When my brother and his wife invited my husband and me to observe elk in their natural habitat, they failed to mention one detail—the nine-mile, single-lane dirt road that wound up a high mountain and down again. We navigated curves that doubled back on themselves like a snake changing directions. The window view on my side of the car included an almost non-existent shoulder and steep, rocky terrain. When we descended from the heights and drove into a valley, I unclenched my teeth and took a deep breath. Near dusk, we parked beside a grassy meadow that bordered a forest…