About a month ago, I went on a trip offered by the Canisius Zoological Society to visit Yellowstone National Park. The goal of the trip was to observe and photograph wolves. As I've always been interested in traveling, wolves and photography, I signed up the minute I received the e-mail about the trip.

Initially, my parents were not really sure how to take this decision of mine.

"What if you miss Christmas?" they asked.

 It was a possibility, and a reasonable concern. Our flight left on Dec. 16 and we weren't scheduled to return until Dec. 23 at eleven-something in the evening. But those wolves were calling me and eventually my parents saw how badly I wanted, and perhaps needed, to go. My excitement grew and as the date approached I was expecting the trip of a lifetime.

There were 13 of us who went on the trip with Animal Biology, Ecology, and Conservation (ABEC) director, Michael Noonan, Ph.D. Noonan organizes several trips each year that members of CZS and ABEC are welcome to join. Initially, the Yellowstone Trip was supposed to occur in the spring, but plans were switched around to accomodate a CZS trip to India.

There are several opportunities for travel offered each year. The trips aim to offer opportunities to apply the information you learn in class, be it about animals or life itself. This trip marked Noonan's 73rd off-campus trip with students over the course of 32 years at Canisius College.

"I love sharing wildlife experiences with students," said Noonan. "It makes classroom lessons come alive in ways they will never forget. It inspires them with a love of nature that invariably results in a life-long commitment to wildlife conservation."

Noonan noted Yellowstone's incredible biodiversity.

"Because of the unique nature of the Yellowstone Caldera (supervolcano), the park compromises at least three distinct ecosystems: the prairie, the taiga forest, and the alpine tundra."  He added, "Because it was winter, we concentrated most of our observation time in prairie areas, where we were able to focus on bison and wolves."

It was the trip of a lifetime. We hiked through knee-deep snow, watched snow-crystals glisten in the early morning sun; we dared to swim in sulfur hot springs at sunrise, despite the sub-freezing temperatures; we tracked Big Horn Sheep and bison; and we got caught in wolf song. We spent hours on the hills of Lamar Valley watching a pack of wolves through a volunteer's telescope, watched as the pack separated and ran across the road right before our eyes and then, like magic, we heard them-their voices rising above the cold air. One half of the pack on one side of the road howled, the other half answered, and we all stood there in between, awe-stricken.

"The wolves were on both sides of us and we could see and hear them all around where we were standing," recollected Kim Patterson, CZS president. "It was amazing to watch these natural behaviors from a distance where we were not bothering the wolves but where we still felt like we were in their world."

"The wolves howling to each other to bring the whole pack together is forever going to be my fondest memory," agreed freshman Brittany LeBere.  

Freshman Rob Kloos recalled his own favorite memory: "We were snowshoeing and we turned around and we saw the wolves. It was the closest we ever got to them."

For sophomore Matthew LeFauve, it was howling to the wolves on a late-night optional hike.

"I had never seen so many stars," he recalled. "And hearing the wolves responding to us was one of the most amazing moments of my life."

"Seeing a whole pack of wolves romping and playing right in front of us was spectacular, as was seeing their response to the approach of a distant pack." said Noonan. "The late night hike under the milky way while listening to wolves howl in the distance was a once in a lifetime experience. I still get goosebumps remembering that moment. "

The wolves were pretty magical to all of us. It is important to know that they had previously been extinct to the region. They were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1994 and had to endure many trials and tribulations.

One of my favorite tales from the trip regarded the fairytale-like true story told to us by a Yellowstone Wolf Biologist. One wolf was the runt of his litter and had never won a fight, until he mated with another wolf, whose first mate had died outside of the park. That little wolf had something to stand for now. He won his first battle within seconds.

Later, one of his pups became legendary to those familiar with the park. He was large, strong and lost battles with his pups for fun, defeating anybody else that dared challenge him.

It was a life-lesson that stuck out to me. Challenges we face in our own lives are very much like those animals face. We all go through something, and it reminded me that resilience pays off in the end.

And of course, there were other unforgettable elements to the magic of Yellowstone.

"That is my favorite kind of ecotourism," said Patterson, "when you watch but don't change behaviors."

It was LeBere and Kloos's first CZS trip, as well as mine. We all agreed that it was a wonderful time.

"I don't really like to travel much," confessed Kloos, "so for me it was like ‘oh, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be.' I'd heard there were slots open, had the opportunity, and felt like I should do it."