The bed of Meiss Lake stretches before us—transformed to a dry grass plane in the parched summer heat. Across this ocean of grass we drift, dreaming of wolves, chasing our tails back round towards Oregon and our journey’s end.

A view of Mount Shasta from Devil’s Gate Ranch. Loch Jones, the Rancher, maintains his property both for cattle and as a wildlife refuge. Birds frequent the lake in his back yard, nesting on the small island at its center, and beavers make dams in the rivers and brush beyond.

Looking westward towards Wolf OR-7’s route, photo by Daniel Byers.