New mission in life

I know, I know: seems like I've got a new mission every day right now, right?  That's what sitting around at home all day does to a person -- gives you lots and lots of time to think, rock-hop around the interwebs, putter around, read, look at your stuff, rock-hop some more.

All of which is a great way to refine both one's capital-M Mission, aka what's my point anyway, and one's list of small-M missions, the little quests or organizing principles, if you will, that I think make things fun. [Some people call these items on their Bucket List, but I personally loathe that expression and will not use it EVER AGAIN in print or other manner.]

This is a post about a new small-M mission:

One day, this lifetime, I will see a wolverine in the wild.

Wolverines are only my most favorite animal in the whole world, basically the cold weather all-terrain version of the Honey Badger (of whom I'm also a fan).  I fell all crazy-in-love with wolverines a few years ago (see Wolverines, as in current obsessed with or Wolverines make me so happy), even have a little Wolverine folder in my Outlook where I save almost every single email I receive from The Wolverine Blog.  Seriously, I freaking LOVE them.  

In case your poor mind is filled only with images of that stupid cartoon character by the same name, allow me to regale you instead with the full-on gorgeousness of the real thing, captured by Russian photographer Igor Shpilenok.

So why, you may be asking, suddenly this new little-m mission, this desire to be in the right place at the right time and see with my own eyes the tremendous beauty and majesty that is Wolverine?

Because a few weeks ago, one lucky Californian, out backpacking in a remote area of the Sierras by himself for three days, saw the ONE WOLVERINE that lives in our entire state, a male sighted in the Tahoe area a few years back.  Aside from OR7, the lone wolf that entered California in December (and was last seen cavorting with coyotes), the wolverine is the rarest mammal in our great Golden State.  Hot damn!

I'm not saying I want to see the one wolverine in California.  I'm saying I want to go wherever it takes to see one, help researchers, whatever, but really really, like my dream of someday seeing a mountain lion while hiking (refinement: i'd like to see it before it sees me), i really, really want to behold the wolverine magnificence while it still walks this earth.

Like this backpacker who was already feeling lucky on day 1 of his trip when he saw a bald eagle.  He was about to get a whole lot luckier.