warm temps suggest this weather could hold more rain than snow and I did not bring a rain jacket. Jeff is ready to go, so we hoist our stuff and head back down to the cars.

I feel bad for the Crew. They are obligated to stay!

We angle more directly towards the road, to save a bit of time, but this makes for steeper going, while still presenting the same trio of obstacles as the route up: icy snow patches, easy-to-trip-on sage branches and mushy snow.

When I am about 2/3 of the way down, the squall hits with a vengeance. Sideways sleet slashes us. My glasses are fogged with rain drops, my shoulders and hands are drenched!

I find temporary refuge under a wide-spreading Douglas fir. No rain gets through these branches! They work as a wind-break, too, tempting me to wait out the rest of the squall right here. But I’m already wet, so I opt for the greater warmth of my nearby car.

Finally inside Arrow, I toss my wet coat in the back and crank up the heat, including my seat heater and my wonderful heated steering wheel. Ahhh! That’s better.

Now I drive west, looking forward to a hot shower at the Super 8.

The sun comes out for a bit on the drive back but the sky quickly clouds up again. In Mammoth I see numerous elk and pronghorn grazing near the entrance gate.

I have some dinner and write my note to Laurie.

It feels great to rest my weary bones!

Today I saw: bison, 8 coyotes, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, 16 wolves from two packs (5 Junctions – 907F, 1385F, 1478F, 1479 F plus one other gray; 11 Rescue Creek wolves: 8 black and 3 gray including 1484M, 1489M, 1490F, gold stripe and 7 others) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.