Yellowstone: September, 2012 Chapter 1.5

Day 1: Thursday Sept. 27. 5:30 PM After our encouraging outing earlier in the day, mom, dad, and myself made the 30 minute drive to the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park's Northern Range. There, we met up with Rick McIntyre, The Yellowstone Wolf Project's most experienced biological technician who has logged over 5,000 consecutive days observing wolves in the wild. Using radio telemetry to track various collared wolves in the park, Rick tells us and a number of other wolfwatchers that the Lamar Valley Pack is likely bedded down approximately 1/2 mile away across the valley on the opposite side of the Lamar River. We know that they could appear anytime, or never, as was often the case. As we wait with binoculars and spotting scopes trained on the timberline, Rick tells us the these particular wolves had been spotted in this location earlier in the day and the evening before. That night however, we had to settle for the spectacular views that unfolded as the sun dipped below the peaks. Somewhere to the southeast, a lone wolf howls in the wind.