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RE: Of Very Large Cats: Part I ~ My Extra-Big Cougar Adventure~ Inspired by @generikat's Recent Post-A Fascinating Story About A Cougar That Yowled At Her ~ Original Photography and Original Semi-Long Story ~
How fun to get to see the giant cat.... From inside the truck! I have never seen one. It would be terrifying to meet up with one on foot.
They are quite fascinating. And as you say, in the truck, pretty cool. But when it's just you and them and the outdoors, it puts it all on another level. Very primal, because everything is up to the animal. Rather humbling..."whatever you think, big kitty, I'm just a punny human, going along for the ride here." I think it's good for us now and then to realize we can be down at the second or third rung on the food chain. Humbling indeed. Thanks for reading some of my older computer scrabble.
My day hasn't worked out as planned and I'm just now getting back to Steem!
It is a feeling that is unfamiliar to us. I remember in the late 70s driving logging roads through Sunlight Basin in Wyoming just outside of Yellowstone Park keeping an eye out for grizzly bears which was all well and good while I was in my truck. But knowing that Sunlight Basin had the highest density of bears, there was no way I could sleep in a tent that night, and felt much more able to rest sitting upright in the cab of the truck!
Do days EVER go to plan??
Yes, I've spent a bit of time in the backcountry of Montana. I was never very comfortable there, with the big bears. I think it is a function of being in the forest so much, and encountering animals on their turf. A realization of reality, more or less. As you say, in the vehicle is one thing, outside, it's all up to them.
I've not been to Sunlight Basin, but Wyoming has some gorgeous country. We used to go there and to Montana for holiday when working in Idaho. Road trips to the area you speak of. Two friends and I camped in Glacier N.P. for Thanksgiving one year. It was a lot of fun. Eating turkey in the bathroom to stay warm. There were only 3 other people in the park that we knew of. I woke up in my tent in the morning and went out, and discovered a grizzly footprint about 12-14" long in the snow, 6 inches from the tent, and the side of my head through the ripstop nylon. Kind of un-nerving, thinking of me in my little blue Forester Burrito bag (what we called mummy bags in bear country), right on the other side. I slept in the truck that night, like you did. Some call it chicken, I call it smart and still here to discuss it ( :
Idaho. I've spent some back county time near Riggins. Beautiful, beautiful country!
I've been through Glacier, but never camped or hiked there. It was too early in the year, they had just opened the road for the season and there was still deep snow in many places. I always thought I would get back there, but it never happened.
Definitely a wise chicken! I saw my first Grizzly a few years ago while driving through Yellowstone. It was an experience of a lifetime for me. It convinced me again that I am not brave enough to tent camp in Grizzly country.
And there is some question if I am brave enough to sleep in a hotel in Grizzly country We had come down the Beartooth hwy and got a room for the night in Red Lodge. As we walked through the hotel lobby on our way to go for a walk and get something for dinner, the clerk at the desk warned us to be careful because they had just been told there was a grizzly in the alley behind the hotel. The police were keeping an eye on it. We decided to forego the walk and I'm pretty sure we walked at a very fast pace to get to the car and drive to the restaurant!
Ah, I don't blame you. They definitely can give you the willies. Any animal that can efficiently disassemble you with little effort, is something to give wide birth to. Particularly since they are a bit unpredictable at times, especially during cub season. And can run about 37 mph faster than
you or mwaah.
Glacier is amazing, and it's always boggles my mind that the Going To The Sun road is only open about a month and a half a year. Incredible snows there. (I guess that's why it IS GLACIER park ( : Though it's sad, I think a lot of it is receding way too fast now.
I've spent a bit of time in the Riggins area too, right on the cusp of the Seven Devils N.R.A. LOVELY area indeed. Used to dirt bike up the road from the town to the areas around the Devils, and then down into the Snake River Canyon now and then. Some of the prettiest country in America. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend so much time in that country, bopping around in the brush and beyond. Where were you backcountry-ing it there? The Salmon River is gorgeous there too.