Without a doubt wolf watching in Lamar Valley was on the top of my list of things to do. We woke up well before sunrise and began the scenic drive to see the legendary wolves of Yellowstone. There wasn’t a guarantee of seeing them but about 10 minutes into Lamar Valley we saw three vehicles pulled over at the side of the road and thought it wouldn’t hurt to inquire about what they were doing. It felt like we struck gold when they said there was a wolf pack on the distant hillside. That childlike joy filled me and all I wanted was to see them. I pulled out my camera with a humble 70-200mm lens in hopes of spotting them. As you may have guessed, fully zoomed in the wolves registered as mere pixels. I was nowhere close to having a zoom that would suffice for viewing or pictures.

     Thankfully one of the regulars shared his scope with us. He told us people called him the “bear man” because he wrote reports on the bears in the park. In addition to that he pointed out the head biologist who set up a few meters away with his scope and notebook. It was so cool being able to observe this sub-culture within the park and at this time there were more than 20 vehicles parked with scopes and tripods.

     Even though it was impossible for me to take a photo of my favorite animal in the world, the mere ability to observe them in their wildest form was jovial. I don’t know how to describe it really but the connection I feel to wolves (for no apparent reason) make me want to advocate for their well being and safety more than most things. Just a warning that you will probably judge me or think I’m kind of weird from what I say next but I’ve had multiple dreams that I’m part of a wolf pack just running through forests and living with them. I realize how ridiculous that sounds but it’s perplexing and kind of funny. Also I’m sure everyone has that one thing they really connect with. For some it’s the mountains, trees, birds, dogs, elephants, who know but mine is wolves.

     Moving on before you think I’m totally weird, the views that accompanied the riveting wolf experience were amazing. I loved seeing the fog float across the hills creating atmospheric views that I frequently search for in landscapes. After visiting Lamar Valley we went back to the campsite for the afternoon to relax.

     To be continued… (The post was just getting too long so the next post will be the conclusion of the Yellowstone adventure!.... Finally)