Running with the Wolves

When Katie was here last summer, she came out for Dark Skies and Wolf Howls, and we were successfully able to deliver on both topics! Katie made me this wonderful drawing, which still hangs on my fridge.

Here at Christmas, she came to my door to ask if we howled for the wolves in the winter. I explained that yes, we could... but the packs are on the move hunting, and it can be much harder to get a reply. I tried to soften the possibility of my epic failure at Wolf Karaoke by noting that I had not heard the wolf pack in several weeks, and thought they were out of voice range.

Nothing ventured, as they say, nothing gained, and Katie agreed to howl with me. We did a very soft voiced rehearsal, prior to cutting loose with our best howls... and WHAM! the wolf pack picked up on the Lookout Hill, and sang and sang and sang. Katie had a smile a mile wide.

We've always maintained that getting outside after dark, up here in the wilderness, is a learning experience. Now Katie has written to us with proof that one wolf howl can travel a very long way indeed:


"In my class we all had to write a speech and then say it in front of our class. Everyone got to choose their own topics, unless someone else was doing the same topic as them. At first, I wasn't sure what topic to chose. Then, I came up with the best topic EVER! Guess what it was? It was wolves. Since then, I have said my speech and gotten a good mark. Choosing wolves was a good speech topic. The first paragraph says something about Bondi. This is my first paragraph: Honourable Judges, Parents,Fellow students, Guests: "Have you ever heard a pack of wolves howling at night, or a lone wolf howling nearby? Every summer for the last few years my dad and I have gone to a cottage on the Lake of Bays in northern Ontario. I became more interested in wolves by listening to their different pack howls. When I come to Bondi this summer I hope that I will get to hear the wolves again."

We couldn't be more proud. Studies tell us that standing up in front of a group of strangers to give a talk is one of the most intimidating experiences. How wonderful that our timber wolf pack welcomed Katie in to the their song and helped her stand proud and brave -- like a wolf -- to talk about them! Way to go, Katie!