Journal Notes
THE DAY THE WOLVES SANG FOR US
A PACK OF WOLVES HAVE BEEN COMING IN REGULARLY TO FISH FOR SALMON IN THE CREEK JUST BELOW THE SPAWNING POOLS. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT JUST HOW UNUSUAL THIS ACTIVITY MIGHT BE. NONE OF THE VERY EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS WHO ARE HERE NOW HAVE EVER SEEN THIS BEFORE BUT WE HAVE HEARD THAT SOME WILDLIFE OFFICERS REPORTED A SIGHTING FARTHER NORTH IN ALASKA. WE ARE SEEING EIGHT DIFFERENT WOLVES FISHING HERE, SOMETIMES WORKING ALONE BUT MOST OF THE TIME IN PAIRS OR THREES, WORKING COOPERATIVELY TO ‘HERD’ THE SALMON TO ONE ANOTHER. TODAY, IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, TWO OF THE WOLVES, INCLUDING THE BLACK ALFA MALE, WERE AT THE BACK OF THE LAGOON, THREE WERE IN THE CREEK FISHING. SUDDENLY A LOW HOWLING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM WOLVES ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE ACROSS FROM US AND THEN THE SOUND WAS MULTIPLIED AS THE WOLVES IN THE CREEK AND THE ONES IN THE BACK OF THE LAGOON JOINED IN! ALL MOTION STOPPED AND PROBABLY ALL BREATHING, TOO, AS WE ALL FROZE IN OUR TRACKS. THE WOLVES’ SONG FILLED THE AIR FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, RINGING THROUGH THE CANYON, AT FIRST SOFTLY THEN RISING AGAIN, BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE WOLVES AND WE COULD JUST SEE AND FEEL THE WONDER AND JOY IN EACH OTHER’S EYES! AS THE SINGING SLOWLY DWINDLED INTO SILENCE AND WE ALL DARED TO EXHALE AGAIN, THERE SEEMED TO BE A COLLECTIVE SHIVER AND THEN HUGS WERE EXCHANGED ALL AROUND, I THINK TO RELEASE THE EMOTION OF THIS EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!
