Mount Evans Mountain Goats

Mount Evans Mountain Goats. There are wildlife "farms" or "ranches" where wild animals roam within fences. Photographers are invited (for a fee) to come and photograph the "wildlife." In some cases the animals are "trained" to pose for a photo. One such ranch in Montana has trained wolves to go up to the top of a mound and howl at sunsets for a photo. That is not me, nor any of my photos. 

I say this because my first "5" Star Photo of Mountain Goats seems posed. The story behind these photos is that I was driving up Mount Evans in Colorado, and at about 13,000 feet saw 40 or so Mountain Goats in a meadow on the tundra. I pulled off to the side of the road and slowly walked down a hillside to the meadow. I got to within 30 yards from the Mountain Goats and just sat down. Over  time some of the Goats came closer to me.  I took photos and watched them for about an hour and 15 minutes.

During that time these two "kids" walked over to the ledge (a drop of several thousand feet) and stopped on a rock. And although they posed for me, they were not trained to do so. Here is that photo:

Mountain Goats

Mount Evans: Part Two

Continuing with my journey and Mount Evans:

The Mountain Goats I found on Thursday, (July 28th). But, I had also gone up Mount Evans on Monday, the 25th. At 14,100 feet (the last turn before the top) I found about 12 Bighorn Sheep; all Ewes or Lambs, no Rams. Here is a young Ewe standing at the edge with a drop of I'd guess 1500 feet just a half step away:

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep comprise the largest number of Bighorns. The Desert Bighorns, here in Arizona, and the California Bighorns on the West Coast are subspecies and make the total of the US population of Bighorns about 44,000. About 15,000 exist in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. When I found them on Mount Evans, the Bighorn Sheep, like the Mountain Goats were shedding their coats. This is the hottest it ever gets on Mount Evans: 50 degrees, so to them this is "short-sleeve shirt" weather.  The photo below gives another perspective on the terrain:

While some of the Bighorn Sheep were grazing, a young one was content to contemplate life:

On Thursday, while I was sitting on a rock photographing the Mountain Goats, I turned around and saw this Bighorn Sheep Ewe standing precariously on a rock behind me about midway down the mountain slope:

Mount Evans, Colorado

I have missed Mountain Goats. Estimates set the lower 48 population at about 12,000 animals, mostly in the Cascade and Rocky Mountain ranges (some in the Olympic Mountains of Washington as well). Since they like rugged peaks and cold weather finding them is a bit of a chore. Weather and road conditions (closures) are always a consideration. And, in most cases there are no roads to where they live. Mount Evans' claim to fame is that it has the highest paved road in the world: 14,138 feet. You can hike another couple hundred feet up to the very top. It is not a road for the weak of heart, though.  Once you pass the timberline at 10,000 feet you can see forever: forever out and forever down. The advantage for the wildlife photographer is, that if there are Mountain Goats or Bighorn Sheep around you can find them. Now, of course they are not always around. They could be a couple of mountain peaks over, or on a side of the mountain you can't see. This was my fifth trip to the top and I had not seen them yet. However, as I passed the 13,000 foot mark, down in the meadow between peaks were 50 (yes 50) Mountain Goats. It's not easy to get 50 wandering Mountain Goats in a single frame and still be able to see them without a magnifying glass. Here is a photo with 12:

Once I saw them, I pulled the Jeep off the road (fortunately it was the inside part of the road), and hiked down into the meadow where they were grazing. I might point out that this requires slow serpentine walking so that the Mountain Goats aren't spooked. It's downhill and rocky terrain so it requires careful walking anyway. After about 15 minutes I got where I wanted to be to take photos. I sat on a rock just watching -- with an occasional photo. I was alone with 50 Mountain Goats. It was heaven. And, at that height heaven is literally pretty close. What I love about Mountain Goats is that they are so majestic with their beautiful snow white coats that can stand temperatures of minus 50 degrees;  broad shoulders; and ability to walk on cliffs with 75 degree angles.  Of course, this time of the year they shed their coats so they, unfortunately, don't look quite as beautiful:

But, the wonderful news is that this time of year the Kids are only a month or so old and they are darling:

What an exhilarating day. My legs where shaking for another hour after leaving the area.