Seeing a grizzly bear is a powerful thing. Since the first humans appeared in North America, people have revered, feared, and admired this magnificent animal. Seeing one can be a life changing experience. I observed at least one grizzly on all 9 days of this trip, which was amazing and is the core story of this e-book.
Yellowstone is normally in transition from winter to spring during most of April, so sightings and temperatures can vary from one trip to another. My April trip in 2021 consisted of a lot of mud on the landscape, as the snow was melting during most of my time there. This trip, during April 2023, was much colder; most of the ground was still covered in snow. Despite having officially been spring for a month by that point, it felt more like winter for most of my week and a half there. Because of a long cold season, many ungulates, which are hoofed animals, died. Most notably were the bison. Each carcass produced a large amount of food for the carnivores that found them. Some of these were close to the park road, with a dead bison at Blacktail Ponds being the most visible.
Grizzly bear #769, numbered by park management staff, was already at that carcass site for a few days before I arrived and for 8 of my 9 days in the park. Yes, he spent about two full weeks at a single bison carcass! His presence was easily the cornerstone of this trip. You will see hundreds of pictures related to this bruin, in addition to the other abundant wildlife and gorgeous scenery associated with Yellowstone.
Jonathan (Jon) Way has a B.S. (UMass Amherst), M.S. (UConn Storrs), and doctorate (Boston College) related to the study of eastern coyotes/coywolves. He is the author of the following books: 1) Suburban Howls, an account of his experiences studying eastern coyotes in Massachusetts; 2) My Yellowstone Experience, which details - in full color - the spectacular wildlife, scenery, and hydrothermal features that can be found in the world's first national park; 3) Northeastern U.S. National Parks: What Is and What Could Be makes the case to expand the National Park System in the Northeast by adding 3 new national parks that are 44,000 acres or bigger; 4) The Trip of a Lifetime: A Pictorial Diary of My Journey Out West consists of 560 pages and nearly 1,000 pictures of a 3.5 week trip out west in 2019, showcasing most of the large mammals found in North America; 5) Coywolf: Eastern Coyote Genetics, Ecology, Management, and Politics is a 280 page pictorial treatise of his over 20 years studying this creature; 6) Christmas in Yellowstone is a 200+ page, 259 picture book based on his 9 day trip to the park during the 2020 holiday season; 7) Mud, I mean April, in Yellowstone, which is a 330 page, 430 picture look at the park during the mud season when nature transitions from winter to spring; 8) Yellowstone Wildlife during Summer, which was a major project showing over 650 pictures of the park's amazing wildlife in over a decade of summers spent in the park; 9) A Yellowstone Summer with the Junction Butte Wolf Pack, which details, in 510 pictures, the life and times of a famous wolf pack followed during the summer by adoring fans; 10) Yellowstone in Winter: The Recovering Wolves of the Northern Range, which details, in over 450 pictures, the wildlife of Yellowstone, particular wolves and their prey, during the depths of winter; 11) Backpacking the Iconic Pemigewasset Wilderness, which describes my 3 day, 35 mile journey into the heart of the White Mountains, New Hampshire; and 12) A Beary Special April in Yellowstone, which details his week and a half long encounter with a wild grizzly bear. Jon founded and runs his organization, Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research, where his goal is to conduct long-term ecological and behavioral research on eastern coyotes. He also supplements his research with regular trips to Yellowstone National Park and other national parks.
