YELLOWSTONE NP, USA
wanderlust.co.uk October 2019 51anermineonce,butthesecreatures are so
elusiveandwell-disguisedinthesnow that it can
behardtobesure.Buttherewasno doubt about
thelonebullbisonnosingatsagebrush at the edge
ofascaldinggeyseraswereturnedto the lodge.
SeeingthesetwoiconicimagesofYellowstone side
bysidefeltalmostartificialinitsperfection – as if
thisdramaticscenewasplacedthere just for me.Dancingonice
Onmylastday,naturepulledoffamuch more subtle
stunt.Followingaferociousnight-time blizzard,
calmdescendedandthedawngreeted me with
myriadcrystalsoficedancingincolumns of sparkling
gemswhilegoldenraysfannedanddissipated. The
phenomenonisknownas‘diamond dust’, a strange
interplayofcold,stillairandrarefied sunlight that
morecommonlyoccursinArcticregions.
Iwantedtostayandcontinuewatching the
spectacle,butwithmyjourneycoming to an end
Iheapedonmyparkaandsetoffalone for a final
snowshoetrudgeintotheforest.The mournful
musicthatIthoughtforawhileImight be
imagining,waseerilyemphasised.A lone wolf
howl,Ihavenoideafromhowfaroff, rose
throughthescalestoacrescendothen faded to
silence.Thencameananswerinaslightly
lower-pitched,brokenhowl–more of a humming
chant.Apotentialmate?Aterritorial rival?
Toshareanenvironmentforafew days with these
rationallyfamiliar,yetweirdlyethereal animals, left
mehopefulfortheirfuture.Yellowstone’s winter
offerssomanyprimalrushes–violent explosions
ofboilingwaterandriversbreathing clouds of
steam–butnothinghadcomeclose to that howl
reverberatingthroughYellowstonein the midst of
abeautiful,breathlesswinter.Grey matters
February is a good time to
spot wolves in the snow;
(right) winter is the perfect
setting for seeing wildlife
such as the cottontail
Naturepl
DID YOU
KNOW?
At very low
temperatures ice
crystals form in
ground-level
clouds; when
the sun shines
through the
clouds this
is known as
diamond dust.