Monday, October 29, 2007
   It's in the 20's I think. We stop at Gibbon Meadows to absorb the early morning stillness. Everything is frozen in peace.
   At Cascade Meadows the Haydens are still at the carcass. I cannot see them all, but they are walking behind trees and lying in the grass. The bear is also in the trees near the carcass, and the wolves take turns chasing the bear away from their kill. The alpha female walks back and forth from the trees to the carcass. In between branches I see wagging tails and paws running in the air.
   Tim and I hiked into Pelican Valley on the trail that was closed last May for bear management. It begins in a narrow meadow then climbs through forest and a burned out area, finally opening into an immense valley of rolling hills. Pelican Creek zigzags through forming one "S" after another. Bison graze contentedly. There is no sound, not even a bird call. I become engulfed in the silence. This is what it is like to be alone in the wilderness.
   I have always wanted to see the Mollies, the pack secluded in this part of the Park not frequented by humans and calls it home. Looking out over miles and miles of meadows and trees I see how they remain invisible. And that is what intrigues me about them and makes them appealing. They are there and no one sees them. But yesterday they weren't there and when Annie told me they were at Tower I felt it could only mean trouble for other packs.

Author - Christine Baleshta
Photography - Tim Springer