This morning we find a bit of overnight snow has fallen.

It’s almost 9AM as we leave Gardiner. It looks like the main accumulation is between Mammoth and Undine, but it’s only an inch or two.

By the time we reach Blacktail ponds, the snow has stopped falling and the road is clear.

We see Bruce scoping from S Curves, looking south.

He tells us he had a pair of uncollared blacks near the antler rock about a half hour ago, but that he’s lost them for the moment.

We continue east and join a happy crowd at Hellroaring.

The Junctions are in view yet again!

Thank you AGAIN, Chloe!

We learn that early birds had two packs this morning, and a grizzly on the old carcass. Apparently the Rescue Creek Pack was below the pullout, on the south side of the river with their own carcass.

They have already left the area, as has the bear.

Then the Junctions arrived.

We start seeing wolves below the Tornado Drainage, coming up from below where the unseen lower part of Hellroaring creek runs down to the Yellowstone River.

I see a limping black on a snow patch west and south of the Tornado Drainage.

A second black comes into view left of the limper. Then another black, then a gray.

Also emerging above the crest of a low hill is a bison herd, including several with raised tails. I suspect some unseen wolves are near this herd, just out of sight beyond the ridge line.

Sure enough, as the herd moves slowly up and east, more wolves become visible. My count rises to 9, including all three grays and six blacks.

I am pretty sure 1479F is one of the blacks. I also see the alpha pair, 1385F and 1392M. The crew tells me the whole pack is here.

Many of our regular wolf-watching buds are down at Lower Hellroaring, where the view is also good. I offer to move us there, but Becky says she’s fine where she is.

The wolves begin a rally which the limping black eventually joins. Afterwards, several wolves head west but then double back. A bit of play develops between two blacks which is always nice to see.

For a short time, four or five wolves surround a lone bison but nothing develops and the wolves lose interest. I think they are not hungry enough!

Around 11AM we figure it’s time to get going back to Bozeman.

We drive down to Lower Hellroaring to say our goodbyes. We are both delighted to have had such a nice trip, filled as it was with wolves every day.

We had nice dinners and lots of social time with our dear friends. And the weather cooperated as well, giving me mostly clear roads to deal with.

We get back to Bozeman at 1:30. After unpacking my car and re-packing Becky’s, we go out for dinner. We hit the hay fairly early, so Becky will be rested for her solo drive back to Missoula tomorrow.

Today I saw: bison, mule deer, elk, pronghorn, 9 of 11 Junction wolves and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.