Journey heads home: Lone gray wolf’s epic hunt for a mate or pack

              Good Day Humboldt County!

  Like humans, wolves sometimes travel a lonely road in life. I’ve been following the exploits of one gray male wolf since last November.

  I wondered what was happening to him during his travels because there was very little chance of finding a mate in the direction he was heading. I thought about his lonely journey, and envisioned adventures that he must be having. Close calls perhaps?

I really didn’t expect an update on the wolf, whose name is Journey. Then I ran across this article:

Snippet:

“The wandering gray wolf who last year became the first wild wolf recorded in California since the 1920s crossed the border Thursday and headed back to his home state of Oregon.The young male, nicknamed Journey by a conservation group, entered California in late December, attracting international attention. He remained on the move, trotting nearly 1,000 miles in three Northern California counties, crossing highways, pine forests, scrubland and even ancient lava flows.

“Biologists say OR7, as the animal is officially known, is doing what young wolves do: setting out on its own to find a mate, establish a new pack or perhaps join another one.”

Photo above:

This Nov. 14 photo from a hunter's trail camera appears to show OR-7, the young male wolf that has wandered more than 2,000 miles around Oregon and Northern California looking for a mate and a new home. (Allen Daniels, Associated Press)