One of the most memorable experiences I encountered at Voyageurs did not involve water quality management. The “rivals” of the aquatics crew were the wildlife biologists. These researchers examined aspects of the environment inside the park on dry land. The most famous studies from the park involve the wildlife crew researching wolves inside and around the park. I was lucky enough one night to join the crew on a howl.

After a drive through dusty roads in a jeep led by the wildlife crew, we arrived in a remote location near the park boundaries. We were to hike deep into the woods in search of wolves—using only the sound of our own howls. At first, we heard no wolves. The wildlife crew insisted that I learn how to create a howl myself. After awhile of listening to them howl into the night sky with no response, I decided I could give it a shot myself. I looked to the moon and let burst the mightiest howl I could utter. A few moments pass. Suddenly, I was greeted with at least a several wolves responding with howls of their own. The wildlife crew pulled out their phones and marked roughly the GPS location of the wolf den. They told me they would return in the morning— after the wolves had moved on— to collect scat and bones so that they could determine what the wolves in the area were eating. While I remain adamant in my pursuit of water quality management, I will never forget the experience of howling into the night only to be met with howls from a wild animal.