Walking With Wolves – Becoming Grounded

I walked with wolves. 

Now, you’re probably thinking to yourself, well that’s an interesting statement Q-FI.  What the fuck do you mean by that?  Are we talking figuratively or literally? 

Well, let me tell you a little story… 

On February 28, 2020, my sister turned 40.  For some time, we as a family (my wife, parents, brother and his wife) had been discussing what do we do for this milestone birthday.  After coming up with a bunch of different ideas and remaining unsure how to proceed, we finally asked her what she wanted to do.  And the answer was very surprising: 

“I want to walk with wolves.” 

Just as you’re probably thinking right now, I didn’t quite know how to respond to that.  Are we talking going to the zoo, or some kind of private petting park? (do private petting parks even exist?)  What does she mean?  How the fuck do you walk with wolves? 

So, she forwarded us an email with this link: https://wolfconnection.org 

I was intrigued to say the least and excited.  Walk with wolves?  Fuck yeah!  I had no clue you could even do this. 

Now, if you’re too lazy to click on the link above, here is what you need to know… 

Up in the high desert of Los Angeles County, nestled in a corner of the Angeles National Forest, you’ll find the Wolf Connection Ranch – where rescued wolves are given a chance to start anew and find their pack.  This wolf sanctuary offers many services such as wolf therapy (I wish I would have known about this shit when I was younger), education, tours and programs for schools.  The non-profit organization initially started as a rescue sanctuary but has grown into so much more.  If you are an outdoor enthusiast or love animals and ever happen to be in Los Angeles, I highly recommend looking it up and taking one of the tours with the wolves – you will not regret it. 

My sister had found this organization through a friend who had visited the ranch and recommended it to her.  So on 2/29/20 (little did I know this would be my last real public outing prior to the pandemic), my family made the trip to the ranch to meet the wolves. 

There is something undeniably unique between a human and animal bond.  Primal, atavistic, lineal.  We don’t speak the same language, yet when we gaze deep into their instinctive eyes, sometimes we find understanding. 

What was my experience actually like?  Glad you asked.  Here’s the rundown of our 2.5 hour adventure… 

After you drive for a good 30 minutes out of the last semblance of civilization along a lone two-lane highway, curving your way through the blended hills of where the high-desert meets the beginning of the Angeles national forest, you come upon a locked gate with a simple unassuming sign naming your destination.  A small line of cars is forming along the dirt road (you’re told to be on time for your appointment because the gate will only be open for so long – wolf people apparently take punctuality very seriously).  You roll down your window as you wait and feel the crispness in the air from the higher altitude tugging on your lungs and you can’t help but feel you’re about to enter a different world – the locked gate, the fenced in compound, a barely marked dirt road in the middle of nowhere… what mysteries lie beyond this barrier… what untold treasures are hidden within?  Then finally an attendant opens the gate, and you enter the world of the wolves. 

Following a short drive, you park your car next to strangers in a dusty dirt lot and slyly try to size them up as you gaze at the surrounding granite peaks staring down at you like stone giants.  Then you stroll over to the welcome area – a collection of rustic, crudely carved wooden benches as if to set the tone for what is to come – and wait for your new wolf enthusiasts/foreign touring acquaintances to arrive. 

At the beginning, it’s that usual tour feeling of awkwardness and sizing up those unknown strangers surrounding your personal space, hoping that you lucked out and don’t have any wackos in your group.  Upon first impression I thought we were safe, but you never know, especially at unique gatherings like this one. 

Quickly after the initial introduction and rules, we all sat down in a circle around a campfire pit and introduced ourselves… and then the real journey began. 

Our tour leader started with a group meditation to set the tone for the experience.  Becoming grounded she called it, and I thought she did a wonderful job.  The essential message was to leave your thoughts and worries behind.  For the next several hours, you’ll be interacting with the wolves in their environment – in their realm.  The wolves are more in tune with the earth, they navigate the wilderness on four legs not two, closer to the ground with heightened senses.  Remember the details and be present in the moment – try to see the world from their perspective.  Also, remember that many of these wolves are damaged, they come from traumatic backgrounds so they’re also trying to heal and find their way.  And we, as the visitors, are part of that healing process.  We are here to interact with these primitive animals and help teach them that all humans are not bad people, a human presence doesn’t have to be associated with abuse. 

Then we began the tour.  The details aren’t that important, it’s more the effect it had on me that matters.  But if you’re curious, we first toured the compound/cages and heard some of the wolves’ stories.  You can almost feel the difference between each cage as to how each creature receives you, sensing what stage of the rehabilitation process they are in.  Next, we were able to interact with some individual wolves that were further along in their development and finally we finished with a brief hike twisting between the forested hills followed by a final debriefing. 

Being an outdoor lover/enthusiast myself, it was a fascinating and bonding experience.  I had two main takeaways. 

The first was understanding the trauma and healing process that needs to take place for these wolves, and you can’t help but relate to it in your own life.  My wife and I had just finished attending fostering classes because we will be trying to foster/adopt a child later this year (another post soon to come).  And that’s how I saw these wolves, as foster kids.  They’ve all been ripped from their homes (mostly terrible situations) and who knows what kind of abuse they’ve endured and now they have a second chance – a loving home.  They sure as hell don’t see it that way, but hopefully with time they will adapt, find peace and live a healthy life without so much fear. 

My second takeaway was relating to how each wolf must build a new life.  Battling with addiction I can relate to their situation.  You have to begin again – the only thing you have to change is everything – almost like a snake shedding its skin.  When you walk past each wolf in their individual cage and hear their story told, you see the different stage each one is at.  How they are struggling to begin anew and assimilate with this foreign pack that they’ve been thrust into.  You observe which wolves are calm and which ones are pacing madly within their cage.  It reminded me of my rehab group, each individual at a different stage of their recovery, trying to learn to heal and integrate back into their community, to society… in essence, just like the wolves, trying to find a new pack to run with. 

I’d never heard of wolf therapy before – bringing in troubled youths to connect and work with the animals.  But it sounds like such a great idea and I can speak from my own experience, that when I was just a kid in rehab, I would have loved to have an opportunity like that. 

Because animals teach us an unconditional love that is different from any human love.  There is so much to learn if we only have the patience to listen and observe. 

So, like I said before, if any of the above resonates with you and you happen to be in the LA/San Bernardino Valley, look up Wolf Connection – it’s for a good cause. 

And you never know what you’ll learn… about yourself… becoming grounded… and walking with wolves. 

-Q-FI 

P.S. What effect have animals had on your life?  Ever do something interesting like the above?