A TWO-DAY TRIP IN SEARCH OF THE WOLF
- Enrico Pennazza
- Feb 24, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 25, 2023
AMONG THE PEAKS OF THE NATIONAL PARK OF ABRUZZO, LAZIO AND MOLISE, IN SEARCH OF THE GHOST OF THE WOODS.
I wake up at 3:15 in a small apartment in the center of Villetta Barrea, a splendid town nestled between the peaks of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The night is silent, there are no cars passing on the avenue, only the barking of dogs in the distance that tears that veil of solitude imprinted in the quiet of a mountain landscape.
My mind begins to wander among the distant peaks that I would soon reach first by car, then with the effort of my legs and lungs. The sun begins to rise around 06:50 but I have to take advantage of the blue hour to position myself in the nest without making too much noise. This means that at 05:30 I have to be on my way to cover those 400 meters in altitude that separate me from my photographic lair.
I studied that area a lot, I was there a few hours before to understand the morphology of the land, the tracks of the Wolves and the direction of the sun when it rises and when it sets. I had a more or less complete map in mind, but as always happens, it doesn't take much to get it overwhelmed... Then the time to settle down, have a light breakfast and load the instrumentation in the car to immediately leave in search of the Apennine wolf.
The road is long, very long. The curves take you on a swirling ride among snow-covered beech trees, wild valleys and frozen rocky ridges, the perfect kingdom for the Apennine wolf, which here resisted almost certain extinction, where it had completely disappeared throughout the peninsula, slaughtered by that atavistic fear that is still ridden today for political and media profit and by an insane dose of ethological ignorance that is clearly convenient for many.
The difficulty in seeing the Wolf is inherent in its nature, in its ability to read the territory, to perceive with its sense of smell any odorous particle different from the surrounding environment, to perceive any anomalous movement captured by its visual cone, to hear sounds and give them emotional meaning and react accordingly. It is a social and cultural animal and is very intelligent, capable of adapting to environmental and anthropic changes. It is no coincidence that for many it is considered a symbol of resilience.
All this makes him a silent Ghost walking paths invisible to our eyes, tracing the line between the known and the unknown, moving along the edge of the light of sunset or dawn and the darkness of the night. It's no wonder that today he is praised by many and damned by others as if he were a mythological being, a creature of those fantastic tales that our grandparents used to tell us in front of a fireplace on cold winter nights.
While I'm thinking about the place to nest, a porcupine crosses the road quickly and without too many greetings goes to the opposite bank on the snow crowded along the edge of the road. Fortunately I drive slowly, knowing well the dangers existing in such a wild place as the PNALM and after a fleeting glance and a silent greeting, I continue along my road, the goal is now near.
Having parked the car near a small road downstream of two mountains, I load my bag on my shoulders and begin to climb. It's pitch dark but my eyes soon get used to the little light present and so I decide not to turn on the headlamp so as not to scare the animals. My step is uncertain on pebbles and turf and frozen ground, but I calmly manage to overcome the most difficult points and arrive during the blue hour at the observation site I had chosen the day before.
So very carefully I sit down resting my back on the trunk of a tree and blend in with the net over the bush and rocks around the bare trunk. The photographic joke begins and I immerse body and soul in every moment of the present, the only way to perceive every movement of the animals that are nearby.
Meanwhile the light is pressing. The rays of the first sun strike the highest peaks, cutting them cleanly in a contrast of warm and cold lights and so new forms appear. Trees, rocks and snow, but also many perspective plans, one of the reasons why I chose this incredibly interesting place from a photographic point of view. In the snow many new footprints get in the way of the old ones of deer, roe deer and men and among them also those of the Wolf. I'm in the right place and all that remains is to wait silently and motionless for its passage, meanwhile enjoying the landscape before my eyes.
(foto scattata con il cellulare)
Meanwhile, on the side of the mountain opposite mine, the silence is interrupted by a first bark and then by a second and finally a constantly growing concert of screams, the wolves are howling. It lasts maybe 1 minute or so, the heart begins to dance to the rhythm of their screams. Even just hearing them is a unique emotion. A few more minutes of silence pass over the valley where only the shouting of the wind can be heard among the frozen branches and dry brushwood at high altitudes and then the concert starts again with more vigor, this time they are closer and the howl lasts much longer...
Un breve stralcio dell'ululato dei Lupi
It's 7:30 but I still can't see anything except the comings and goings of 4X4 cars intent on going back and forth from a nearby farm. It's cold and despite the padding of the trousers, sitting on icy rocks takes its toll in the long run.
Then suddenly a familiar shape appears in the distance. He wanders at a slow pace on a spit of frozen snow, sniffing here and there and looking around in the shadow of a small hillside. I look at the clock, it marks 08:07 the Phantom has appeared.
Meanwhile the sun is coming out and blades of orange break the blue landscape creating a surreal atmosphere. The wolf in his wandering hides behind a hill. Minutes go by, I know that wherever I go, my position guarantees me a good view, so I don't risk the possibility of losing him. In fact, shortly after, it reappears on my left still behind the shadow of a small hill raised with respect to its position, because it knows that in the shade there is less risk of being seen. And just as the sun hits that hillock with a tongue of yellow/orange light, he stands still in front of me admiring the landscape and perceiving the world that gravitates around him.
It's been 20 minutes since he suddenly appeared. And just as he came into the open, he went away silently and suddenly, however giving me the wonderful opportunity to take 6 photographs. Only 6 so as not to frighten him, out of respect because in that world I am just a spectator, a silent observer looking for something that the wolf has in its nature and that perhaps we have forgotten, lost in millennia of evolution. That deep meaning hidden in the wild nature, which we can only admire from afar and remind ourselves that deep down, we are still part of it.
See you next Wildlife adventure ;)
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