I’m out a bit late today having to push off 5 more inches of new snow from the car. The plow has not been through yet, and the snow is falling pretty hard, so the three of us decide to wait a bit before venturing out.
Dan and I use the time packing down the driveway. My little car does just great.
The plow arrives and continues west, so we load up and follow. We are resigned to the fact that visibility will likely be bad again today. Hopefully, though, the wolves will be in an area where we can see them.
At Trout Lake we have dense fog. I put on my flashers and slow down. I see the plow coming back towards me, so I stop until he passes.
None of the pullouts are clear this morning; not even Footbridge. Dan & Laurie offer to go ahead which is fine with me. The fog clears a tiny bit at Hitching Post but at Confluence it comes back, thicker than before.
To myself I say “there's no way we’re gonna find wolves today!”
Laurie learns that, alas, the Junction Pack signals are in the same place as yesterday. Grrr. We stop at Lamar Canyon West and chat a while, from a distance, with Taylor & Sidney.
A visitor stops by to report that 3 “gray wolves” were seen at Blacktail ponds, where a bear had just been. Hmm. We ask more questions. Did you notice collars? “No”. Were they close to the road? “Yes”. Did they all look pretty much alike? “Yes”.
Hmmm. To me, this is more likely a coyote sighting than wolves.
A little later, Scott pulls in. He tells us he saw the bear this morning at Blacktail Ponds. We ask if he saw any wolves there. “Nope” he says “but there were three coyotes”.
He also tells us that Sian didn’t make it in today. There was a lot of snow in Gardiner too, and she decided to turn around. Ai, poor Sian!
Despite the lack of visibility, we head west and scope anyway from Elk Creek. But there is nothing to see but snow.
So, for the second day in a row, we give up really early. I am back in Silver Gate at 11:30! I’ve gone two days without seeing a wolf, and the snow just keeps falling. Some days are just like this.
Today I saw: bison, fellow wolf watchers, and the spirits of Allison & Richard.