Saturday, after many months of so-called winter, we had our first real snow fall. During the early part of the weekend, the winds blew, the air grew chill, and snowflakes scattered throughout the day. On Saturday, for the first time, a blizzard hit us, and Sunday morning, we woke to two feet of snow and many very frisky wolves.
While for us humans here at Wild Spirit, snow can add quite the difficulty to every day activity, it’s an evocation of energy for the animals. Sunday, as we trudged from our hogans and trailers down the hills to the compound, the howls were strong and frequent, and within each enclosure, couples were frolicking, pouncing, wrestling, and munching on snow.
When I originally woke up, spoiled by my location down front, I crept out of my bed, through the gift shop, to open the door to find three very chilly outdoor cats awaiting some warmth. Smiling, I picked one up, and accompanied by my dog, Nakita, we stomped our way to the kitchen. Every inch of the property was frosted, if not covered, with snow. As the clouds cleared in the morning, the bright sun reflected off the drifts, and on the hill side was a landscape of trees, frosted with sparkling snow. The air was cool, and as the snow crept into my boots, my ankles became chilled, but the sunlight was strong enough to keep me from shivering. As I stepped in sight of the compound, the animals began their early morning howl, which was crisp and clear in the winter air, but was quickly muted by the snow.
The snow was so deep and dense, that there was no possibility of our small staff trudging through the compound to feed. We instead, began digging out one of our trucks, from the bed of snow it had found itself in. By the tool shed, our elderly couple, Zoe and Ishi, also took part in the playfulness of the day. While their romping was greatly subdued in comparison, both Ishi and Zoe pounced in the snow, both together and alone. As the day went on, their energy seemed to lower, and Ishi and Zoe were found curled up into one snug ball, almost blending in with the snow.We loaded up the back of the truck with loaf, our regular Sunday feeding, and while Kris and Sean stayed up front, Jill (one of our weekend volunteers) and I climbed into the back of the pickup, and road the rough ride up to the top of the compound. Nakita, upset that I was leaving her behind, scurried along behind our path, and I watched my little dog scattering over the snow surface. At the top, we all climbed out of the truck, and trudged over hills, loaf in hand, to feed all of the animals.
As I entered into Lupe and Embla’s enclosure, I immediately fell head first into the snow, only to open my eyes to two very curious wolf-dogs. Lupe, recognizing his caretaker, no matter how ungraceful, gave me a quick lick on the cheek and then pranced off to continue his snow-play. I looked down at my poorly formed snow-angel, and hoisted myself up to exit and continue feeding.
When we were finished caring for the compound, we all returned to our volunteer kitchen, heating our soaking-wet clothing and numb fingers by the one propane heater, and chattering light-heartedly about the snow. As I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down by the window, Nakona, our nearest neighbor, jumped onto the top of her house, shook her body, scattering snow-flakes, and began a strong, piercing howl. Quickly, she was joined by her fellow compound residents, and a loud chorus of wolves began mingling with the noisy-quiet of snow.
The rest of the day was a quiet one. There were obviously no tours, as our road was completely closed. There was little to be done outside with so much snow in our way. And as I listened to the chatter of staff members around me, and the vocalizations of our wolf-residents, I smiled, enjoying winter more than ever before.
