CottonwoodCanyon - 10-19-16 - Pinnacles Trail

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arieshiker
Posts: 194
Joined: December 3rd, 2009, 3:19 pm
Location: Goldendale

CottonwoodCanyon - 10-19-16 - Pinnacles Trail

Post by arieshiker » October 20th, 2016, 7:52 am

Forecast called for a cloudy day, which seemed like a good forecast for another hike in Cottonwood Canyon. I did the Pinnacles Trail again and saw very few clouds that mattered much - mostly just sun, low and in your face on the way out, laying on your back on the way in. The photos of the trail were taken after I stopped, turned around and shot where I'd just been. Not much color out there, but the sun did emphasize the yellow in the grasses. Biggest surprise of the hike - maybe the year - was between mile benches one and two, when a large bighorn ram darted across the trail in front of me. He went up the rocks a bit, stood there looking at me - and I heard rustling in the brush along the riverside. Soon a bunch more, a couple smaller rams and some ewes rushed out and up the hill. It all happened so fast and I was so surprised - photos were hard to take, not to mention those beasts can fly when spooked. But I got some photos as they moved on up.....then I moved on up the trail another hundred or so yards and WHAM - out came a couple dozen more bighorns - this time only a couple rams, a few ewes and slew of babies. I could hear them rustling in the brush, and thought I was ready for the rush, but.....they were a blur and I didn't get any decent shots of them as they crossed the trail. So I just watched them climb the rocks into the grasses, where some of them stopped to graze and gawk back at the two-legged, before one of the older rams wandered down and forced them up and over. It was absolutely breath-taking to behold. Altogether I think I counted about fifty in three different "families," so it was a banner day. I almost cancelled the rest of the hike just so I could get home and download the images - but I didn't. I went on out to the four mile bench, had snack before heading back to the parking lot, all the while just hoping any of the photos I snapped might come out.
The hike was 8.5 miles, hardly any elevation gain, and the sun never went behind any clouds the four hours I was on the trail. Talk about a good!!!
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retired jerry
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Re: CottonwoodCanyon - 10-19-16 - Pinnacles Trail

Post by retired jerry » October 20th, 2016, 7:59 am

That's what happened to me once, on the Deschutes

Probably the same group

I was just a bit fearful they might be scared of me and do something defensive

arieshiker
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Joined: December 3rd, 2009, 3:19 pm
Location: Goldendale

Re: CottonwoodCanyon - 10-19-16 - Pinnacles Trail

Post by arieshiker » October 20th, 2016, 8:09 am

retired jerry wrote:That's what happened to me once, on the Deschutes

Probably the same group

I was just a bit fearful they might be scared of me and do something defensive

Know the feeling Jerry......the first male that stood watching me made me a bit nervous, but I think he was mostly just curious, and with so many babies along they make sure those are okay before they get too aggressive, but I was conscious of my behavior and stood very still so they could see I was no threat, but the other side of my brain was considering what I'd do if one charged.....already knew running wasn't an option. Once all of them were across the trail, they rapidly disappeared up the hill - - and I do mean rapidly. I have no clue what might've happened had I been ten yards further along when that first ram crossed. He just came out of no where, but at least that alerted me there were more there.

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romann
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Re: CottonwoodCanyon - 10-19-16 - Pinnacles Trail

Post by romann » October 23rd, 2016, 1:33 pm

Wow, that's a great sighting! I've never seen wild sheep outside of national park, yet (Glacier and Zion).

arieshiker
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Joined: December 3rd, 2009, 3:19 pm
Location: Goldendale

Re: CottonwoodCanyon - 10-19-16 - Pinnacles Trail

Post by arieshiker » October 24th, 2016, 9:09 am

romann wrote:Wow, that's a great sighting! I've never seen wild sheep outside of national park, yet (Glacier and Zion).
It was the second time in seven hikes this year at Cottonwood that I've seen the sheep, Romann.....as Retired Jerry suggested, this could be the same group that forages around the Deschutes and could even be part of the pack that hangs out near the Arlington exit on I-84 (around mile posts 117-124.) I've never seen them at Deschutes, but the pack must be huge. This was my closest encounter and probably as close as I ever want to get to those horns. Beautiful and graceful animals though. With two five mile (and expanding) trails available (one in each side of the river), and Deschutes State Park nearby, if you haven't been over this way to spend a day, it's a pretty area. Definitely different from the western Gorge. Both times I saw the sheep was before 9AM, which probably doesn't mean anything, but......

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