Cyclist chased by wolf on Alaska Highway.

I once encountered a wolf many years ago while I was cross country skiing. I saw prints in the snow first. It was early morning and I was the only person out on the trail. I thought the prints seemed really big for a dog, but didn’t worry myself over it. A few minutes later I was skiing along the top of a ravine and in front of me a wolf came up the hill and parked beside the trail. I didn’t know what to do so I just kept on skiing as if I didn’t have a worry in the world. The wolf didn’t move. It just watched me pass. I was plenty un-nerved, I can tell you that.

I’ve seen coyotes a number of times, including right close to where we live in Long Branch, in the SW corner of the amalgamated Toronto. Once I was fly fishing the Nature Conservancy stretch of Silver Creek in Idaho. There are several paths there that find there way from the visitor centre to the stream. I was coming up for a bite of lunch and noticed a coyote on a path below me, a path that ran parallel to mine. I stopped. The coyote stopped. I continued walking, and so did the coyote. We played this game until I got close to the visitor centre and parking area and the coyote peeled off.

Never have I felt in imminent danger. This fellow in Alaska must have felt very scared when the wolf ripped a bag off the back of his bike!