YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

This is  my fourth winter season in Yellowstone country and it is about this time every year that friends and family begin to wonder just how long I plan to stay.  Aren’t I cold and lonely?  Don’t I have enough photos?

Cold, yes but it is amazing how adaptive the human body can be, particularly when you are outside in Yellowstone, reading tracks in the snow and watching the wildlife.  Lonely – not so much – I have Yellowstone and a place to go every single day where I can be in nature – watch the wild be wild.  Enough photos?  Photography is a growing love and talent if one is committed.  My photography style is in constant flux and I challenge myself to see things differently.  The usual does become mundane unless I can see it through new eyes.  And, so Yellowstone keeps me young, alive and thinking.

But, truly, winter is when the magic comes to Yellowstone.  The crowds are much smaller and I get moments of wildlife to myself – though, when you are well-known there aren’t many of those to be had.  I often have people follow me around, waiting for me to find something for them!  Yeah, I am not fond of that part but just remind myself that this is a national park for everyone.

But, lets forget the smaller crowds and think about the beautiful coats on the wildlife and how they stand out against the white snow.  And, if there are no animals to be seen, there are their tracks, which I find fascinating.  Who has been there, where did they go, what did they do.  While the animals know how to hide when necessary, they can be so much easier to spot.

And then there is the quiet.  Snow/winter is always about silence for me.  And, with most of the grizzlies tucked away for winter, it is easier to get into the backcountry to explore.  You just need snowshoes or skis and good common sense and soon you can be off the road seeing what lies beyond those hills.

In winter the canids – foxes, wolves and coyotes – are their most beautiful and visible and so always fun to see and photograph.

And, although you might seen an occasional moose during other times of year, they are most reliable at Round Prairie or Soda Butte Valley during winter.  We don’t have the big guys like they do in the Tetons, but we like our moose!

The golden eagles stand out against the snow and even though they are around all year, they are most visible now, usually hunting golden eyes on the Lamar River or feeding off of carcasses.

And then there are the unusuals – the critters we always dream of seeing but rarely do because they are so elusive.  The weasels and the pine martens.

And, if nothing else is happening, it is usually pretty easy to find a nice big horn ram hanging around Wrecker or the Confluence in Lamar.

Winter in Yellowstone is prime time for this photographer/nature watchers and when you look at these beautiful images, created during the coldest times of year, it is easy to see why.  Yes, I get a little cold -10 is about my max for being outside – but rarely lonely.  I have the Yellowstone playground to explore and enjoy.

Deby