When I peek out the window this morning I see stars, meaning a clear day. But just as I’m hauling my day-bag to the car, a blizzard arrives.

It’s fairly warm at 35 degrees and the thick flakes are heavy and wet. Man oh man, is it coming down hard!

I wind up the OGR very, very slowly. I cannot use my brights when the snow is this thick. It’s already covered the road so I can only guess where the white lines are.

But slow and steady wins the day. At Allison’s spot, a single snowshoe hare bounds across the road. “Hi Chloe” I say.

The snow backs off by the time I get to Undine, but I wonder if there will be any visibility at Nature Trail.

Nope. Not a chance. I continue east.

Hellroaring also has poor visibility, so I continue to Elk Creek. On my way there, the radio crackles with news. Wolves at Slough!

By the time I get there, the snow has almost stopped and visibility is vastly improved.

I hike out and join others on Bob’s Knob, just like yesterday. There is wind again but not quite as fierce.

The Junctions are right where they were yesterday, near the Southern Round Tree with their hidden carcass.

I see the full pack of 11, 8 blacks and 3 grays.

When I first set eyes on them, they are all bedded, likely sleeping off their breakfast. Then a few get up to stretch or scratch and begin to move around.

I see a black wolf nuzzling another. 1479F gets up and moves away from the group (north) and re-beds. A large uncollared black gets up and does a lean forward (probably 1392M). 1479F gets up again and starts a small rally with two others.

An uncollared black adult then approaches 1479F and tries to mount her. She moves away from him but he trails her. When he gets too close she turns and makes her lack of interest clear, biting him, even shaking his neck.

He is undaunted and follows her again as she moves away. She snaps at him harshly and moves off. He approaches once more, and gets the another harsh bite. This time he gets the message.

I see a dark collared wolf leave the group and head to the gully where the carcass is. I learn that this is the newly collared male pup, 1545M.

We watch the Junctions for over two hours, while chatting and socializing with like-minded friends.

The sky to the west begins to clear, but then the wind arrives. At only 28 degrees, any wind at all is troublesome.

Around 9:30 I try moving to Canyon West. This works as the wind is diminished in this spot. I see collared pup 1545 return to the group after his snack. He is quite large for a pup!

I warm up in the car for a bit, then scope some more. Around 11 the wolves get up and move north, just as they did yesterday. This time I predict their route and I’m able to follow them a lot longer.

As they near the “distinctive rock” a black wolf behind 1478F moves close and attempts to mount her. Another black, (1392M) comes back and breaks them up.

He is not aggressive, just determined, and the other black obeys.

Calvin and Lynette join me here. It’s always so good to see them. We have a merry meeting and I’m able to help them see the wolves well before they go out of sight.

The sun comes out and transforms the day. I feel warm again, and the road is already nearly dry. I almost wonder if I dreamed the early blizzard.

Calvin and Lynette decide to head east, so I bid them adieu and go back west, intending to check on Rescue.

On the way I stop to check the black bear den. I don’t see the bear but I do see a moose in the ravine.

While I was on Bob’s Knob, we heard a report that people saw the Rescues when the snow lifted. But I find no one here when I arrive.

I scope anyway but find no wolves. So I go on in to Gardiner to do my stretches.

At 3:30 I drive back in, arriving at Nature Trail at 4PM. I find a friendly group of French speaking photographers. They are intrigued by the cloud formations to the west. It looks like yet another snow front is coming in, making a very dramatic pre-sunset.

I ask if any of them had seen wolves and a lady says yes.

She points south and when I train my scope on that spot, I find several bedded lumps on a wind-swept hill left of the Triangle Forest.

They are much closer than I had expected, just above the closest line of trees and in front of the “island of trees”.

I see two groups of bedded wolves and manage to count at least 10, mostly blacks with one gray.

However the wind is even more fierce than on Bob’s, likely due to the imminent arrival of the front. I re-park my car and raise the hatch to form a wind break. This way I am able to enjoy watching the wolves.

Two collared blacks walk away from the largest bedded group, side by side. Then one stops in front of the other. Oh! She’s averting her tail! Next thing I know, they are tied!

They both drop to a sitting position becoming partially hidden by a low hill. I can tell by their movements that they are still tied. In fact, I time it, and it lasts at least 20 minutes.

Once the tie breaks, the two re-join the closer bedded group. A little later, a black from that group gets up and visits the spot where the tie occurred. The wolf sniffs a bit, then sits down and rolls on its back in that spot.

While the tie is going on, I see a black from the smaller group chasing and harassing the lone gray. The gray drops to the ground and the black stands over it, tail high and wagging. The black nips at it, pestering the gray. I begin to wonder if the gray is a female and the male is trying to get her to accept him.

The gray retains a submissive posture. Then the gray gets up and the black gives chase. Now two other blacks join in chasing the gray.

I feel bad for the gray but the chase eventually ends and they all bed down. The gray chooses a spot near the larger bedded group. While the rambunctious blacks bed separately.

Around 4:45 the front arrives, bringing a dramatic increase in wind which creates a ground blizzard in the lot. Then snow/ice begins to fall and tiny crystals begin to accumulate on my coat, scope and inside my open hatch.

Most of the Rescues remain bedded, but the few that are up and roaming, do so with tucked tails due to the wind. Other than that, the seem oblivious to it.

One youngster finds a floppy strip of hide and tosses it in the air, letting the wind blow it away. Then he rushes to chase it.

This game attracts a second wolf who vies with the first one for possession of the hide. They end up tugging and it tears in half. Each happily trots off with their share of the prize.

Now the second wolf tries tossing it in the air, letting the wind be part of the game. The first one plops down and starts to chew the hide.

Then two blacks get up and head downslope out of sight. It may be my imagination, but it looks like they have had enough of the wind themselves.

Soon several others stand and follow them. Now only four wolves remain in view, three blacks and the gray. Between the falling ice and the wind-blown snow, visibility is deteriorating.

At 5PM I have had my fill of wind and ice-pellets. I seek refuge in my car and head back west.

I complete my lovely evening by sharing a delicious dinner with Calvin and Lynette and Jeff at Wonderland.

Today I saw: bison, a coyote, elk, a snowshoe hare, 22 wolves from two packs: 11 Junctions (including 1385F, 1392M, 1478F, 1479F, 1484M, another collared black adult, 1545M, three uncollared blacks and the uncollared gray) and 11 Rescues (including 1273M, 1393M, 1409F) and one uncollared gray plus 7 more blacks) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.