A redundant title, but one worth remembering. Friends and I had a great time this past summer in the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado. Beautiful scenery, great hiking, endless memories. One particular memory was our encounter with a mountain goat, a seemingly friendly intruder to our campsite. We had a fabulous campsite in the Chicago Basin along with great weather, so seeing a very regal-looking animal was all part of the package. He was quiet, wandered the periphery of the campsite, and headed for the hills when he realized that we were not going to feed him. We knew enough not to do that. On his way out, he climbed a rock and left us this memorable photo opportunity:
The Money Shot
We thought it was all pretty cool. A review of hiking guides for the area makes it clear that these encounters are not rare; in fact they are quite common. Pictures abound (although mine is still the best). Nevertheless, seeing one so close was a treat.
Never thought about the possible consequences should we have encountered an unruly member of the mountain goat family. But they exist, as recounted in a story about a recent goring in Olympic National Park in Washington. Wow, never considered such a side to these otherwise elegant animals. However, like other similar stories about wildlife gone truly wild, some suspect that these maulings indicate some imbalance in nature brought on by too much human manipulation. Imbalance or not, just be careful out in the wild!
Posted by Matt S 
Status Mundi 