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Dante
Member
Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 2815 | TRs | Pics
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Dante
Member
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 Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:22 pm |
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The coolest animal I've met while hiking was a Pine Martin on the Wonderland Trail. The Pine Martin and I stepped onto opposite ends of a log bridge crossing a stream at the same time. I didn't know what it was, but it was pretty big, and I remember wondering if it could be a Wolverine.
The remarkable thing is he just stopped and stared at me. Most animals I've met hiking retreat. I think I actually stepped off the log to let him pass, but he ultimately had second thoughts and scampered downstream.
Long ago, my dad, a cousin encountered a Black Bear swimming on a trip to Deer, Bear and Snoqualmie lakes. We heard him first, and were trying to figure out what was making that snorting splashing noise when we saw him. That was pretty cool.
I've seen a few other bears over the years, lots of deer and two Bobcats. I've seen some big ass Cougar tracks, but never the cats who made them.
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Blue Dome
Now with Retsyn
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 3144 | TRs | Pics
Location: Cleaning up the dogma. |
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Blue Dome
Now with Retsyn
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Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:06 pm |
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| Chainsaw_Willie wrote: | | Blue Dome wrote: | | Strangest one I saw was late last summer. I was coming down Granite Mt. late in the day and standing in the middle of the trail was this odd looking, short feathered, brown bird, rather large with a body about the size of a rugby ball. I approached it and it casually walked about three feet off the trail and waited. It seemed unafraid.
Whatever it was, I'd never seen one before. Later, I searched for it online and couldn't find an example. |
Wasn't a mountain chicken?
I'm sure you've seen them before so would know one if you saw it, but that sure is what your description sounds like, both in appearance and behavior. |
I've seen those, but it was something else. Easily twice as large and one shade of brown -- no variations in color. I don't recall tail feathers. Looked like one of those birds that by design couldn't fly -- my first thought was that it looked sort of prehistoric. I stood three feet away and it didn't move away, which took me by suprise.
I left it standing three feet off the trail.
“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”
— Harry S. Truman
“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”
— Harry S. Truman
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics
Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Thu Feb 06, 2014 10:52 am |
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Saw a huge porcupine at MRNP last year. The light was fading on the trail, and I saw something up ahead. Dog? Little bear? Nope, it was a quill pig. 
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Phil
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Joined: 02 Jul 2003
Posts: 2025 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline, WA |
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Phil
Member
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Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:00 am |
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| herdingcats wrote: | | Without further delay: |
My life is boring. 
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:14 am |
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| Blue Dome wrote: | | odd looking, short feathered, brown bird, rather large with a body about the size of a rugby ball |
Likely a Sooty Grouse, formerly Blue Grouse, which in 2006 was split into two species: Sooty Grouse (W of crest) and Dusky Grouse (E of crest).
"Rugby ball" is an apt comparison re size of a big Sooty Grouse, which generally run 2 to 3 times larger than smaller WA mountain grouses, i.e. Spruce Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan.
| Blue Dome wrote: | | I stood three feet away and it didn't move away, which took me by suprise. |
Common behavior for a Sooty or Dusky.
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:17 am |
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June 10, 2012, ski touring on Fortune Mountain with Anita, Randy and MtnMan:
Wolverine Glissade
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herdingcats
inherited Wanderlüst
Joined: 19 Apr 2013
Posts: 88 | TRs | Pics
Location: Des Moines, WA |
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herdingcats
inherited Wanderlüst
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Thu Feb 06, 2014 12:41 pm |
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| Phil wrote: | | herdingcats wrote: | | Without further delay: |
My life is boring. |
Not at all man.
As I wrote that post I realized how much my Mom really did for my brother and I in this respect. You don't know until much later. And then I realized how heavily my work as a tour guide in the Arctic impacted that list. As the list grew and grew I had second thoughts about even posting it as it was getting so absurd.
Anyway, adventure is right around the corner for all of us. Reflecting on that list makes me realize that I need to get my sons to the wild more... and that's a good thing.
Happy adventuring all!!
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Blue Dome
Now with Retsyn
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 3144 | TRs | Pics
Location: Cleaning up the dogma. |
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Blue Dome
Now with Retsyn
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Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:48 pm |
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| BigSteve wrote: | | Blue Dome wrote: | | odd looking, short feathered, brown bird, rather large with a body about the size of a rugby ball |
Likely a Sooty Grouse, formerly Blue Grouse, which in 2006 was split into two species: Sooty Grouse (W of crest) and Dusky Grouse (E of crest).
"Rugby ball" is an apt comparison re size of a big Sooty Grouse, which generally run 2 to 3 times larger than smaller WA grouses... |
Yep, that's probably what it was. Thanks.
“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”
— Harry S. Truman
“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.”
— Harry S. Truman
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