Monday, January 26, 2009

Living with wolves

Late December and January have been a very busy time for me, but I have had the chance to interview some amazing people, the first of who were Jim and Jamie Dutcher.

This couple lives in Idaho (the first people I've ever spoken with who live in Idaho!) and for six years, they lived in a yurt observing a pack of wolves as documentary filmmakers. Six years. Six years with no running water or electricity in bitter cold. I was intrigued. When assigned this profile article, I must admit that I was prepared to speak with people who were a little reserved, a little like the wolves they had observed for so long, and perhaps, a little condescending to a person like me who loves city sidewalks and hates sleeping in a tent, even for one night.

But instead, Jim and Jamie were a wonderful interview. They were warm, conversational, and kindly educational about their experience, which they viewed with a healthy dose of humor. But through it all, their love of these animals and their sincere belief in their essential existence in our ecosystem shone through. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with them and the time flew.

If you are around Charleston, SC Valentine's weekend, make a point to see the Dutcher's presentation of film and lecture about the Sawtooth Pack as part of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. If theirs is not a love story, I don't know what is.