RHH's photos with the keyword: marmot

Photographed along the East Snowmass Trail in the Colorado Rockies, this is a Yellow-bellied Marmot, very common and often seen sunning themselves on the rocks.

This Yellow-bellied Marmot was photographed on the cliff edge at Palouse Falls State Park. Also called a Rock Chuck, it is common in the western USA and Canada. I noticed, though, that I had no photos of this creature posted and so borrowed this photo of my wife's.

Taken along the Snowbird Pass trail on the tundra where the marmots were obviously feeling the spring sunshine and warmth and were very lively, chasing each other around and nuzzling each other.

Hoary Marmots, Marmota caligata, are everywhere in the Canadian Rockies, and seem completely unafraid of humans, even coming to beg food. This one was photographed on the flood plain of the Robson River below Berg Lake, but we saw many more during our backpacking trips there.

In Explore July 28, 2009, #201. Obviously accustomed to people, this marmot was constantly around the Berg Lake camp looking for handouts. The group, Snafflehounds, which collects pictures of these and similar creatures describes them as "the alpine creatures that will raid your tent, chew holes in your backpack, steal your lunch and nibble on your climbing rope while you are climbing!" This creature's scientific name is Marmota caligata and the photo was taken by my wife.

I've not posted a picture since last week Thursday and this is the reason. Two friends and I went backpacking in the North Cascades Friday and Saturday. I offered and they won the trip (all equipment and food provided and all expenses paid) at a fund-raiser earlier in the year and we were finally able to go this past week, taking advantage of the spectacularly beautiful weather we've been having. We hiked Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm, the most scenic and beautiful hike in the North Cascades, in my opinion. We hiked in four miles over the pass to Pelton Basin (our camp was in the trees on the left of the picture). The trail climbs 1800 feet through 34 switchbacks over those four miles and then drops about 400 feet to the camp. We arrived and set up camp around noon and then hiked back up to the pass and up Sahale Arm to Sahale Peak and Glacier, gaining another 2700 feet in elevation over two and half miles. There is a camp at 7700 feet at the foot of Sahale Glacier, the highest camp in the Cascades, but this was their first time backpacking and we were not sure that any of us could make it with packs to that camp. We did not get back to camp until late and after our evening meal and a good night's sleep and some time for relaxation the next morning, hiked out again on Saturday afternoon. We had great weather, awesome scenery, saw lots of wildlife and arrived home tired and satisfied. One of the high points of the trip was the fact that the wild blueberries and huckleberries were ripe. Another high point was all the wildlife, black bears, deer, marmots, pikas, grouse. The bears were out in full force and we had eight sightings of bears including several cubs and had to be careful in places on the trail. We had one large bear that was on the hillside across from the camp the whole time we were there, but he was busy feeding on the berries and did not bother us at all. We heard something come snuffling through the camp after we had gone to sleep, but could not tell if it was a bear. All our food and personal items were away from camp and out of reach of the bears, and whatever it was that came through did not bother us. The camp was as comfortable as a backcountry camp can be and in spite of the intrusion we all slept soundly. The two peaks shown in the picture are Pelton Peak and Magic Mountain, and the basin, the trail following it, goes another thirty miles to the old town of Stehekin and Lake Chelan, a hike I would very much like to do some day. My wife was unable to come along, but after seeing the pictures will probably be the reason why we do make this hike again. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/09/cascade-pas...