Our class had a great first day in Yellowstone National Park. We woke up early and it paid off, we were able to see a wide variety of animals after barely entering the park boundaries. The first stop we made was in the Black Tail plateau and I think we were almost spoiled. It was a cool morning in the park and when our group jumped out of the bus we saw a whole slew of animals including bison, antelope, two white-tail deer being chased by a coyote, a red- fox, and elk bugling in the distance. I was surprised that in just one stop we would have the opportunity to see so much wildlife.

As we ventured father into the park on the winding park rode, we continued to see elk and bison. We saw a large amount of cars pulled over in the Lamar Valley, proceed to get out of the car and glass the area. Our group counted 8 wolves from the Prospect pack including 911M and 964. It was interesting to learn that the Prospect pack ventured out of their own territory and seemed totally relaxed sunning themselves in the distance with a bison herd grazing off the right.

The rest of the day flew by and included a bighorn sighting across the road from an old Druid den, and then a hike to the old den of the famous 09 wolf den. We finished off the afternoon with an elk management and grizzly bear presentation in Mammoth. It was cool hearing the first hand encounters people have had with the elk in the town and that the elk casually lay around on people’s lawns. Our first night in the park ended with a photography presentation. I liked seeing the pictures and hearing the stories that went along with those images.

Overall we had a great first day in the park, we couldn’t have asked for better weather or animal sightings. Looking forward to another day in the park.