After a wonderful nights sleep, we woke up to clouds and temperatures barely passing zero degrees Fahrenheit. It was very chilly and the look of new snow concerned us regarding our trip into the park, but we thought we would give it a try anyway.
On our way through the historical gate, I saw something in the road that made my heart skip a beat. At first I thought the gray looking dog standing in the middle of the road was a wolf. There is a pack that roams close to the gate, so I thought it might be possible. It was not, but it was a lone coyote taking an easier path of travel in the middle of the road.
After watching the coyote, we came to the entrance. The ranger allowed us to go through, telling us that the roads were very snow packed and icy in spots. We had tire chains to help us if need be. The plow had recently headed out to Cook City so things were working in our favor. I couldn’t have been more excited. Being able to enter the park and travel the only road open in Yellowstone made me very happy. I can now say I have seen Yellowstone in all four seasons.
Within a few minutes of entering Yellowstone, we came across our second animal sighting of the day. A small group of male bighorn sheep were eating along the roadside. Most of the males were young and had small sets of horns, but it was clear they were being looked after by a rather large and impressive male. He kept a watchful eye on us as we snapped a few photos but went about his business like normal.
Winter in Yellowstone is the prime season for wolves. They thrive in the snowy conditions, relying on the fact that elk, deer and bison are beginning to weaken as food becomes scarce and the cold takes its toll. Their major predatory competitor, the Grizzly Bear, is hibernating until Spring which means little to no worries about compeition while hunting. Being that the wolf if my favorite animal, a near obsession, my eyes were open for any movement. On several occasions I thought I spotted a wolf, but instead it was a coyote.
For those of us from Los Angeles, coyotes are mainly just a nuisance; an animal that rummages through garbage cans and eats our pets. They generally look pretty mangy and ready to try and take anything down just to eat. In Yellowstone, far away from any major city, the Coyotes are beautiful. Even though they still fight for food, their coats are thick and beautiful and their eyes have a sparkle to them. I still enjoy seeing them in our travels and will jump at a chance to photograph them, even if they are walking away from me.
The storm that rolled through and chilled things also brought fresh snow. Fresh snow meant that movement of animals through the trees and open fields and valleys could easily be seen by way of fresh tracks. There had been a lot of movement from bison, elk and other animals. There were tracks close to the road that looked to be wolf tracks, but we could not see them nearby.
The beauty of Yellowstone in Winter isn’t just about the animals, but the landscape itself. The snow covered mountains and trees made some of my photographs appear as though they were shot in black and white. It was amazing to see places that I am so familiar with covered in layers of snow. It is amazing to see how the snow can change the landscape so drastically.
As we traveled we came across another animal not often seen in the park, a bull moose. He was spending his time down in a small valley, moving along an exposed creek eating whatever willow and shrubs he could fine. His antlers had fallen off already and through my lens you could see the little nubs where his antlers will grow back as spring approaches. He seemed not to worry about us and continued to eat.
As our travels continued we also came across several large bull bison using the road to travel from one place to another. Smart guys they are! Why trudge through snow several feet deep when you can use the conveniently plowed roadways? Some of the bison had snow covered faces which I found fascinating. The most likely reason for the snowy faces? Well, in the winter bison use their large and very strong heads and neck to move the snow away from patches of grass in the open valley areas. The bison below had probably finished munching on a fresh spot of grass and was moving on to the next place.
After a good, slow drive we made it out to Lamar Valley where wolf sightings are generally at a high. What a different sight during the winter. At times it was hard to tell where the road was because it was so snow packed. We had a few white knuckle moments but I still enjoyed the drive and wouldnt have missed it for the world. Shaun and I stopped at one of the large pullouts to eat lunch and then decided to turn around head back. A drive that usually takes about an hour and a half without major stops took nearly two hours one way because of the snow and ice. The days are very short so we knew that the daylight would be fading fast and didnt want to be in certain areas after dark.
On our way back, we came across a large group of cars that were stopped. In Yellowstone, when you see this there is generally something worth stopping to look at. We discovered that there was a pack of about five to six wolves out on one of the bluffs in the distance. You needed a spotting scope to see them, so there was no way I could capture them with my camera.
As we were stopped though, a coyote started getting curious about all of the stopped cars. He checked out the car in front of us, sniffing its tires and watching its occupants photograph him. Once he was done he started to trot down the road, right by our car. It was a sight to see! He was certainly curious about all of these people.
As we sat there the sun began to fade. The sunset was amazing and gave me yet another reason to love Yellowstone. After that we didn’t have anymore encounters with wildlife and continued on. Shaun and I stopped in Mammoth and decided to have dinner at the Mammoth Lodge dining room. We had to wait for a bit but boy was it worth the wait. Buffalo Ravioli…. wow! It was an amazing dinner and worth the half hour wait. I also had an amazing cup of hot apple cider which made me very happy and warm. I needed it too as the temperature dipped well below zero and the wind blew hard. The short walk from the lodge to the car left me feeling out of breath and very frosty, that’s how cold it was. We discovered once we got back to Gardiner that the temperature in Mammoth was about minus two degrees, and with windchill it was about ten degrees cooler. Yikes! No complaints though… we had an amazing night and my hope was that the weather would hold out just one more day before we headed back to Bozeman.
The Wharton Adventures 
