Long hike in the snow

YNP WS Day 28 as follows:

Yellowstone is one of the stormier places I've ever spent time. Although actual precipitation was minimal the blue of the sky was non-existent. Constantly roiling clouds was the order of the day. The valley floor was mellow, no wind but we watched as the snow was being blown off of the ridges at higher elevations.

Once again, our morning started off without any wolf signals. Rob and I took the opportunity to hike up to Cache Creek to look for two different carcasses. We struck out on both. What a drag. But we were rewarded with an outstanding hike. The snow is starting to pile up but there still isn't enough for skis or snowshoes. The hike was difficult because there was enough snow to seriously impede our forward movement - I think we could have skied but I believe we would have hit rocks. Anyhow, it was nice to get away from the road. Although we didn't find the elk kills we were looking for we did find a recently deceased bison. It appeared to have just laid down and died; we couldn't readily determine a cause of death although it definitely wasn't killed by wolves.

Cache Creek is a place that I feel removed from the civilized world. After our unsuccessful search Rob and I sat down for a snack before the return hike. Encircled by a mixed grove of spruce and lodgepole pine we sat as the snow calmly fell to the ground. There was no sound except the distant and muffled sound of Cache Creek running over its bed of water-rounded rock. Snowy winters make me feel comfortable and content with the world.

Near the confluence of Cache and Lamar we took some radio signals and found that #21M and #42F were located somewhere up the Lamar River. Or so we thought. About a kilometer and a half from the trailhead we were caught off guard by the Druid Pack in full chorus. This was a pleasant surprise - I was enthralled to hear the wolves while I was not on the road. From what I could tell the wolves were near their den site. The Druid pack may have traveled past us as we were hiking along the trail. There is a chance that the pack was up at the base of Druid Peak and the radio signals we got were an erratic bounce. If it doesn't snow tonight we may be able to backtrack them tomorrow in order to find out where they have been. Anyhow, the rest of the day was spent trying to get a visual location. Late in the afternoon we finally found them after they had traveled West while remaining North of the road. The pack was resting up on a high ridge - after seven minutes they disappeared and we didn't see them for the remainder of the day. I did get to see #40F, #42F, #103F, #105F and a gray pup briefly. The howls and visuals were brief but I did cherish them. It always does my heart good to see this wolf family. One note: we didn't get any signals from #106F. This isn't unusual as she often conducts solo missions.

I love being out in the field when snow is on the ground. The tracks and sign of the wildlife are so visible; it makes me appreciate the complexity of the web of life.