Final destination

Many native Montanans have hiked the ranges and have never encountered a wolf or a bear, so this set me some-what at ease and that this could be the possible outcome for my time spent in Montana. As far as travel adventures go, you can't come this far and not head to Yellowstone for the ultimate park experience. When I say park, I don't mean water-park or amusement-park. We're talking national park Au-natural. Bears, wolves, bison, elk, lots of smaller creatures, a collection of geysers, hot-springs, throw in the world famous Old Faithful and you've got yourself a pretty spectacular park! This was going to be my final destination before heading back home to Nevada.

Team Big Horn

While volunteering my time with Keystone Conservation, I became great buddies with a lovely lass named Beth. She also contributes some of her spare time to Keystone as she too loves the outdoors and predators. Together we were nicknamed by Keystone's executive director, Lisa as 'Bethel'. Both Beth and I felt there was a need for a camping trip in the hope of a possible predator sighting or 3, so off to YSNP we drove. We packed camping gear, extra warm clothes and some scotch for our trip. Yellowstone National Park's north entrance is less than a 2hr drive from Bozeman, so it was an easy escape to make. Weather depending and road conditions of course, come into play when trip planning in the chillier months and Yellowstone is the king of unpredictable weather conditions. We knew it was going to be chilly and that was ok, we had our scotch!

Yeehaw YNP

Beth with some warming liquid

A herd of Elk checking us out

Simmering geysers

Upon arrival we paid or entrance fee, got our brochure guide and headed straight for our camp ground. With tent erected and sleeping bags ready, our home for the next two nights was ready to go. First port of call; geyser watching and what ever else was to cross our paths along the way.
Yellowstone is famously America's first national park.  It occupies parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The geothermal system in Yellowstone is astounding and pretty complex, a natural master piece of engineering. Apart from the park's natural wonders, there are wolves, black and grizzly bears as predominant predators. Our main goal was to get some kind of predator sighting, we had to act fast as a storm started to head our way and we were not sporting a 4 wheel drive.

We headed to the Lamar valley to see if we could get a glimpse of a wolf or even a pack. We reached Lamar but were foiled by the weather, clouds rolled in and the snow started to fall. We parked up and just waited for some time, while soaking in the quietness. If we could not see anything, maybe we could hear something cool instead. An hour went by, all we saw through the snow mist was a heard of Buffalo forging through the snow dusted grass.

Lamar Valley

Wolf print

There were no wolves in Yellowstone in 1994. Wolves were reintroduced between 1995 and 1996. This reintroduction now has expanded to over 300 wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area. I guess the wolves were not diggin' the weather enough to come and say hi! It was getting colder and the Yellowstone sky was starting to get angry, so back to base camp we headed.

Master sleeping cube

The next day, we loaded up for a hike in hope of seeing a bear. We felt pretty confident that there would be at least one or two out looking for food in preparation for winter and hibernation time. We hit one of the near-by trails and walked for about 3 hours. Working at Keystone prepared me for any bear encounter and I was ready to follow some good guidelines. Keystone Conservation works hard on how to educate people that hike in bear country in order to provide a safe and more enjoyable outdoor experience.

Zen time

Fog rolling in

Just what the sign says!

Some of the following guidelines might get you out of a predicament: 
1. Always carry bear spray and know how to use it. Bear spray is a non-lethal pepper deterrent containing active ingredients derived from capsicum .Bear spray stops the aggression in bears by causing burning and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. This gives you a little time to leave the area.
2. Make noise while walking on the trail, bears don't like to be startled and might see this as a threat. Stay together when in a group.
3. Avoid carcasses, bears love free food and will guard and defend it.
4. Stay with your gear. Don't leave anything unattended as it may attract or keep a bear at your campsite.
5. If you come face to face with a bear, remain clam, don't hold eye contact and back away slowly. Get bear spray ready. Do not run, you cannot outrun a bear unless you are really close to a car or building!
Some tips for if a bear charges you:
1. Stand your ground, sometimes bears can do bluff charge, stop short and veer off. Be ready with your bear spray and start spraying when bear is about 40ft away.
2. Don't play dead too early, if the bear does make contact, drop to the ground face down with hands behind your back to protect your neck and elbows down to protect your face. Try not to move or make noise, you need to convince the bear that you are not a treat to it or any cubs. If the bear leaves, wait a few minutes especially if there are cubs in the mix.
3. WHEN NOT TO PLAY DEAD:  If the bear has not reacted aggressively, or acted defensively, you should back away.  Never drop to the ground and “play dead” with a bear that has not been aggressive or defensive. A defensive bear will charge almost immediately during a surprise encounter, and will charge with its head low and ears laid back.  A curious or predatory bear will persistently approach with its head up and ears erect.  So, play dead if a defensive bear makes contact; always fight back against a predatory bear.

Seems like information overload, but knowing a few of these tips can empower you to decreases the chances of  an encounter. Yellowstone has had a low percentage of attacks and it seems that the attacks that  did happen, were due to a sow protecting her cubs.

Beth and I did not have to put our knowledge into play for this hike. Even though it was a beautiful hike, we were denied our bear siting. After two cold nights in our wee tent, the only warmth we got on our bodies was a quick dip in the local hot spring. Bliss.

Walkies                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Hot Tub!

Making our way back to Bozeman, we were sad that we did not get to see a bear. Our achy little hearts were soon revived when we came upon the Montana Grizzly Encounter Center! Located between Livingston and Bozeman, this center provides a home for a few rescued grizzly bears. They have 4 grizzlies in total. These bears can never be released into the wild because they have no survival skills but the bears have a spacious area and are well fed. They come out to roam in their open space and visitors can get up close (about 15ft with a mote between you and the bears) and personal. I had never see a bear this close and it was really cool. They are beautiful, pure muscle and hairy! My internship was now somewhat complete, I got to see one predator in the flesh even though it was in a sanctuary. Beggars can't be choosers.

Beast

Cute, cuddle and would love a snack!

My weeks spent with Keystone Conservation and the glorious state of Montana were foremost educational and life changing. The people and the state of shining mountains will remain in my memories forever, such a tremendous experience that many would pay for and I am very fortunate to have Patagonia allow me this opportunity. Any journey we make into the unknown is sure to make us more knowledgeable and welcoming to new experiences. It would be a better world if mankind as a whole were more open to change, a change to make life more enjoyable for all. When bear and wolf opinions create a tornado of conflict, I wonder how the people involved can put blame on a wild animal that knows nothing more other than to survive. My opinion, no-one is really at fault. Ignorance is bliss. Wildlife remains free and they do what is in their gene structure, their instinct is to survive and can't be faulted for hunting or protecting their habitat. Humans may be engineered to survive also but we have the genetic make-up to determine what is right or what is wrong, or do we? Can we be faulted for being perhaps ignorant to situations and just decide that our opinion is right. It seems the case is not only to conservation's alike but to unsightly situations around the world. All we see in the news are reports of warfare and who is ripping who off. What about the state of our planet and the ecosystem? We all want to be healthy, life is precious and the same goes for having a healthy planet, we only have one life and one planet. This is the main focus and the back bone here at Patagonia. My time spent with Keystone Conservation has given me a better understanding for the need to try and keep the only planet we have alive. Coexist but in order to do so, education is the key.

Take the Low Road

With the end of my internship in sight, I was still denied a sighting, even a glimpse of a bear or wolf. I was starting to feel a little desperate. Researching and learning about these amazing creatures gave me nothing more than wanting to see them in the flesh, even if that meant just getting a glimpse without a photo as proof.  Wildlife sightings usually call for a road trip and some hiking, so yet again I hopped into the car and went on my merry way.

One of my favorite things to do is go on a road trip, and for me, the U.S. has been the ultimate when it comes to cruising the road. Pick a direction, take a map (if you want), set your time frame and have enough supplies to hold you over if you get a little side tracked. Oh, and don't forget your camera!

The U.S is a rather massive country and the easiest way to get around on the roads is by using the interstates. The U.S has a whopping 46,876 miles of Interstate highway. The downside is that by saving travel time, your drive will be rather tedious, stale and usually uneventful. 99% of the time, you'll pass many amazing sights.  By taking the low road now and again, you can happen upon amazing sights and unique places. There are so many great locations, small town and possible adventures waiting to be discovered. So really it's ok to get a little side tracked...now and again.

Sights we miss while driving on the highway.

For this road trip, I headed North in search of my predator sighting and anything else that  came along. So far whilst driving in Montana, something has usually caught my eye and I'll  never second guess to just pull off on the off ramp; you never know what fun things you might happen upon. This time a sign with "Prickley Pear" caught my eye and I knew I had to go and see what that was about. Patagonia had a color called Prickly Pear a few seasons ago. It was a shade of pear green and being Irish, I love green! It turns out that this time Prickley Pear was a creek and a very pretty one at that.

No prickley fruit here, just some good ol' fishing.

The creek is home to a variety of fish species including brook, brown, rainbow and west-slope cutthroat trout. Sadly, however, decades of timber harvest, mining, and water withdrawal have taken a heavy toll on Prickly Pear and many other creeks. Due to all of the stress from mining and timber harvest, many areas such as creeks, rivers and watersheds have been left contaminated. This contamination is so intense that people can't eat fish that they catch from many of these areas. A quick 'Google search' about these issues gave me a greater insight into other issues that Montana is faced with. Issues with Bear and Wolf numbers are one thing but if a great source like water is effected this can cause a dominoes effect with wildlife's main life source.  The government has taken the initiative  to help over the years by creating a Superfund, which is a federal law designated to help with the clean up of areas that have been left contaminated with toxins.  In such, it's a trust fund to aid locations that causes a possible public health threat and fund with the clean up process.

Wearing my Prickly Pear colored jacket at Prickley Pear Creek.

Many organizations are focused in helping to restoring and protecting river basins. One in particular that I found interesting is the Clark Fork Coalition.  They have worked with landowners, the public, scientists and business to help initiative the removal of dams, cleaning of derelict mines that have contaminated the waters and soil. Much of this can't be changed over night but with a strong strategy and dedicated determination through community-building, many of the effected rivers and basins will someday be renewed to their original state. Rivers hold such an incredible variety of wildlife, from vegetation to birds, insects, mammals and different species of fish. Wolves and bears love fish, with more of an abundant and rich food source at our rivers, predators could use this as another food source.  Hence less conflict with livestock.  Unfortunately no bear or wolf encounter for me at Prickley Pear this trip. Never the less, a clean river source equals biological and economical richness. So many great things to see in one spot. How boring would it be to come to river with nothing surrounding the banks, no life, nothing to embrace or remember.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to experience the great outdoors though camping, hiking, fishing or the good ol' fashioned road trip, lets not forget the minimal impact rule; 'Leave no trace'. In other words don't leave your rubbish laying around in a place that is not your home! Seems logic, tried and tested for generations but in today's society it seems that the generations are degenerative. The girl scouts follow this rule and so we all should.