As I sit around my campfire located at my cottage on Chandos Lake, 5 miles in the bush from the nearest town, the dark of the nite slowly approaches. The quiet and solitude of the outdoors, silently surrounds and encloses me with total tranquility and my cottage gently blends into the blackness of the nite. The only visible light is from my campfire and the full moon, hanging silently in the star filled sky. The only sound I hear is the lonly cry of the loon, from which Chandos, a North American Native word meaning "Loon Lake", was derived.

Suddenly, without a warning, the sound of the wolf howling at the moon, breaks the silence of the nite, and shatters my tranquility. It is an awesome, yet spine chilling howl that alerts me to the fact that I am not alone at my campfire in the wilderness. Just as suddenly, the nite air is filled with other wolves following suit. Joining the cry of the first wolf and howling at the moon, it is something to behold. The echoes rebound all around me, and skip off into the nite. This is the howl of the "Chandos Wolf".

As the morning light breaks on the horizon, the quietness and tranquility of the nite is consumed by the awakening of the wildlife present yet unseen. The haunting cry of the wolf fades, leaving me with the certain knowledge that it will be heard yet another night. Then as if mysteriously placed there, I see in a meadow outstretched before me, the first visible sign of the "Chandos Wolf". He is not alone, as several other wolves are following him out of the tree line. The pack of the "Chandos Wolf".

Silent, yet cautious, he constantly samples the crisp air for the scent of an enemy or predator present, or a food source nearby. Ears pointed, they pierce the air, listening for any sounds being carried by the winds that flow into his meadow.

From the safety of my cottage stoop, I watch these magnificent creatures. I am in awe!! Frolicking and attending to their daily chore of hunting for food, it is a sight to behold. And as these misunderstood creatures approach the oppisite end of the meadow, and re-enter by the oppisite tree line, I feel totally entranced. One by one, they all disappear back into the wilderness, they call home. And I find myself totally elated. I have seen and captured in my memory forever, a rare sighting of the "Chandos Wolf".

Wolves have had a long and troubled history. From fear and persecution, to respect and protection -- the relationship between people and wolves has been complex and controversial. Wolves were totally eliminated in the lower 48 states of the USA over the past century, but they are now bouncing back with the help of recovery programs under the Endangered Species Act and the commitment of dedicated citizens and organizations.