Marmots Found!

(August 2nd) Although I was soundly denied any marmots the previous day, the spotted sandpipers I observed and tasty fish Alex and Andy caught more than made up for it. We had a lot of mileage to make on our final day, so we awoke to an early start and decided to forego any photography at our campsite in hopes we might find marmots or something else interesting as we hiked. We witnessed some more spectacular lakes up in the high country.

At the far edge of the lake, we ran into a rocky moraine that looked perfect for wildlife. Sure enough, it was hopping for such a small spot. There were pika here, and juncoes as well as the Uinta chipmunks who had great fun chasing each other.

The highlight at this spot was finally spotting a yellow-bellied marmot (I was still thinking it was a different species than the ones in Yellowstone due to some coloration differences). It took a long time to work this subject. While the marmots in Yellowstone were bold and daring, this marmot took the crevices early. Fortunately the chipmunks, juncos and long-horn beetles kept us busy while we patiently put the marmot at ease. He came out finally and posed some for us.

From this point on, we felt as though we had conquered the Wind River Range. We bared the rough elements and scaled Texas Pass. We had amazingly successful fishing. Sweetest of all, we had great photographic subjects between the pikas, spotted sandpipers, and the surprisingly elusive marmots - all of this topped off by the majesty of the mountains themselves and the tranquility of the streams and lakes. It was a reluctant hike back out to rejoin civilization.