Spotted a Mexican gray wolf near San Antonio Mountain, north of Tres Piedras

Coming from Chama heading east on Hwy 64 last fall, I drove through the Carson National Forest down Service Road 133. That road was extremely treacherous even in my pickup. I drove a 4-wheel drive Chevy Silverado, and it still got pretty dicey a couple times. I bounced up and down on the rocky path cut through the forest, getting tossed around like I’d been in a wreck. After 25 miles down Forest Road 133, I turned left on Forest Road 87. I followed Forest Road 87 up the mountain hillside before taking a right on Forest Road 88.

I parked at Laguna Larga, a small watering hole for cows. I saw two bald eagles circling each other in the sky above along with a herd of pronghorn antelope. San Antonio Mountain peak was lit up in yellow hues as the leaves changed colors.

I hiked two miles through a sagebrush and cactus field, trying to stay out of the way of the cows snorting at me. As I looked up, I saw a big brown and white wolf running off into the distance. I thought my eyes were deceiving me at first, but it couldn’t have been a coyote. It was taller and ran away much faster than any coyote I’ve ever seen. The brown and white pattern caught my eye from about 100-150 yards out. It was comparable in size to my German Shepherds.

Seeing that animal sent a primal chill down my spine. I was genuinely fearful for my life being miles deep in the CNF with no cell service, even though I’ve since learned that Mexican gray wolves have no track record of attacking humans.

I’ve read reports of others who have sighted wolves near Hopewell Lake. On one of my previous Reddit threads, a commenter said old time residents of Tres Piedras insist there have always been wolves in the area.