Matthew Christman, Summer 2007 Intern

"First you become a part of it, then it becomes a part of you." This is a saying we use here in Wolf Camp and it has held true throughout this summer. Between August 12th and 18th I went on a trip. While on this trip I missed the pack, the looks they gave while watching me, the smell of their fur, and more than anything their howls at night. This is where the pack has become a part of me; if I don't hear a howl at night I think that something is wrong. However that week I was away I was given the opportunity to become a part of something else. I was given the honor and the pleasure of accompanying the Wilderness Awareness School's Advanced Teen Week into the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return.

I first heard about this group while going through the interview process for this internship and it seemed really interesting. Most of my tracking experience had come from deer and turkey hunting with my father in Upstate New York. As the time grew closer to go on the expedition with the group, myself and the other interns found out when we were going to attend the school. I found myself going on the third trip between August 12th and 18th with a group of teens. I thought to myself, if they were anything like me as a teen, it was going to be an interesting week. I soon found that my first thoughts were completely wrong.

When the day came to leave I was excited and a little nervous at the same time. I was excited to go because it meant some time away from the center (a mini vacation). It also meant some time to explore the rest of the state of Idaho, which I don't have the opportunity to do during the week. I was somewhat nervous meeting a new group of people and hopefully being accepted by them. It was my understanding that many of them had known each other for quite some time.

I met the group at the airport in Boise; this is where I was first introduced to the instructors. I was introduced to the rest of the group when we stopped for dinner. The introduction was brief because I was as anxious as they were to get to our final destination. We arrived late in the evening and after a brief introduction to camp, we all unrolled our sleeping bags and slept underneath the stars. We had the privilege of watching a meteor shower throughout most of the night.

A recurring theme throughout the week, singing will wake you up. The first morning this happened it was a bit of a surprise for me. During the rest of the week I was woken up with the rest of the staff so I could help wake up the kids. We would then eat breakfast and divide up into our clans to plan the day's events. Since I was there to share the knowledge of wolves' behavior that I had gained over the summer I decided to not stay with one group the whole week. I found that this helped me connect with so many of the students and enabled me to develop more friendships.

Throughout the week we did some extensive hiking in several different areas. With each group I had some great experiences. Because there were so many I've decided to highlight a few.

On the second day with Laura and Eric's group, the creatively named Pollos (which is Spanish for chicken), after having sat down for lunch, Alissa spotted a track that we had not yet seen before. In some mud near the riverbank was a well-placed Mountain Lion track. This was the first time I had ever seen one and I promptly crossed the river to see if there were any more signs of the large cat being there. Sadly I found none.

On my second day with Jan and Emily's group: The Three Legged Butter Bears, we did some pretty extensive hiking. Throughout this week I learned a little bit about tracking where you think and feel the animals may be. This type of tracking is not entirely based on what you see on the ground. It's difficult to explain until you actually try to sense where something is. While driving we decided to stop near a field that had some pretty decent swimming holes in it. Instead of swimming I went with Emily and Jan and took a look around. We happened to stumble upon a dead beaver, and while examining it a strange feeling arose. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up and I felt like something was watching from the tree line to our left.

The group as a whole decided to take a look. What made this even more strange was that everyone else felt a feeling of apprehension. We left the area and took a break near a river, where some swam and others ate dinner. We decided to hike along the river, where we found some wolf tracks. Jan and I then came across the remains of a dead elk. Around the elk we found several signs of the presence of bear but found nothing that resembled wolves, still we believe that wolves brought it down and the bear had scavenged the kill.

After another couple of hours hiking along the river we decided to sit and wait for the rest of the groups to meet with us. We sat on the side of the river nearest the road and this is where I saw my first two live elk running from the tree line.

On the final day I was suppose to spend the day with Will, Lauren, and the Mango Poop Group. As we were driving to our sites, the van in front of us suddenly stopped. The most amusing site that week was every door in the van opening up and everybody jumping out anyway they could.

To the left of the van was a pile of fresh wolf scat in the middle of the road. All over the sides of the road were wolf tracks. We also found drag marks, which we thought could have been made from an elk dragging a wolf that was attempting to bring it down or the wolf dragging the elk.

About 200 yards from the right side of the road we found the remains of the fresh kill. A young elk had been brought down. We did not find the head or hindquarters. I assume the wolves had carried them off possibly for pups or to cache for later. After talking with some firefighters who had seen a pack in the area early that morning we attempted to continue tracking. Unfortunately with time constraints working against us we did not find the pack.

I said goodbye to the group Saturday the 18th once we reached Boise. Throughout the week I learned so much from them all. Some of things I learned I'm not sure can be taught unless you're with that group. These young adults all have bright futures ahead of them and their friends and family should be proud of them.

I want to say thank you again. First, to the firefighters who were in the area working hard to keep the entire area from burning and also for allowing us to remain in the area. Second to the staff of the Wilderness Awareness School for accepting me into their group, making me feel welcome, and making me feel like I had been with them from the beginning. My last thank you goes to the students, who asked me some great questions, answered my questions, and welcomed me into their clan. I've walked away from this experience with pictures, memories and new friends who I will never forget. It was a true honor and pleasure to meet you all.

"First you become a part of it, then it becomes a part of you!"