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Campground Cleaner by John W. Uhler - June 1997

Campground Cleaner
by John W. Uhler - June 1997



July 1997 Trip Report




25 July 97 - Friday


We headed for the park at noon on Friday. The traffic and construction was better than expected and we had a nice drive to the park. We arrived at West Yellowstone about 6:00 pm, had supper and then drove to Madison, to Norris to Canyon to Tower and then out to Lamar Valley. Crowds were small, less than in years past and most campgrounds were not full, which was a real surprise! It had rained on and off from Idaho Falls to Roosevelt and then it took a break as we headed to Lamar.


This crew consisted of my 16 year old son Jacob and myself. As we drove through Lamar, I was surprised that there was no one at any of the turnouts. We did not find any wildlife watchers until we came to the Soda Butte area. We arrived a little before 8:30 pm, Range Rick and fellow wildlife watchers were at the turnout.


Jacob and I went up and talked to Rick about what was going on. Apparently two of the Druid Peak Pack had just come down the valley and they were trying to spot them. Jacob saw female wolf # 40 just as she was starting to head for the cover of a close by ridge. It was his first wolf spotting in Yellowstone and he was excited. That was the only wolf we saw as we had either missed the other wolf or he had disappeared before we had arrived. We stayed and watched and hoped to see some more of the pack or hear them howl, to no avail. We stayed until past 9:00 pm and then headed to Slough Creek for the night.




26 July 1997 - Saturday


Big Horn Sheep near Rescue Creek by John W. Uhler - June 1997

Big Horn Sheep near Rescue Creek
by John W. Uhler - June 1997


We were up at 5:00 am and headed for the turnout that is just east of the large turnout for outfitters or anyone going into the backcountry with horses. Some of the folks we were watching with the evening before were there or arrived shortly after we had. We were all hopeful for another chance to see the wolves.


The rain from the day before had made conditions such that the valley had sporadic fog in different areas, and as fate would have it, our area was one of the few areas covered. Nine of the Druid Peak Pack were sighted out on a flat area in the valley, six adults and three pups. Rick had the telemetry gear and a visual sighting from his vantage spot up on the hillside. We could see where they were looking, but the fog had drifted over the area the wolves were in, so we, from our location, could not see anything. We could just point and say the wolves were right there in the fog.... so goes a day in the lives of some wildlife watchers.


We were treated to a rare fogbow (a totally white rainbow made from the mist of the fog) that covered our area. No one in the group had seen one before, it was unusual and I hope the pictures of it come out. We stayed and watched and hoped and chatted until around 9:00 am or so and then headed down the valley west looking for some griz or any other wildlife in the area.


We drove into Gardiner, MT for supper. We then drove to Mammoth and talked to the rangers at the Albright Visitor Center about the wolves. While at the visitor center, we also went to a show on Yellowstone and through the museum. We then headed towards Lamar.


We drove Blacktail Drive on the way back towards Lamar. If you have a chance, take this drive, the wildflowers are absolutely fantastic. Fields of green and gold, and meadows of green interspersed with purple and light blue and dark blue and pale yellow were spectacular. In fact, on this trip I was overwhelmed with the colors of Yellowstone. The green and gold and blue fields and the tan rocks slides or tan hillsides splashed with blues and purples captivated the eye and warmed the heart. It was great to enjoy such beauty in nature and life - it was wonderful to be home and seeing and feeling the beauty.... I know there are others who feel and felt the same way, I watched you kneeling on the ground inches away from blooms or framing a green and gold meadow in your cameras. I really wish I were back in the park or could have stayed much longer... someday!


As we approached Roosevelt we noticed some vehicles pulled over on the side of the road and people looking and pointing to the east hillsides. We stopped and setup our spotting scopes on a large black bear that was traversing the hillside. We had about 300 or so people stop by and look at the bear as he or she covered the vast hillside looking for something to eat. It was fun to watch friends from Germany, France, Japan, Maine, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, young, middle age and older seeing their first bear in Yellowstone and to share in the experience. We stayed for about three hours letting anyone who wanted view the bear.

Some of the friends who stopped to view the bear reported a young cub a few miles just west of Roosevelt. Jacob wanted to see the cub, so we headed towards Mammoth. Just a little ways west of Floating Island Lake, we came upon a small crowd of wildlife watchers. We arrived just in time to watch the cub walk up a small hill and into the forest. It looked like a one year old cub. We again turned around and headed back towards Lamar.


We turned east at the Roosevelt/Tower Junction and headed towards Soda Butte. We had not gone more than a half mile when another black bear was about 20 yards off the road thrilling tons of Yellowstone visitors and photographers (yours truly included). We watched and took pictures for about 20 minutes or so and as the bear sat calmly on the hillside and ate berries, we left him and his watchers to continue our adventure.


We stopped at the third turnout in Lamar with a group of watchers to see if any wolves or bears had been spotted. Nothing going on for the past little while. One of the watchers spotted something moving up in a high meadow near the top of Specimen Ridge. We all trained our spotting scopes on the area hoping for some wolf activity only to be treated to another black bear romping in the meadow.


We mounted our trusty Plymouth and continued to the Soda Butte area. Ranger Rick and other friends were setup and waiting for the arrival of the Druid Peak Pack. We watched and waited as the sun slowly floated behind the western mountains and bid us adieu in fireworks only she can produce on the Lamar tapestry. We enjoyed the time together talking, visiting, telling tales and intertwining our lives in Yellowstone. We headed to Slough Creek content and happy with the days experiences and friends.




Buffalo Calf - by John W. Uhler - June 1997

Buffalo Calf
by John W. Uhler - June 1997


27 July 1997 - Sunday


The alarm rang early at 5:00 am and we dressed in anticipation of another day's possibilities. We arrived to a beautiful sunrise in Lamar. We trained our scopes and binocs on the valley and covered every hillside and meadow looking for our friends the wolves and the griz. Ranger Rick was again posted on the hillside with telemetry in hand. We watched the area and Rick to see which direction he was pointing the antenna, we took our cues from him as well as checking all the different avenues of approach. At 6:15 am some of the pack north of us at their den site howled. Everyone hushed and strained their ears to take in the music of the wolves. We were thrilled! They again howled at 6:25, 6:40 and 6:50 am. The last howl at 6:50 was a very faint long low howl that was eerie and beautiful. It was the last sound we heard from the pack, we savored the experience! The telemetry indicated that # 39 was babysitting the pups in the den and that the rest of the pack were out gathering food.


We visited with friends from Wyoming, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Utah and other cities and states. We had fun telling of our experiences with our families, trips, work, vacations and had some great laughs. Laughter is medicine to the soul and laughter in Yellowstone is even better medicine - it enlivens and enriches in ways only those who share and experience it know.


Jacob and I packed our scopes and drove to the Lamar picnic grounds for lunch and to get ready to head home. We visited with some friends there and watched and learned about a nesting pair of American Kestrals, and talked about the birds in the park and the birds in Illinois. We parted company better for the exchange. The friends we made and time we shared together made this experience a choice one for Jacob and myself.


We mounted our van and slowly grudgingly coaxed her towards our home away from home!




We saw - American Kestrals, Antelope, a Golden Eagle, four Black Bears, Buffalo and calves, Canadian Geese, an Osprey, Trumpeter Swans, Coyotes, Ducks, Elk, a Red-Tailed Hawk, Sandhill Cranes, one wolf of the Druid Peak Pack.




Total for the year so far: American Kestrals, Antelope, two Badgers, Bald Eagles, 12 Black Bears, Bighorn Sheep, Buffalo, Canadian Geese, Coots, Coyotes, Deer, Ducks, Elk, a Golden Eagle, 26 Grizzly, four Moose, Red-Tailed Hawks, Sandhill Cranes, six wolves of the Druid Peak Pack and ten of the Rose Creek Pack.





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