A morning in Yellowstone
I headed into the park long before the sunlight would melt over the mountains and drip into the valley below. Trusting the lights on my vehicle, I made my way along. Passing familiar landscapes that I couldn’t see. The darkness here is unlike anywhere else. It’s almost tangible. To give my eyes a break, I stopped at Blacktail Plateau to listen for howls. The Rescue Creek pack calls this area home. The moon was almost full giving way for a glimpse at this landscape that was otherwise shrouded in darkness. To be honest, I don’t normally like the dark but I don’t mind it here. I got out of the truck as if I would in some way be one with this landscape. For a brief moment, maybe I would be afforded with that chance encounter we all seek here.
I didn’t hear much. I didn’t see much at. So it was time to carry on to Lamar Valley. I slowly made my way and the sun began to rise. Pinks and oranges painted the sky in the most beautiful of ways. I ignored every urge to pull over and carried on to Lamar. The Junctions were waiting.
The Junction Butte pack calls this area of the park home. 907F is the breeding female of the pack, she is 11.5 years old and just had her 6th litter. This is…legendary. Wild wolves typically live 4-6 years, so to see this matriarch still thriving is a privilege not many have. I had high hopes of see her and her pack mates again.
The day prior, I was told of a carcass about 2 miles north of their dwellings; so I knew this meant wolves would be on the move. I just didn’t know when or where.
I drove up and down Slough Creek and the Northeast Entrance road — no wolves. The likelihood of them staying at the carcass seemed greater as each moment passed. And by now, the morning light filled the valley and time was rapidly passing. Still no wolves.
Nearly ready to move on from the area and head back to Blacktail or further onward in Lamar Valley, a raven landed beside my truck. I’ve always loved ravens for the intricate role they play in predator behavior and really how similar their behavior is with the predators they coexist with. Ravens can live up to 15 years in the wild and maintain a territory for which they are fiercely defensive of. They mate for life with their partner but should one die it will be replaced to ensure and maintain territorial ownership. Much of what we know about wolf/raven behavior has been studied in Yellowstone. And it just so happens, the raven that landed next to my truck was fitted with a tracker. So, researchers know a lot about this particular raven - where it’s flown, how far it’s flown, it’s territory, flight patterns - the list goes on.
I sat there for 10 minutes photographing the raven - thinking about all the places its been and where it has yet to go. When I was done taking photos, I got out of the truck and decided to walk the road one last time. In the hopes, that I would get lucky. Luckier than I had been up until this point.
I started to see movement on the north side of the road. It was big and brown so naturally I thought to myself: “Bison.” And sort of sighed in disappointment. Not because bison are not magnificent (they are) but because I was really hoping to see a wolf or a grizzly. That maybe, just maybe, I would catch one traveling away from the carcass after a feeding.
The “bison” disappeared into a sage covered ditch and I lost it for a few moments. Until it emerged and I exclaimed “GRIZZLY.” No one else was around. I’d walked a fair distance from my vehicle but was still quite far from the grizzly. But it wasn’t just one grizzly. It was three, a sow (mother grizzly) and her two cubs. And they had crossed precisely where I’d hoped I would see wolves.
The trio safely crossed the road and I soon lost them in a drainage.
I made my way back to my vehicle to now watch the south side of the road. I observed some bison grazing but not much else. 5 minutes or so passed and suddenly, the bison that were once calmly grazing took off. I looked east and saw the three grizzlies crest the hill.
They grazed through the sage and every once in a while would acknowledge my presence. I was soon joined by many others — for some it was their very first grizzly bear sighting. And that is a very special moment. I’d seen my first grizzly just 5 short months before and can still recall all the feelings of excitement and the internal dialogue is provoked.
The three eventually made their way down to the river and it was quickly apparent that they needed to cross. I was perched on the bridge above which was a very interesting vantage point. High above, I watched as they turned over rocks, waded and followed the sow. One cub, dark brown, was significantly smaller than it’s sibling, light brown. But still - the sheer scale of these animals is something else. The sow lumbered along, I swear I could hear her claws on the rocks and grunts as she turned over rocks.
Once satisfied, it was time to cross the river. The river looked deep and was moving quite fast. I knew this could go wrong. Though dark brown was smaller, it tried to cross the river first along with the sow and then light brown. The sow and light brown successfully made it across the first try. Dark brown didn’t have such luck. After that first attempt, it floated further down the river, got out and tried again in the same spot. I noticed that particular spot looked the most shallow which is probably why the sow chose it.
Dark brown tried once more and still didn’t make it. At this point - I was getting worried. I was unsure if the cub would be able to make it across — what happens then? And I kept reminding myself: “that’s nature.” As harsh as it is and can be, that harshness is key in the wild world.
The cub floated into a large tree branch and tried to keep ahold of it but ultimately the current pushed it off and further down it floated. But where it landed this time just so happened to be the perfect spot. It landed against a down tree which was the boost it needed to climb up the riverbank. I watched as the cub shook off the incident and b-line it up the hill to join it’s mom and light brown. Light brown met dark brown half way down the hill, their noses touched and off they went. Following the sow to higher ground, far away from you, me and that river. Likely in search of a den site for the winter ahead.
I started this day in search of wolves. But walked away having my best grizzly encounter to date. One of those encounters you surely “tell the grandkids” about. You can plan, hope and manifest as much as you want but wildlife show up on their own terms. It’s of course about understanding behaviors and patterns but a lot of it relies on them. You can’t predict where or when you will see it, you simply spend as much time as possible trying to see them until they reveal themselves.
And on days that I didn’t see what I originally hoped to, I almost always have walked away with a greater story to tell. That, to me, may be the most beautiful thing about it. The wild is and always will be wild and I just so happen to, sometimes, be in the right place, at the right time with the right gear to document them. Ultimately intertwining our lives - I the storyteller, they the story.
Until next time.
