Sunday afternoon. Partly cloudy. Crisp air. We went for a hike up Wheeler Peak. At 13,161 feet it's a majestic mountain, the highest in New Mexico. Well, harumph, majestic or not, somebody found a mud puddle on the way up!!
What can I say? It was marmot country, which means Isis was running this way and that way all over the meadows, chasing after chirping marmots and tiring herself out. I was chasing after marmots too ... only I was trying to creep up on them slyly ...
I got to within about twenty feet of this grizzled old marmot, before I started to think there was something wrong with him for letting me get so close. I took a last look at his beady eyes and then hurried to catch up with Mountain Man.
Up, up we went. It was an exciting day, as the New Mexico Fish and Wildlife folks had been airlifting bighorn sheep out of one of the high mountain cirques. We'd run into them hiking the day before and were rushing up to try to see the helicopters. After we summited, we ran a mile along the ridge, just shy of 13,000 feet, to see if we could get a better view.
Somebody was tired and expecting snacks after that.
Don't worry. We gave her some cashews.
We sat up in that high meadow until the storms threatened to blow in. Didn't get to see the next helicopter. But I did catch a grasshopper. That was something.
What can I say? It was marmot country, which means Isis was running this way and that way all over the meadows, chasing after chirping marmots and tiring herself out. I was chasing after marmots too ... only I was trying to creep up on them slyly ...
I got to within about twenty feet of this grizzled old marmot, before I started to think there was something wrong with him for letting me get so close. I took a last look at his beady eyes and then hurried to catch up with Mountain Man.
Up, up we went. It was an exciting day, as the New Mexico Fish and Wildlife folks had been airlifting bighorn sheep out of one of the high mountain cirques. We'd run into them hiking the day before and were rushing up to try to see the helicopters. After we summited, we ran a mile along the ridge, just shy of 13,000 feet, to see if we could get a better view.
Somebody was tired and expecting snacks after that.
Don't worry. We gave her some cashews.
We sat up in that high meadow until the storms threatened to blow in. Didn't get to see the next helicopter. But I did catch a grasshopper. That was something.
All in all, a fine critter-filled day.
6 comments:
Great pictures! Isis looks like she had a lot of fun! That's a pretty close shot of the marmot! And, that grasshopper is really interesting...very different than the kind we have here. Why were they airlifting bighorn sheep out and how did they catch them? That's interesting. Looks like a beautiful day!
Apparently there was an excess of bighorn sheep on the mountain. The fish & game guys were hiking up there, trapping sheep, drugging them, and then airlifting them off the mountain with a helicopter.
Presumably they're relocating the sheep to another mountain with a smaller population. It was definitely a big operation!
That is an AWESOME grasshopper image
oh dirty dog.... must love them that way too
I love Isis, such a pretty dog!
My dogs would have done the same thing - they're are so happy when they can be two big dirt lumps! lol
Yeah, the mud was something else! The old trail used to go via a lake, but the new trail bypasses it, so she was thrilled to find this muddy puddle. We could hardly get her out of it!
(And yes, we do bring a doggy bowl with water, but that doesn't cool her down like a lake or a puddle)
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