September is a crucial time for teachers, and, having retired after 37 years of teaching, I knew I would be feeling the pull of the classroom when autumn arrived. So I decided instead to spend my September days in one of America's most stunning settings, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I had followed the reintroduction of the gray wolf into the West from Canada since the mid-1990s, and I knew the program had been extremely successful. I was determined to see wolves in the wild, so I signed up for the Fall Wolf and Elk Discovery program.
For four days, my daughter Becky, 22, and I stayed in a cabin and awoke at 5 a.m. to put on layers of clothes and hiking boots, grab our binoculars and camera, and head out for the day with 10 companions and a wildlife biologist.
Wildlife was everywhere. One afternoon, we turned a curve to find a family of elk midstream in the river, the male jealously protecting his harem of three females and their calves from any intrusion. It was rutting season for elk, and the males bellowed day and night as they collected and guarded their families.
Temperatures were in the 30s in mid-September, and it snowed during our visit, but most days turned sunny and warm by afternoon. We spotted everything from mountain goats and mule deer to moose and pronghorns.
We also were astounded by the natural beauty of the land. Sitting as it does on an enormous underground area of volcanic activity, the park is filled with geysers, mud pots, steam vents, and wildly diverse rock formations. As we drove into the park from Grand Teton National Park, where we rafted down the Snake River, we passed through wide valleys spreading out between mountain ranges, bordered by churning rivers with waterfalls.
One afternoon, we watched a huge male grizzly bear stare down a group of nervous bison who felt he was just a little too close to their herd. Suddenly, the bear reared up and charged the bison, scattering them over the plain.
The trip's most rewarding moment came one early morning, as we watched adult members of a wolf pack feeding their cubs and frolicking. I was in awe watching such behavior in the wild. Suddenly, an adult wolf sat down, lifted his head to the sky, and started to howl. Soon the pack joined in - what a sound.
At that moment, Becky looked at me, laughed, and asked, "Well, Mom, can you die happy now?"
I just smiled and shook my head.
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