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 Tent time. A Ramen filled belly. I pull wet boots off of tired and soggy feet with the aid of kerosene flames that seem to be dancing to the music playing from my headphones. Steve Earle is singing Me and the Eagle. As the song fades I begin to hear a different song, but not from my headphones. A low mournful ghost-like sound emerges from a distance, as if carried by the very same wind that ripples my tent walls. Shortly after, another sound approaches, higher in pitch and somewhat playful sounding. I pause my MP3 player. A wild, wavy, banshee-like wail joins the song. Two more voices join to tie the notes together. I have come to know this song well during my time at Wolf Camp. It is the Wolf Song, sung by the Owyhee pack?a song that somehow soothes my tired body and mind.
This morning I helped Jeremy butcher a horse. Not something I ever thought I'd do (can cross that off my "to-do-list!"). The horse was a 24 years old male named Pete, donated to us by a local rancher. We suspect he died due to massive internal hemorrhaging caused by cancer. He looked peaceful enough though, and I was glad he would be recycled back to nature instead of dumped uselessly into a land fill. Wolf food, the cycle of life?that sorta thing.
Pete's head alone weighed a hefty 82 pounds. Front legs 58 pounds a piece. His rump topped one hundred pounds. By the time we finished the job Pete was a jig-saw puzzle of horse parts piled in the bed of a pickup truck. Wolf food. Food for thought.
We fed the Owyhee's Pete's rib cage. Over two hundred pounds of goodness. Piyip got a front leg. It kind of looked like one of those giant turkey legs you see at the county fair except much bigger and uncooked. I reckon the wolves will sleep well tonight for sure. And I reckon Pete the horse will rest in peace. And I reckon the wolves will be able to sing my sore, tired body to sleep once more. Wolf food. Food for thought?
Keith Doerfler , WERC Summer Intern
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This area is devoted to the memoirs of those dedicated, and slightly crazy, individuals who live in Wolf Camp. A rustic setting devoid of electricity, plumbing, and phone service, camp is located just outside the pack's enclosure and residents live in tents year round. The Wolf Center's resident biologist and typically 2-4 interns inhabit the remote camp to ensure the welfare and security of the pack every day and night, regardless of the weather or danger. Such a life provides a deep insight into the pack's life and essentially causes the Wolf Camp residents to live in harmony with the other forest inhabitants. Life in Wolf Camp is nothing less than an adventure. These are our words. 