Walking the Wild Side

 What a hike they had!  In the back fields, Amy and Carrie found bracken as tall as they were.  And turkey feathers, too!

 Eric, Kevin and Alison found part of the skeleton of a deer that had ended up as part of a Wolf Banquet.

 Working their wet way into the Hidden Lake, they reported that there were more pitcher plants this year, but that they looked really dry.  There were blueberries on the bushes too, all of which are grateful for the rain that finally came this week and broke the fire ban.

 Hawk Lake has interesting shorelines, with old beaver dams providing plenty of habitat just off shore. And a beautiful vista.

 But the big moment, the one that got the camera shaky and the excitement level high, was walking home and seeing a pair of young wolves frolicking in the sand pit.

All of these photos came to us from Eric, so thank you very much for that.  The last picture was taken by Rob -- he also got a short video but my computer doesn't want to open it... stay tuned, we well yet may get it working!

It's pretty rare to actually see the wolves -- and this past week several folk have scored well in that department. Brian saw one while he was trimming trails. "The biggest wolf I've ever seen," he reported, "it must have stood a metre at the shoulder."  Then we had a young pup hit by a car near the Craft Cabin.... just slow down folks. Dogs may do calculus when they are chasing balls and frisbees, but young wolves are still studying their algebra. Give them a brake.  In addition to the Geenen family's wonderfully productive nature walk, the young wolves were also spotted by Bill as he was driving in to the resort, so we know the pack is out there, and close. 
Maybe that means we'll have a successful wolf howl on Tuesday evening. Not that it really matters -- several of our guests have already reported hearing the pack howling in the middle of the night!