So close I can smell them
No wolf howls last night; this morning first thing I went to fetch the night vision camera, unfortunately no fresh tracks were evident so they’re not returning for a while I’m guessing. I decided to go down to the lodge to hear if there was any news, also to grab my drone mini SD card. Apparently fresh tracks were sighted on Renjo-lo pass, so I trekked back up to my tent and got the drone ready, stuck the battery in my crouch since that’s where it’s warmer and waited around 20 minutes, took the battery out and it was nice and warm, fired up the drone and got the shots I needed.
Then I made some breakfast, stripped down again and got some rays and then it was time to leave. I got some drone shots of me walking and tracking on my way down. I almost took my head off because I obviously can’t watch the drone while it’s filming me because it would look rather obvious that I’m looking at a monitor. I have to have the drone come from behind at a low level. I’m holding the remote in front of me trying to fly it without the camera seeing the remote and I guess I got too low and it blew my hat off. That surely would have left a scar if the drone flew into the back of my head.
Through all of that I managed to lose the dead kitten for the NEX camera microphone which is unfortunate because those things are not cheap. The dead kitten is a term used for the little furry thing that wraps around the microphone to stop wind noise. I made a plan with some feathers I found on the ground; they should suffice in blocking the wind on the microphone. I went down to the river and got some river shots, unfortunately the battery ran flat while hovering over the river. I managed to catch it just before it died. That was the closest call I’ve had to losing the drone. I stuck a fresh battery in after warming it up again and managed to get the shots I want. I'm pretty sure they will come out great. My laptop is in Namche so I can only check the shots when I go back down. I have 2 more drone shots to do so hopefully the last battery holds.
One drone shot is of Renjo-lo but I have to be very careful because if a guide or liaison sees the drone they will report me so I’ll have to do the shot late afternoon early evening when it’s unlikely that anyone will be on the pass. The last drone shot is closer to Thame where the wolves commute sometimes. Once I have those last shots then I pretty much have their entire route marked out by drone. I went back to the lodge carrying both my backpack and the drone bag plus the tripod, it was a trying trek. I geared up for Renjo-lo pass at the lodge leaving the drone and Tripod behind, I will fetch them tomorrow. I headed up the pass and got setup just before it got dark. I howled into oblivion and now I wait.
It’s midnight and I’m pretty sure there are wolves outside my tent. I woke up to their smell. It’s musty and hangs in the air; I smelt it for about 3 minutes then it disappeared. I can’t think what else it would have been. It's definitely not a leopard; I’ve been around leopards and they don't smell like that. Wolves like many canines are not very skilled at cleaning themselves soon after a kill, so their fur carries a foul adore at times. Unlike felines who as solitary hunters cannot afford to be tracked by potential predators. They are solo hunters and need to remain incognito at all times. The wolves obviously know how to be dead quiet, they’re hunters after all, but they can’t hide scent so I’m excited to see the tracks in the morning, although I’m surrounded by grass so there won’t be tracks but there might be some in surrounding areas. Gosh, they’re so quiet, not even so much as a twig breaking... they really are ghosts.
It’s 4am and I’m still wide awake, which is weird because climbing the pass I was yawning and I thought I’d sleep well. I guess I’m feeling the truth, it’s a failed mission and I doubt I’m going to see these guys. It could also be that I’m not eating enough, the food is disgusting, it’s Nepalese pasta and I’m kind of sick of it. I eat it every day because it’s cheap and easy but half the time I’m not sure if I’m going to throw up.
It will start getting light in an hour so I might as well wait it out, I wish I could have my laptop so I could work but nope, I’m stuck with just me and my thoughts.
Well no tracks and no howls so no wolves; I have to track down the pass today to collect the drone and the tripod then trek up the pass again so I can get that drone shot I need and some stable shots with the tripod. At least justify to a small degree why I carried the freegan thing all the way around the Himalayas. Absolute worst-case scenario is if I don’t find them I still have a finished story. It’s the story of a guy searching for the infamous illusive wolf but instead finds something far more elusive, himself. The story is the journey and I could finish the film with the footage I got last year. It’s kind of cheating but not really, I’m just working backwards. It’s just that I was hoping to get more footage of the wolves but the fact that it’s only a few scenes of wolves makes them all the more elusive.
The rest of the film is about this guy looking for wolves but finding truths about himself, criss-crossing paths once taken and discovering meaning in his past. Finding solace in his future knowing very well what he has been chosen to do, a calling, an understanding, a mission where all will be at risk, including his life.
