Good news! I was able to exchange my camera! Alas, my replacement arrived a few days too late to capture an incredible wildlife encounter. While hiking at Mount Baker, we were approached ~ to a distance of fifty meters or less ~ by two mountain goats. It's unusual to see these animals at Baker, even at a distance; viewing them at such close proximity is virtually unheard of. I was just that day telling the boys that many of us who have spent years hiking in the Cascades have never seen mountain goats.
Rafe can claim the credit for our once-in-a-lifetime experience. He's the one who sighted the goats, some distance away and down a slope, causing us to backtrack for a closer look. As we stood watching, the pair came up the slope toward the trail. Minute by minute they kept coming closer as we marveled at the fact that they didn't shy away from us. Soon they were actually on the trail, approaching us and not in the least phased by our presence.
Incredible! For a full five or ten minutes we stood, marveling at these wonderful creatures and our fantastic fortune. But as much as I treasured the experience, I could have cried over the missed photo: Two mountain goats grazing, a stone's throw away from us, with a 10,000+ foot volcanic mountain as a backdrop. What a scene! For the first time in my life I desperately wished to share the trail with another hiker ~ one with a camera on hand. But it was not to be. By the time someone came along, the goats were clambering down the hill. He took several shots, but they were at a distance. Two of his photos are above. The first, facing Mount Shuksan (next to Mount Baker), shows the trail we were hiking at the time. The second captures one of the goats as it ran down the slope. This man was happy just to see mountain goats ~ and of course surprised to hear they'd been right on the trail just before he rounded the corner! Definitely a hike we'll never forget.
Now that I have working camera again, I'll share some of my Europe photos in the next day or two.
4 comments:
What a fun experience!! And a gorgeous picture of the mountain!
Thanks for your comment on my blog this morning! I'll be laughing all day because Colleen used the word popular to describe me. :-P
I replied over there as well, but then I thought of something else. I wanted to tell you that I recently made the chocolate pumpkin cake that you posted the recipe for ages ago. It was delicious!! It had been sitting in my 'to-try' file for all this time. I wish I had tried it sooner. :)
Anyhoo... Yes, posting often (when I should be doing a million other things) is probably the reason people visit my blog. And, yes, please drive down anytime for a visit, or we'll head up your way for an organic dairy farm field trip so we can count it as school, LOL.
Have a terrific weekend!
Just curious if you are the dairy "sonlight" Colleen??? I traipsed over here from Mt. Hope and when I saw "Hans" and Switzerland and a bunch of towheaded boys I thought"can it be??" Shot in the dark, but not "too" dark!
Heidi, I made chocolate pumpkin cake just the other day, too ~ 'tis the season. : ) So moist...mmmm! I'm so glad to know you enjoyed it. I am indebted to you for two recipes in particular: blackberry gingerbread and scones with devonshire cream. Those scones hit the spot, I tell you!
Yes, prairie chick, I'm Colleen on both the Sonlight and The Well Trained Mind boards. Glad you stopped by. I promise to soon get back in the groove of posting more often. Looks like you have some beautiful blogs; I look forward to perusing them. : )
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