Hiker killed by mountain goat versus my recent experience

Most of you have probably already heard the story about the hiker that was fatally gored by a mountain goat in Olympic National Park last weekend.

After reading the details that have emerged this week, I couldn’t help but relate this to my own recent experience on Quandary Peak in Colorado.

Here's a quick recap of the incident in Olympic:

Last Saturday 63-year-old Robert Boardman of Port Angeles, WA was hiking with his wife and a friend on the Switchback Trail in the national park. They stopped for lunch at an overlook when a goat appeared and began acting aggressively toward them. After chasing him for a bit, the ram gored Boardman in the thigh, then stood over him as he lay bleeding to death, staring at people trying to help.

That goat was killed shortly thereafter, but rangers and biologists continue to investigate the area for other signs of aggressive goat behavior.

I pointed out in my blog posting from a couple of weeks ago that the highlight of our hike up Quandary was seeing a family of mountain goats. It was the closest I’ve ever been to a mountain goat. However, the story of Boardman’s death hit a little close to home as the goats we encountered appeared to express a degree of aggressiveness towards us as well.

The first indication of this behavior was when the largest male goat laid down on the trail as we approached from below, thus preventing us from proceeding forward. The only reason the ram started moving again was due to another group of hikers ascending the trail below us. This group included a dog.

Although the goats were at least walking again, they stayed on or near the trail, not allowing us to pass. This went on for several minutes until another group of hikers approached from above, prompting the goats to move off the trail. We were finally able to safely pass, and got about a quarter of a mile away from the goats when we decided to take a quick bathroom, food and drink break. Because we were on a fairly narrow ridge, we were just off the trail at this point.

After sitting down on a rock for a couple of minutes we noticed the goats moving again. The large male, the same ram that plopped down on the trail earlier, was making a direct bee line towards us. In a somewhat similar situation as the Olympic incident, I told my wife to get moving as quickly as possible. She was already up the trail when I was finally able to get my backpack together and hurriedly moved out as the goat got to within 75 feet of me. It was the last time we saw the goats.

Interestingly, since the incident in Olympic, park officials there have warned hikers not to urinate on or near the trail because goats are attracted to the salt. Was this the reason the ram approached us?

Obviously I’m not a mountain goat expert, so I don’t know if this behavior is considered normal or aggressive, but I’m going to forward this posting to rangers at the White River National Forest as an FYI.




Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

In a Quandary

The main hiking objective of our recent trip out west was to summit Quandary Peak in central Colorado. At 14,265 feet, Quandary is the 13th highest peak in Colorado, and the highest mountain in the Tenmile Range.

According to 14ers.com the peak’s name comes from a group of miners who were unable to identify a mineral sample found on its slopes in the 1860s. The group was in a quandary over the exact nature of the mineral, and ended up naming the mountain from which it came, “Quandary Peak.”

Arriving at the trailhead near Hoosier Pass that morning, the temperature gauge read a chilly 36 degrees. After a long and very hot summer, this was a bit of a shock to the system.

Although it’s a relatively short hike, and has less elevation gain when compared to other Fourteeners, the trail still packs a punch. Much of the climbing occurs in two relatively short sections. One climbs 1300 feet over a 0.9-mile section roughly midway through the hike. The second climbs 1100 feet during the final 0.8-mile push to the top:

By the time we arrived at the summit the sun was already high in the sky, making the thin air feel relatively warm.



Although the views from the summit were quite spectacular, the highlight of the hike was coming face to face with a family of mountain goats. We first saw them from a distance hanging around the pathway several hundred yards up the trail. However, as we got closer, although curious, they didn’t move. In fact, the largest Billie (male goat) decided to lay down on the trail just as we got close enough to look into his eyes.

You could say that we were now “in a quandary” as to what to do next. We were just about to go off trail and walk around the road block, but noticed a group of hikers approaching from behind us. The sight of their dog provided the motivation for the goats to finally move out. Because we were on a fairly narrow ridgeline we basically followed the goats for about a quarter-of-a-mile until a group of hikers descending from above effectively forced them off the trail, and out of our way. Moving towards the edge of the ridge allowed me to get some great shots:



After our hike, on the way back to Buena Vista, we stopped in the town of Fairplay for an ice cream at an old-fashioned soda fountain joint. The town is an absolute hidden gem. Although it plays up its association with the popular South Park animated sitcom, it’s really a small, laid-back rustic town with an old west vibe. There were no signs of over-commercialization, nor do I recall seeing any national chains of any type. We really wished we could’ve spent some more time there, but Kathy was nursing a massive headache from the altitude and just wanted to take a nap.

Speaking of South Park, the drive though this region is extremely beautiful. There are two main roads that pass through this high elevation grassland basin that encompasses roughly 1,000 square miles; one takes you from Buena Vista to Denver (U.S. 285), while the other travels from Buena Vista to Colorado Springs (U.S. 24). In 2009 South Park was designated as a National Heritage Area.

Trail: Quandary Peak Trail
Round-trip Distance: 6.75 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,450 feet
Trailhead Elevation: 10,850 feet
Summit Elevation: 14,265 feet

The trailhead is located roughly 8 miles south of Breckenridge/14 miles north of Fairplay, on the north side of Hoosier Pass in the White River National Forest.















Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed trail information for the Great Smoky Mountains; trail descriptions, key features, pictures, maps, elevation profiles, news, books and more.