It’s a very warm, overcast morning; 41 degrees in Silver Gate. I can feel the distinct threat of rain as I head down to the valley.

I see the usual mule deer in the high meadows.

Rick and I climb up Dave’s Hill again, joining others already set up. Luckily for us, the imminent rain holds off for several hours, during which time we manage a few scattered wolf sightings.

We get brief glimpses of 907F and 1477F as they momentarily top the crest of the flower hill. I see the black pup up there twice, for a couple of precious seconds.

The highlight of the morning comes around 7, when Paul spots a black wolf above the small diagonal forest traveling north with a chunk of meat in his mouth.

It’s the handsome black male who had the unfortunate encounter with the other black pup. As he nears the sage den, 907 emerges from Hidden Meadow and runs down to greet him. I guess she holds no grudge against him when she’s hungry!

They have a happy greeting, and he feeds her. GPS black 1477F follows 907. She wants some, too!

Somehow, she ends up with the chunk of meat the male was carrying. All three wolves head back to Hidden Meadow. Just before they disappear, the two pups come out to greet them.

Yay pups!

It’s a short but good view of them. They certainly look hale and hearty.

But now they are all out of sight again. For the next hour, it’s back to brief glimpses, including one of Dark Gray who walks the crest of the flower hill for maybe a half minute.

1477F comes out and beds in front of the eastern trees, but when she puts her head down, she virtually disappears behind the high grass!

We manage to spot a single black bear up in the Aspen drainage.

Around 8AM, a strong wind arrives, bringing the first drops of rain and causing a mass exodus from Dave’s Hill. Most of us get to our cars before the deluge starts.

As I drive east I hear a radio report from Frank who is already in Lamar:

The Mollies are back!

By the time I get set up on Trash can, the wolves are bedded in the Old Druid rendezvous. I see eight of them; five grays and three blacks, including 1090F, 1339M and 1411F. It appears that 1048 is not with them today. Of course, we thought that another time and he showed up after all.

Frank says he first saw them near the Middle Foothill, testing bison. He says they had singled out an aging bison cow, but the bison cavalry came to her rescue. The wolves gave up and moved to where they are now bedded.

As nice as it is to have this interesting pack back in the Valley once again, it is not pleasant to scope in the rain. And since they are no longer moving about but simply napping, I decide to head east and come back later.

On the drive back I see a bull moose at Pebble Creek and mule deer north of the pothole bridge.

Laurie and Dan arrive in Silver Gate around 4:30. It’s still raining, sometimes really hard, so we stay in and visit with our dear friends.

As I settle into bed in the loft, a new storm arrives, pelting the roof with heavy rain as well as loud cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning.

Today I saw: a black bear, bison (and calves), mule deer, elk, 1 moose, pronghorn, 14 wolves including 6 Junctions (907, 1477, brown gray and uncollared lion-ruff black plus the 2 pups) and 8 Mollies (1090F, 1339M and 1411F – five grays and three blacks) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.