This isn't a full trip report, just a few photos from a remarkable encounter yesterday on Kachina Peak.
This young Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep quietly snuck up on
us. I didn't even notice him until he was less than 100 feet away. Luckily, my
dog Loki (the Magnificent) didn't spot him right away. When he finally did, he
charged toward the sheep, and I had to call him back.
I've trained Loki to do two things whenever he sees
wildlife: 1) stay quiet, and 2) stay with me. Otherwise, I'd probably never get
to enjoy any wildlife encounters on my hikes.
What made yesterday so unusual was how willing this bighorn
was to approach us (that's probably why rule number two didn't quite work as
intended). Other than reindeer, which are famously curious, I've never had a
wild animal come this close.
Even more remarkable, once Loki returned to my side, it took
only a couple of minutes for the sheep to wander back and "visit" us
again. Whenever he got a little too close, Loki would politely (he never barked
at him) shoo him away, but a few minutes later he'd come right back. This
little routine repeated itself four times!
Eventually, he settled down near the highest Gazex exploder
below the upper Kachina lift station and calmly watched us continue to the
summit.
It was one of those rare moments of mountain magic that only
the mountain can offer. I've shared photos of mountain wildlife before, but
this encounter was truly special. Here are the pictures from yesterday.
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| First encounter: by the time I got the camera out he bolted but this gives an idea of how close he was willing to get... |
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| ...he did not go too far though... |
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| ...then curiosity got the best of him... |
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| You can see the curiosity in his attitude and face. |
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| He is quite the splendid animal. |
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| ...till we meet again |
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