Six days of winter in the Lamar Valley
Minus twenty-five at dawn, a pack on the far ridge and one wolf that came closer than any of us expected.
The plan was simple: be on the road before first light, scan every ridge with the spotting scope and stay with the animals for as long as they stayed visible. Winter in the Lamar Valley is the best season for wolves — the snow makes them easy to find and the elk herds keep the packs low in the valley.
For the first four days the pack stayed far out, little dark shapes moving along the tree line. I photographed the landscape instead, and the bison, who seemed to enjoy standing exactly where the light was best.
On the fifth morning a single grey wolf crossed the road ahead of the line of cars, paused at the snow bank and looked back once. That glance is the frame on the Land page. The whole encounter lasted perhaps forty seconds.
Practical notes: the park road stays open in winter only between Gardiner and Cooke City; carry chains, a shovel and more food than you think. Batteries die quickly in the cold — keep spares in an inside pocket.