| October 2003: Nearly climbed
Mt. David |
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The trail up Mt. David ascends 5,200ft in 5
miles to the old fire lookout site on top of the mountain. On the lower
forested slopes, the leaves were just turning to their autumn colors.
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This Ptarmigan however, had nearly finished
changing to its winter white. It was foraging along the trail, just a few
hundred feet below the summit. The ptarmigan relies so much on camouflage for
protection, it's possible to get very close to the bird without startling it.
This one must not have realized that its cover had been blown! |
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Here you can see the ptarmigan's
feather-covered feet. The foot feathers, which grow only in winter, help the
bird walk on top of the snow and probably help keep it warmer. As I'm writing
this, a few days have passed & it's now snowing heavily in this same area -
summer is over in the north cascades. |
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I spent about 20 minutes with the ptarmigan
& ran out of time to finish the hike up to the summit. It was a bit hazy on
this day... though it did begin to clear as I descended. This photo shows some
of the higher trail. |
