Wolves

Wolves are here in Alaska. They are certainly not commonplace, but they are around more than people think. My ‘catch phrase’ answer to anyone who asks me how often I see wolves is: “I don’t see them very often, but they see me.”

In 25 years while traveling by dog team, I have not had that many personal interactions:

• my team ran over two wolves on the trail deep with snow – they didn’t hear us coming
• I have watched several packs as they watched me on the North Slope – you can see for many miles on the open tundra
• I’ve even been surrounded by a very large pack one night while I camped with my team – yes… it was intimidating!
• And last night!

Last night we were mushing with four small dog teams on a wilderness trail in Interior Alaska. I was the first team and Karolyn was directly behind me. I heard a very loud, very mournful howl just off to my right. I stopped our two teams and we listened for quite sometime. The pack was scattered on both sides of the trail. One wolf was off to the right less than 50 yards. Five or six wolves responded to the lone wolf’s howl – but they were off to the left and ahead of our teams, then another lone wolf chimed in from behind us to our right. We were surrounded.

The dogs listened but never howled in return. I always joke that our Black Lab doesn’t understand the sled dogs’ language when they howl. I felt the same thing last night. The wolves were howling in a different language. Our dogs seem to hear and respect, but not understand.

We continued down the trail towards the wolves on the left. Cayenne and Dutch were in lead and both of them were as wired as I was – looking for wolves. Cayenne (weighing in @ 40 pounds) thought she saw several wolves but they turned out to be dark bushes. Dutch kept his calm. I have to be honest and say that I did think I saw a black one off to the left, but I was also a little ‘jumpy’ like Cayenne.

We mushed nearly an hour in that area and the wolves moved their positions, but stayed nearby. When Allen and Bridgett (who were 10 minutes behind us) mushed by, the lone wolf was now on the left and the majority of the pack was on the right.

Karolyn made a short video while she and I stopped to listen. I was pointing to the different sets of wolves as they howled (you may need to turn up your volume):

Wolves are truly amazing. As a human I feel awe, respect and fear. They are rugged and fierce. They are keen on “protecting their own” but lethal to prey. They do not look on the human race as friends. Wolves live a life that is secretive and elusive to us humans. In our current world of Facebook and Twitter, I’m not sure most humans can not comprehend a life like that.

It sure was amazing to be part of that world… if only for a short time last night.