Monday, December 28, 2009
Ponikva-Recreational ana Tourist center in Macedonia
Ponikva – Recreational and Tourist center In Macedonia, in the breasts of Osogovo Mountain, 1460 m. above sea level. Recreational and tourist center PONIKVA, place which is visited both in summer and in winter, (as well as in the others seasons), by a big number of people, who are lovers of mountain beauty and white sports. People visit the place from different places from Macedonia, but most of the tourists and weekenders are from Kocani, Shtip, Probishtip, Veles and Skopje. You can arrive to Ponikva following on a good and modern road, whose length is 20 km. This road in the winter mounts (when the snowfall is even 1m.) is always clean and good for traveling. The town Kocani is located in a valley, dominated by the Osogovo and Plackovica Mountains, the fruitful field and also the river Kocani. It is Industrial and Economic center. It’s modern town with 32 000 inhabitants. If you have already seen Kocani (I hope that you saw the pictures) I’m inviting you to go for a walk in Ponikva. The mountain region is 1000 m. above sea level. Here are the Lodge and the hunting reservation. The trophy quarry: deer, mouflon, wild pig, doe, rabbit, and spring quarry (birds) are the treasure of this reservation, which is a place for research for flora and fauna, and also rare species of fern. In the sport-recreational and tourist center Ponikva, there are places like: the Children Resort with capacity of 200 beds, than, the hotels “Izgrev”, “Sharena Cheshma”, “Shampinjoni”, the Lodge, 2 resorts and about 100 cottages, bungalows and lodges, where the attendance in the whole year, is very big. On the snow grounds in Ponikva, the young people compete in skiing, like Osogovo slalom and giant slalom. The ski path is kept for ski competitions for international character too. Characteristically for the mountain's beauty lovers is that Ponikva and Osogovo Mountains are full of rich mountain trees, the most of oak and tumult, and also plants with low tree-trunk, and pastures. For the mountain flower's beauty there are a lot of flowers like: snowdrop, Klamath weed, and also lots of mountain tea. Many people and holyday makers visit and gather the fields of strawberries and raspberries because they are ecologically clean from clean environment. For the mountaineering lovers there are some famous attractive places like: Ponikva-1460 m., Retki buki-1760 m., and Ruen - 2085 m. and also the people call it "Sultan tepe" (King's top). Famous settlements in this region are: Jastebnik, Novo selo , Nebojani, Glavovica and also about ten resettled villages where a small number of people live, most of them are very old. The wish to keep the family houses develops the mountain and village tourism. On Ponikva there are some places for breeding sheep and from their milk people make cheese. In the mountain villages the visitors will be invited to eat `bakardan`(famous traditional meal) and yogurt. From the drained plums and the other drained fruit the people prepare tea or as they call it `oshav`(stewed fruit).
Osogovo
Only a decade ago some of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria were hard to reach. Trigrad with the Yagodinska and Devil’s Throat Caves, our southern Black sea coast further down from Sinemoretz, the Osogovo Mountain at the border with Macedonia, etc. - all of them were closed for tourists.
Without having been confined within the boundaries of a national park or natural reserve, today the Osogovo Mountain is just like one - an unspoiled piece of Bulgarian nature. Mysterious and enigmatic, it displays its beauties to curious tourists seeking new adventures. Encouraged by such tourist interest, the “Osogovo” firm together with the Bulgarian Tourist Union, Kjustendil Municipality and “Cartography” - Sofia initiated the tracing of mountain routes and issuing a map. The Osogovo Mountain and its lay are suitable mostly for pedestrian tourism; hence the producing of a route map is a key activity in the common efforts. It is expected that already in 2006 tourists shall be able to use 6 marked pedestrian routes, mapped out in the Osogovo Mountain tourist map. Names in the map shall also be written in Latin, as well as the information boards and route pointers. In March 2006 the idea came up to make a thorough map of the Osogovo Mountain since its larger part lies in fact in the Republic of Macedonia. The “Osogovo” firm has good relations with the “Ruen” mountain company in Kriva Palanka. They organize joint annual tourist meetings on the Ruen mountain top. At one such meeting it has been decided to continue with the mapping out of routes over to the territory of Macedonia.
The Osogovo Mountain has not been well-studied or cultivated. It has neither chalets and hotels, nor excavated historic or cultural findings. Its lay is suitable for pedestrian tourism mainly. The only popular place nearby is the town of Kjustendil, known in Bulgaria as the “cherry paradise”.
In order to reach Osogovo from Sofia you first head south-west, direction Pernik, and then continue on route E 871 towards Kjustendil. The town is at the foot of the mountain and some of its residential quarters are literally creeping up the mountain slopes. Apart from its cherries, Kjustendil can also be proud of its cultural and historic sites. The “Pirgova” Tower is in the town center and the St. George church - in the “Kolusha” quarter. Nearby is the Zemenski Monastery, named after the Zemen village, as well as the Skakavitza waterfall. The place also boasts with its mineral springs, gushing out with a capacity of 32 l/s. People here are aware that the town’s development depends primarily on tourism and balneology. There are ideas to consolidate the fruit-growing lands, namely the cherry, apple and peaches ones, and start up an eco fruit production business. In the region one can also find the “Osogovo” state game-breeding station where deer, wild boars and small game is bred. The tourist prices here are much lower compared to those in other regions in the country.
It takes only 15-20 minutes to reach one of the best hotels in the region of Kjustendil. The grass growing by the meandering road going up the mountain is interspersed with wild poppies, primroses and daisies that make the hidden glades particularly charming.
Almost forgotten and hardly visited until recently, the Osogovo Mountain now makes the visitor feel like a true discoverer. Here you won’t find board signs on trees, directing you to the nearest chalet or natural landmarks; neither will you meet people, nor will you have a final travel destination - only pure relaxation and long strolls out in the wild and beautiful nature. You can also choose to head for the “Osogovo” chalet, one of the two chalets in the whole region, and then from it continue on deep into the heart of the mountain. The Ruen mountain top is only 15 km away, so is the border with Macedonia. From the chalet the path turns right and then gets lost amid a green sea of beeches and oaks where the forest is thickly overgrown with flowers and grass, sun rays play over lush meadows, lily-of-the-valleys hide in cool fresh shadows and the path itself threads through the forest like a needle on an old tapestry. If you take this path it will take you down and soon you’ll find yourself out of the tree tunnel into the open space. Far away ahead over the Macedonian border lie the undulating outlines of violet hills. The ridge is flecked with pine trees and low alders. From this point on the path splits in three and starts descending. There is complete silence and the loneliness is more than one could bear…You would hardly meet anybody around on your way to and back from the chalet.
Once you know the path, on your way back you can fully enjoy the charm of a forgotten mountain which has preserved everything the way it used to be - unspoiled by construction works, rough and massive human activity - a pure ecosystem. Back in the Osogovo chalet, you can also take a final look at the St. Peter and Paul chapel, built with the help of the local tourist association. The chapel offers peace for one’s thoughts and prayers. One such prayer could be that this land remains pure and unspoiled the way it is.
Without having been confined within the boundaries of a national park or natural reserve, today the Osogovo Mountain is just like one - an unspoiled piece of Bulgarian nature. Mysterious and enigmatic, it displays its beauties to curious tourists seeking new adventures. Encouraged by such tourist interest, the “Osogovo” firm together with the Bulgarian Tourist Union, Kjustendil Municipality and “Cartography” - Sofia initiated the tracing of mountain routes and issuing a map. The Osogovo Mountain and its lay are suitable mostly for pedestrian tourism; hence the producing of a route map is a key activity in the common efforts. It is expected that already in 2006 tourists shall be able to use 6 marked pedestrian routes, mapped out in the Osogovo Mountain tourist map. Names in the map shall also be written in Latin, as well as the information boards and route pointers. In March 2006 the idea came up to make a thorough map of the Osogovo Mountain since its larger part lies in fact in the Republic of Macedonia. The “Osogovo” firm has good relations with the “Ruen” mountain company in Kriva Palanka. They organize joint annual tourist meetings on the Ruen mountain top. At one such meeting it has been decided to continue with the mapping out of routes over to the territory of Macedonia.
The Osogovo Mountain has not been well-studied or cultivated. It has neither chalets and hotels, nor excavated historic or cultural findings. Its lay is suitable for pedestrian tourism mainly. The only popular place nearby is the town of Kjustendil, known in Bulgaria as the “cherry paradise”.
In order to reach Osogovo from Sofia you first head south-west, direction Pernik, and then continue on route E 871 towards Kjustendil. The town is at the foot of the mountain and some of its residential quarters are literally creeping up the mountain slopes. Apart from its cherries, Kjustendil can also be proud of its cultural and historic sites. The “Pirgova” Tower is in the town center and the St. George church - in the “Kolusha” quarter. Nearby is the Zemenski Monastery, named after the Zemen village, as well as the Skakavitza waterfall. The place also boasts with its mineral springs, gushing out with a capacity of 32 l/s. People here are aware that the town’s development depends primarily on tourism and balneology. There are ideas to consolidate the fruit-growing lands, namely the cherry, apple and peaches ones, and start up an eco fruit production business. In the region one can also find the “Osogovo” state game-breeding station where deer, wild boars and small game is bred. The tourist prices here are much lower compared to those in other regions in the country.
It takes only 15-20 minutes to reach one of the best hotels in the region of Kjustendil. The grass growing by the meandering road going up the mountain is interspersed with wild poppies, primroses and daisies that make the hidden glades particularly charming.
Almost forgotten and hardly visited until recently, the Osogovo Mountain now makes the visitor feel like a true discoverer. Here you won’t find board signs on trees, directing you to the nearest chalet or natural landmarks; neither will you meet people, nor will you have a final travel destination - only pure relaxation and long strolls out in the wild and beautiful nature. You can also choose to head for the “Osogovo” chalet, one of the two chalets in the whole region, and then from it continue on deep into the heart of the mountain. The Ruen mountain top is only 15 km away, so is the border with Macedonia. From the chalet the path turns right and then gets lost amid a green sea of beeches and oaks where the forest is thickly overgrown with flowers and grass, sun rays play over lush meadows, lily-of-the-valleys hide in cool fresh shadows and the path itself threads through the forest like a needle on an old tapestry. If you take this path it will take you down and soon you’ll find yourself out of the tree tunnel into the open space. Far away ahead over the Macedonian border lie the undulating outlines of violet hills. The ridge is flecked with pine trees and low alders. From this point on the path splits in three and starts descending. There is complete silence and the loneliness is more than one could bear…You would hardly meet anybody around on your way to and back from the chalet.
Once you know the path, on your way back you can fully enjoy the charm of a forgotten mountain which has preserved everything the way it used to be - unspoiled by construction works, rough and massive human activity - a pure ecosystem. Back in the Osogovo chalet, you can also take a final look at the St. Peter and Paul chapel, built with the help of the local tourist association. The chapel offers peace for one’s thoughts and prayers. One such prayer could be that this land remains pure and unspoiled the way it is.
Osogovo Mountain
Osogovo (Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except the Macedonian language, such as the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite...and Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is the official language of Republic of Macedonia and is a part of the Eastern group of South Slavic languages. Macedonian is closely related to and shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with the Bulgarian language and to a certain extent with Serbian and Croatian...
Cyrillic: ) or Osogovska Planina (Осоговска планина or Осоговска Планина) is a mountain and ski resort between southwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
(Kyustendil Province
Kyustendil Province
Kyustendil Province is a province in southwestern Bulgaria, extending over an area of 3084.3 km² , and has a population of 163,889... and northeastern Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
(Kočani
Kocani
Kočani is a town away from Skopje, situated in the Eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of Kočani Municipality.-Geography and population:...
and Kriva Palanka
Kriva Palanka
Kriva Palanka is a town located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It has nearly 21,000 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality....
municipallities). It is about 110 km long and 50 km wide, the highest peak being Ruen
Ruen
Ruen is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of Ruen municipality, which lies in the northern part of Burgas Province.-Municipality:Ruen municipality includes the following 41 places:...
(Руен) at 2251 m, which constitutes the main orthographic knot on the very border between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia. The steepest slope of the mountain is in the west, stretching down from Carev Vrv (Царев Врв; "Tsar's Peak").
Osogovo is the northernmost and highest part of the Osogovo-Belasica
Belasica
Belasica is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe, shared by northwestern Greece , southeastern Republic of Macedonia and southwestern Bulgaria...
group and is situated between the Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 58,059 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
and Kamenitsa Valleys, Dobro pole and the Bregalnica and Kriva Reka
river valleys. The west slopes are steep and the southeast ones are slant, the mountain being rich in polymetal ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals such as gemstones or metals that can be extracted through mining and refined for use. Samples of ore in the form of exceptionally beautiful crystals, exotic layering visible when sectioned or polished or metallic presentations such as large nuggets or..s.
There are many legends about the origin of name Osogovo, but the most famous one is that it was given by the Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north.. miners who were mining gold and silver in the region in the past. According to this legend, the name originates from the Old Germanic words "osso" (god) and "gov" (place) which means "a divine place".
The mountain itself is a powerful granite massif of crystal rocks. It has a prominent volcanic relief made of conic peaks and volcanic tufa.
The flora distinguishes vertical coverage: an under-mountainous zone up to 1000 m where trees like oak, elm, hornbeam, ash, hazel and others can be found; a mountainous zone (1000-1800 m) covered mostly with beech trees; and a sub-alpine zone covered with grass pastures and bushes of juniper trees. The mountain rivers and streams are a natural habitat for the barbell, the chub and the mountain trout.
Deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...and coniferous forests dominate. The area is inhabited by the rare Alpine Newt
. The nature and climate conditions allow for all-year tourism. Important towns at the foot of Osogovo are Kyustendil to the northeast in Bulgaria and Kočani and Kriva Palanka to the west and southwest in the Republic of Macedonia.
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except the Macedonian language, such as the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite...and Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is the official language of Republic of Macedonia and is a part of the Eastern group of South Slavic languages. Macedonian is closely related to and shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with the Bulgarian language and to a certain extent with Serbian and Croatian...
Cyrillic: ) or Osogovska Planina (Осоговска планина or Осоговска Планина) is a mountain and ski resort between southwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
(Kyustendil Province
Kyustendil Province
Kyustendil Province is a province in southwestern Bulgaria, extending over an area of 3084.3 km² , and has a population of 163,889... and northeastern Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
(Kočani
Kocani
Kočani is a town away from Skopje, situated in the Eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of Kočani Municipality.-Geography and population:...
and Kriva Palanka
Kriva Palanka
Kriva Palanka is a town located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It has nearly 21,000 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality....
municipallities). It is about 110 km long and 50 km wide, the highest peak being Ruen
Ruen
Ruen is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of Ruen municipality, which lies in the northern part of Burgas Province.-Municipality:Ruen municipality includes the following 41 places:...
(Руен) at 2251 m, which constitutes the main orthographic knot on the very border between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia. The steepest slope of the mountain is in the west, stretching down from Carev Vrv (Царев Врв; "Tsar's Peak").
Osogovo is the northernmost and highest part of the Osogovo-Belasica
Belasica
Belasica is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe, shared by northwestern Greece , southeastern Republic of Macedonia and southwestern Bulgaria...
group and is situated between the Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 58,059 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
and Kamenitsa Valleys, Dobro pole and the Bregalnica and Kriva Reka
river valleys. The west slopes are steep and the southeast ones are slant, the mountain being rich in polymetal ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals such as gemstones or metals that can be extracted through mining and refined for use. Samples of ore in the form of exceptionally beautiful crystals, exotic layering visible when sectioned or polished or metallic presentations such as large nuggets or..s.
There are many legends about the origin of name Osogovo, but the most famous one is that it was given by the Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north.. miners who were mining gold and silver in the region in the past. According to this legend, the name originates from the Old Germanic words "osso" (god) and "gov" (place) which means "a divine place".
The mountain itself is a powerful granite massif of crystal rocks. It has a prominent volcanic relief made of conic peaks and volcanic tufa.
The flora distinguishes vertical coverage: an under-mountainous zone up to 1000 m where trees like oak, elm, hornbeam, ash, hazel and others can be found; a mountainous zone (1000-1800 m) covered mostly with beech trees; and a sub-alpine zone covered with grass pastures and bushes of juniper trees. The mountain rivers and streams are a natural habitat for the barbell, the chub and the mountain trout.
Deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...and coniferous forests dominate. The area is inhabited by the rare Alpine Newt
. The nature and climate conditions allow for all-year tourism. Important towns at the foot of Osogovo are Kyustendil to the northeast in Bulgaria and Kočani and Kriva Palanka to the west and southwest in the Republic of Macedonia.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Learning to Howl Like a Wolf
Excited doesn't even come close to how I felt on the day I was to have a photo shoot with two wolves Raven and Forest at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, New Mexico . Raven who is a pure Black-phased Timber wolf is a retired ambassador for the sanctuary and Forest who is a pure Timber wolf is the new ambassador.
I made arrangements with photographer Michael L. Miller and the director of the sanctuary, Leyton Cougar and even got up at 4:00 in the morning in preparation for our 2 hour drive. We planned and prepared and even had a professional make up artist on site. In my mind I was going to be Leyla the warrior belly dancer living amongst the wolves.......ok quit rolling your eyes! I'm sure the wolves themselves would have howled with laughter. Little did I know that my fantasy was quite the illusion.
As we walked towards the enclosures where the wolves were kept my heart was pounding a mile a minute. Laughing and talking excitedly we all anxiously kept up a fast pace to the front gate to the large enclosure. That was until Leyton said, "We'll have to see if Raven will allow you to be next to him. And there may be a chance he won't want his picture taken."
You could have heard a pin drop with the deafening silence that followed his statement. It was as if time stood still and my moment of "Leyla the wolf woman" vanished with the wind. It served me right because when you work with wild animals you are working on their schedule not yours.
Fortunately I already had been around Raven and he knew me so he was excited to see everybody. Whew....that was a close call and my heart started to race again. Once I was beside Raven it occurred to me that the images of photos in my head were unrealistic. Raven was calling the shots throughout the entire photo shoot and I was left standing by myself on numerous occasions or basking in his glory by my side. And I would love to say that he was by my side because he really liked me but the truth of the matter is that Leyton had me rub lip balm all over myself because Raven loves the smell.
So here I am rubbing lip balm all over me so I can get this gigantic wolf to come over and take his picture with me. He came over immediately and all of a sudden he just started to rub himself all over me! There were moments I thought we were both going to tumble off the rock ledge that we were perched on. The funny thing about it was that there was no way to look stylish because I was holding on to this large boulder for dear life while at the same time I was dealing with wolf saliva being drooled all over me. Oh yes I forgot about the wolf drool...actually I didn't even think about it! And since it had just rained a few days earlier, I also had mud being rubbed all over me along with the wolf drool. And do any of you know how wolves smell? Not only did I learn but I ended up smelling like one. And a word for the wise; just remember that your costume will take a beating too!
As we walked around I noticed a lot of birds flying above in the air watching us curiously. They just happen to be Ravens. It's really interesting to note that Ravens and wolves are connected to each other. This is because the Ravens help the wolves find food and then the Ravens get to eat the left overs. At times it almost seemed like they were our audience because there were so many of them. The large enclosure where we were taking the photos had enclosures on either side of it with other wolves watching us as well. So it was interesting to note that the Ravens and the wolves had confused and perplexed looks on their faces kind of like some audiences. Sound familiar?
At the end of the first photo shoot with Raven, I crawled off the rocks only to see to my dismay that I had scuffed up and tore the heels of my new boots. So, just about every part of my costume that has a tear or smudge on it still reminds me to this day of what a wonderful and amazing experience it was. Bizarre as it may seem I almost felt like I went through a right of passage.
Furthering this right of passage was my next photo shoot with Forest. For this next photo shoot I dressed in my gothic, gypsy outfit with a little bit of Elvira in it. So off we went back to the same enclosure to see what was in store for us with Forest. Fortunately all it took was hotdogs for Forest to come over to me and I didn't have to rub any of them on me. But I'll tell you all a little secret, when Leyton first took out the hotdogs I was a little worried!
Forest was such a gentleman and he even gave me a few kisses here and there. But after while he stood beside me looking at Leyton with a pleading look on his face as if saying, "Are we done yet"? Fortunately the occasional hotdog did the trick and we were able to get in some good shots. To Michael's dismay though, Forest thought his light reflector that he was holding in his hand was a new toy and Forest went right for it. I wish I would have had the camera on the both of them as Michael was trying to pull the reflector from Forests mouth. Leyton had to come over and make Forest give it up and pry his mouth open. I have never seen a wolf cry but Forest whined and whined over having to let go of what he thought was his new toy. So obviously this ended the photo shoot with Forest getting reprimanded and Michael having his reflector back but with a few extra bite marks on it.
Understand that if any of you are going to have your photos taken with wild animals you are entering their world and their timetable. Make sure you do your homework and work diligently with the animal trainer or handler. Anything can happen in a split second so you must be focused and aware at all times.
Leyton is one in a million and he is known as the "Wolf Whisperer". Leyton has 62 wolf and wolf dogs at the sanctuary that he and volunteers care for. Over the past two years I have had the pleasure of seeing Leyton handle the wolves with amazing grace. The wolves' body language is so astounding when Leyton walks by their enclosures. Since body language is one of the oldest languages on the planet, I found watching the wolves move reminded me of an ancient dance form being performed with deliberate grace. Their sinuous movements had the timing of any well versed choreographer. I also noticed that Leyton respects the wolves and he looks at every one of them as individuals with characteristics all their own.
To say that patience is a virtue while working with wild animals is an understatement. It took all day to get in a variety of shots. And after it was all said and done, I was exhausted. Plus I smelled like I had been in the wild for days with the hint of lip balm. And just so you know I had lip balm in places I never would of thought putting it! In the end it was all worth it because both Raven and Forest taught me a great lesson; they reminded me to be in the moment and this was the most precious gift of all.
I made arrangements with photographer Michael L. Miller and the director of the sanctuary, Leyton Cougar and even got up at 4:00 in the morning in preparation for our 2 hour drive. We planned and prepared and even had a professional make up artist on site. In my mind I was going to be Leyla the warrior belly dancer living amongst the wolves.......ok quit rolling your eyes! I'm sure the wolves themselves would have howled with laughter. Little did I know that my fantasy was quite the illusion.
As we walked towards the enclosures where the wolves were kept my heart was pounding a mile a minute. Laughing and talking excitedly we all anxiously kept up a fast pace to the front gate to the large enclosure. That was until Leyton said, "We'll have to see if Raven will allow you to be next to him. And there may be a chance he won't want his picture taken."
You could have heard a pin drop with the deafening silence that followed his statement. It was as if time stood still and my moment of "Leyla the wolf woman" vanished with the wind. It served me right because when you work with wild animals you are working on their schedule not yours.
Fortunately I already had been around Raven and he knew me so he was excited to see everybody. Whew....that was a close call and my heart started to race again. Once I was beside Raven it occurred to me that the images of photos in my head were unrealistic. Raven was calling the shots throughout the entire photo shoot and I was left standing by myself on numerous occasions or basking in his glory by my side. And I would love to say that he was by my side because he really liked me but the truth of the matter is that Leyton had me rub lip balm all over myself because Raven loves the smell.
So here I am rubbing lip balm all over me so I can get this gigantic wolf to come over and take his picture with me. He came over immediately and all of a sudden he just started to rub himself all over me! There were moments I thought we were both going to tumble off the rock ledge that we were perched on. The funny thing about it was that there was no way to look stylish because I was holding on to this large boulder for dear life while at the same time I was dealing with wolf saliva being drooled all over me. Oh yes I forgot about the wolf drool...actually I didn't even think about it! And since it had just rained a few days earlier, I also had mud being rubbed all over me along with the wolf drool. And do any of you know how wolves smell? Not only did I learn but I ended up smelling like one. And a word for the wise; just remember that your costume will take a beating too!
As we walked around I noticed a lot of birds flying above in the air watching us curiously. They just happen to be Ravens. It's really interesting to note that Ravens and wolves are connected to each other. This is because the Ravens help the wolves find food and then the Ravens get to eat the left overs. At times it almost seemed like they were our audience because there were so many of them. The large enclosure where we were taking the photos had enclosures on either side of it with other wolves watching us as well. So it was interesting to note that the Ravens and the wolves had confused and perplexed looks on their faces kind of like some audiences. Sound familiar?
At the end of the first photo shoot with Raven, I crawled off the rocks only to see to my dismay that I had scuffed up and tore the heels of my new boots. So, just about every part of my costume that has a tear or smudge on it still reminds me to this day of what a wonderful and amazing experience it was. Bizarre as it may seem I almost felt like I went through a right of passage.
Furthering this right of passage was my next photo shoot with Forest. For this next photo shoot I dressed in my gothic, gypsy outfit with a little bit of Elvira in it. So off we went back to the same enclosure to see what was in store for us with Forest. Fortunately all it took was hotdogs for Forest to come over to me and I didn't have to rub any of them on me. But I'll tell you all a little secret, when Leyton first took out the hotdogs I was a little worried!
Forest was such a gentleman and he even gave me a few kisses here and there. But after while he stood beside me looking at Leyton with a pleading look on his face as if saying, "Are we done yet"? Fortunately the occasional hotdog did the trick and we were able to get in some good shots. To Michael's dismay though, Forest thought his light reflector that he was holding in his hand was a new toy and Forest went right for it. I wish I would have had the camera on the both of them as Michael was trying to pull the reflector from Forests mouth. Leyton had to come over and make Forest give it up and pry his mouth open. I have never seen a wolf cry but Forest whined and whined over having to let go of what he thought was his new toy. So obviously this ended the photo shoot with Forest getting reprimanded and Michael having his reflector back but with a few extra bite marks on it.
Understand that if any of you are going to have your photos taken with wild animals you are entering their world and their timetable. Make sure you do your homework and work diligently with the animal trainer or handler. Anything can happen in a split second so you must be focused and aware at all times.
Leyton is one in a million and he is known as the "Wolf Whisperer". Leyton has 62 wolf and wolf dogs at the sanctuary that he and volunteers care for. Over the past two years I have had the pleasure of seeing Leyton handle the wolves with amazing grace. The wolves' body language is so astounding when Leyton walks by their enclosures. Since body language is one of the oldest languages on the planet, I found watching the wolves move reminded me of an ancient dance form being performed with deliberate grace. Their sinuous movements had the timing of any well versed choreographer. I also noticed that Leyton respects the wolves and he looks at every one of them as individuals with characteristics all their own.
To say that patience is a virtue while working with wild animals is an understatement. It took all day to get in a variety of shots. And after it was all said and done, I was exhausted. Plus I smelled like I had been in the wild for days with the hint of lip balm. And just so you know I had lip balm in places I never would of thought putting it! In the end it was all worth it because both Raven and Forest taught me a great lesson; they reminded me to be in the moment and this was the most precious gift of all.
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