a marmot encounter

day 70 ~ 1096.6 - 1116

we started out the day by entering the Desolation Wilderness. We were informed by a sign at the trailhead at Echo Lake that this wilderness area is the most heavily used per acre in the US. This is believable judging by the number of hikers we saw on the trail.

After a short climb in the morning, we descended to, and walked beside, multiple mountain lakes. The most beautiful one was Aloha Lake. Rock islands with pine and fir growing on them dotted the lake, and there was a backdrop of snowcapped peaks, remniscent of the high Sierra. Not quite as tropical as the lake's name suggests. We had to keep moving to overcome the day's big climb up Dick's Pass.

We planned to have lunch at the top of the pass, and I arrived before Sideways. I picked a spot in the shade and rested my trekking pole against a tree. Once she arrived we decided it was too cold in the shade and moved out into the sun.

After we finished eating, Sideways was taking nap when a visitor arrived. A marmot was making its way across the field directly towards Sideways. I woke her up to look, as it approached within a couple of feet of her. I scared it away, only to have the same thing happen several more times. We had fun for a little while taking pictures and video of the daring marmot, but it eventually became a nuisance. We knew it wanted our food, or worse yet, to chew on our gear for the salt.

While I was keeping an eye on the marmot, I noticed that my trekking pole that was resting against the tree had been blown over by the wind. I thought to myself that the handle might be of interest to the marmot because of the salt on the handle, but no worries, "I'm keeping an eye on him". About 10 seconds later I turned around to check on the marmot's whereabouts, and noticed the trekking pole was no longer laying where it fell. A split second later I noticed the bottom end of the pole protruding from a nearby bush and wiggling around in mid-air. The image was so comical that I almost started laughing, but I realized that real damage was probably being done. I exclaimed, "The marmot has my trekking pole!", and took off running across the rocks in my socks towards the bush. Sideways popped up from her nap, confused to see me tugging on one end of my trekking pole while the marmot was holding the other working the handle over like corn on the cob. I got it free and saw the quick work he had made of the cork grip. I was pretty upset at first, and didn't want to see the humor in it while Sideways laughed hysterically. I got over it quickly since the damage has no bearing on the performance of the pole. I don't view marmots as being the cute fun loving creatures I once did.

-Moonshine