In Spring time the woods are in full activity: budding of plants, awakening of the bear, the warming of the air, and porcupines. The two dogs, Pancho and Sheba, are with me as I hike up Indian Pass Trail. The coolness and muddiness of the bottom land in the valley gives way to hills at the north end. Within the lower area, four avalanche chutes have created openings in the lower parts of the valley; four areas of grass, small plants, and willows along the creek that cuts between. Up ahead on the trail, Pancho runs ahead and my eyes follow his movements--a porcupine; not what I want to do today, take quills out of a dog's face. I call him back and he returns. Sheba dog has already an experience with porcupines and quill pulling. She looked very strange with a mouthful of quills in her face. That was a year ago, so I wonder if she has learned her lesson. Anyway, we go on up the trail and start to ascend the first hill before reaching the open slopes above the valley. Half way up I stop for a drink at a rest area; here is a good view of the lower valley, the bay, and the valleys and mountains on the other side. Nice--pastel colors of blues and greens, as well as patches of white. A few timbers, aged by the sun, lay in the rest site, and I unsling my shotgun, take off my pack, lay both down, and then sit for the view. The dogs lay down by me, probably expecting scraps of my food. Lazy dogs. So, I sip on water and gaze over the awakening land, looking from far to near, up the slopes and down the hill. Then a movement fifteen feet away catches my attention; a porcupine is slowly moving up through the nearby alder and among the cow parsnips plants. The dogs lazily watch. The little porcupine watches too. Slowly, I gather my camera for a shot, get up and approach my little visitor and get some pictures. He isn't afraid, but slowly shifts about. Like some photo shoot he poses and I click away. Soon both he and I tire of our meeting; he turns and slowly wanders off down the trail while we get ready to head up. I wonder how other people's dogs will do with the porcupines on the trail? At least Sheba dog passed the test this time and I'm not picking quills out of her mouth.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Porcupines on the Trail
In Spring time the woods are in full activity: budding of plants, awakening of the bear, the warming of the air, and porcupines. The two dogs, Pancho and Sheba, are with me as I hike up Indian Pass Trail. The coolness and muddiness of the bottom land in the valley gives way to hills at the north end. Within the lower area, four avalanche chutes have created openings in the lower parts of the valley; four areas of grass, small plants, and willows along the creek that cuts between. Up ahead on the trail, Pancho runs ahead and my eyes follow his movements--a porcupine; not what I want to do today, take quills out of a dog's face. I call him back and he returns. Sheba dog has already an experience with porcupines and quill pulling. She looked very strange with a mouthful of quills in her face. That was a year ago, so I wonder if she has learned her lesson. Anyway, we go on up the trail and start to ascend the first hill before reaching the open slopes above the valley. Half way up I stop for a drink at a rest area; here is a good view of the lower valley, the bay, and the valleys and mountains on the other side. Nice--pastel colors of blues and greens, as well as patches of white. A few timbers, aged by the sun, lay in the rest site, and I unsling my shotgun, take off my pack, lay both down, and then sit for the view. The dogs lay down by me, probably expecting scraps of my food. Lazy dogs. So, I sip on water and gaze over the awakening land, looking from far to near, up the slopes and down the hill. Then a movement fifteen feet away catches my attention; a porcupine is slowly moving up through the nearby alder and among the cow parsnips plants. The dogs lazily watch. The little porcupine watches too. Slowly, I gather my camera for a shot, get up and approach my little visitor and get some pictures. He isn't afraid, but slowly shifts about. Like some photo shoot he poses and I click away. Soon both he and I tire of our meeting; he turns and slowly wanders off down the trail while we get ready to head up. I wonder how other people's dogs will do with the porcupines on the trail? At least Sheba dog passed the test this time and I'm not picking quills out of her mouth.
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Great story, please keep them coming!
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