I’m out at 7AM in a chilly 18 degrees. I find a bit of morning frost on the car but the heater warms it off quickly.

Laurie tells me Montana got its first cases overnight. A total of 4, with 1 in Gallatin County (Bozeman). And there is a new rule for anyone traveling to BZN from outside the country; they are required to isolate at home for 14 days. I wonder if the reverse is true and if it will affect Sian’s plans.

I see a pretty fox in the road just before Moose Meadow.

My first stop is at Picnic. I scope for a while until the stiff wind drives me back into the car.

There hardly seems to be anyone else here. This is, of course, my favorite way to experience the Park but given the unsettled state of the world, it feels less welcome than usual.

But so far, in the world of wolf watching, all is well. The winter study is underway, with two crews; Junction and Eight Mile. Jeremy is on the Junction crew. His telemetry confirms the Junctions are still on the back side of Specimen, meaning: out of sight

And now it starts to snow.

By 8AM we still have nothing in view and visibility is pretty bad.

But I do enjoy hanging out with Jeremy and Taylor – from a distance - at Elk Creek. We hear coyotes howling in Yancy’s Hole and eventually find four of them.

We try Hellroaring, Tower and Boulder. Nothing. I look from Straighway to check the Cut but find nothing moving there, either.

Visibility improves but it brings no wolf sightings. I hear that the Eight Mile Crew has not found their wolves, either. And there is worse news. Apparently alpha male #1015 has simply disappeared.

It’s now 11AM, 25 degrees and I am scoping from Dorothy’s with a snow squall fast approaching. I hear people talking about yet another idiotic rant by the demonette, in which she, again, casts herself as the poor, put upon victim. But apparently there are now actual charges against her. Sweet.

The snow begins to fall more thickly so I decide to just go back to Silver Gate.

I see the fox again near Moose Meadow.

And then I see a moose, just before the “Leaving Yellowstone” sign. Well, most of a moose, anyway. I glance into a clearing and there he is. I guess he could be a she; I never see the animal’s head but the hindquarters were quite big!

It snows the entire rest of the day and I watch it from the comfort of Laurie’s cozy home. Dan makes another great fire and we read and chat. I’m happy to report my BP is finally back to normal.

Today I saw: bison, coyotes, elk, a fox, 1 moose and the spirits of Allison and Richard