And the adventure continues…
We chose a less traveled road to leave Yellowstone. As we were driving along, a pickup truck in front of us stopped, as did a car on the opposing side of the road. We assumed that some animal was crossing. The vehicles moved on and we found ourselves face to face with a gray wolf. Usually the wolves here are specks on a distant hillside. We gawked at the wolf and he (or she) slid into the trees next to the road. Much to our shock, he walked right back out again. I lowered my window to take photos (alas—more about that later) and he just stared back at me from about six feet away with piercing yellow eyes. With no one behind us, Manskills moved the car slowly down the road and the wolf loped alongside of us for maybe 100 feet. He just kept staring at me—I who was trying to handle the camera with one hand and muzzle Maggie with the other. Mags had decided that he was a threat to our “pack” and barked her head off. In other circumstances, well deserved. I began to think about the short distance between him and my open window. Not wanting to become wolf stew (me—not him), we decided to move along. Wow. We didn’t get a chance to talk to a ranger and find out just how rare our encounter really was. I will never read “Little Red Riding Hood” in quite the same nonchalant way.
Note to self—pay attention to your location on July 4. For instance, if you are staying in a campground in a little town like Deer Lodge, Montana, you need to be aware that fireworks are not only legal, but immortalized—until at least midnight—and the louder the better. Thank goodness the Divine Miss M was oblivious. We had to tranquilize one of our previous dogs for much less July 4th noise.
Now to the sad part of our adventure so far. We had ventured out to a beautiful lodge on Lake MacDonald in Glacier NP. We parked, walked around, and had lunch. We went back to the car to get our camera and it was gone. We went through the car with a fine-toothed comb and retraced all of our steps that day. The only explanation that is plausible is that for once we 1)forgot to lock the car and 2)we left the camera on the console between the two front seats. A perfect storm and one that we never let happen—except this time. Besides losing an expensive Canon camera, we had yet to download any of our photos from Grand Teton or Yellowstone parks. Talk about feeling sick—not to mention angry and some other expressions I can’t use here. It is inconceivable that someone would help himself to our possession. I guess it is a reminder to us all to be watchful. So, you’ll just have to take our word about the wolf.
Naturally, there was a camera store here in West Glacier, so we reluctantly replaced the old Canon with a new one. Where’s a Costco when you need one? Oh, well. We’ll file an insurance claim at home and perhaps get some money back. And, we found out, Montana doesn’t have sales tax. But the pictures—those were priceless.
Today Manskills was determined to relive our Sierra Club past and drag (er—invite) me on a hike up to Avalanche Lake. A mere two miles, he said—one way. Well, by the time we completed our challenge it was more like five, which isn’t much until you count in the elevation gain. All the way in, I was concerned that I might not find any kind of comfort station at the lake. I kept eyeing possible areas for retreating to if need be. There weren’t many. I nearly jumped for joy upon seeing the “Pit Toilets” sign. Never had a pit toilet looked so good. The lake was fabulous and well worth the walk. On our way back, not too far beyond the famous pits and near the location that I had planned to use if needed, a couple stopped in front of us, saying that they had seen a bear uphill from the trail. We stopped and couldn’t see anything, until a grizzly—yes, we know one when we see one—stepped across the trail about 50 feet in front of us (I could have sworn that it was 20 feet, but I can’t argue with Manskills.) Thank goodness, he didn’t look at us or come toward us, but just ambled on down the hillside. Yikes. That’s about as close as I ever wish to come to one of those beasts, although we had been straining to see one our whole trip. Be careful what you wish for. Farther down the trail, we chatted with other hikers who told us that someone had been killed by a grizzly yesterday in Yellowstone. How very sad, but I’m so glad that I didn’t know that before our encounter. I might still be too shaky to type this.
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