South Platte River, Colorado
An obvious benefit of a stealthy approach to the stream is more fish. Another is the opportunity to see critters.
Some big.
'South Platte River, Colorador
Some small.
Lehigh Parkway, Allentowm, PA. Photo by Mark Strohl.
Some nice,
Rickets Glen State Park, Pennsylvania. Photo by Cathy Mainardi.
Some, not so much.
Lehigh Parkway, Allentowm, PA
There are scavengers,
Lehigh Parkway, Allentowm, PA. Photo by Bob Miller
Preditors,
Alaska. Photo by Cathy Mainardi.
And prey.
Pronghorns .Eleven Mile State Park, Colorado
Some to be feared,
Grizzly. Yellowstone, Montana
some to enjoy.
Chipmunk. Photo by Cathy Mainardi
Some feathered,
Coopers Hawk. Northfield, NJ. Photo by Cathy Mainardi
some finned
Rainbow Trout. Little Lehigh Creek. Allentown, PA. Photo by Dave Bittner.
and some furry.
Eleven Mile Canyon, Colorado
All should be respected and appreciated.
Roosevelt Elk. Hoh Rain Forrest, Washington. Photo by Cathy Mainardi
Critter Deterents
I have had grizzlies, black bears, cougars, ground squirrels, coons, porcupines, foxes, coyotes, geese and other uninvited guests visit Camp Rohrbach. However, no critter terrorizes me as much as the one in the photo. He showed up at Camp Rohrbach on Washington’s Klickitat River.
I was answering nature's call and almost stepped on a skunk that was not about to move. I went to my go-to critter deterrent, the harmonica, and as usual it worked. Mr. Lapew left.
The next evening, I started a raging fire hoping to deter Mr. Lapew.
I was enjoying the fire, reading, when I looked down and standing next to me was Mr. Lapew, who was also enjoying the fire. Once again, the harmonica came to the rescue.
In the middle of the night I was snug as a bug in a rug. My cot was against the wall of my expedition tent. I woke up to the stench of a bear.
Yes, Yogi stinks. He began to rub against me through the wall of my tent. I played the harmonica. Yogi left.
I was asleep on an island in Ontario’s Algonquin Park. I’d seen no one in days. I heard something tromping around. I peeked out to see a Clydesdale sized moose.
I was new to wilderness trekking, but I did know Bullwinkle was not the brightest bulb in the chandelier and he could be aggressive. I didn’t want to alarm him or piss him off and I didn’t want him tripping over the pup tent. The harmonica came to the rescue.
On an autumn night in Yellowstone Park I awoke to a shaking car. A big heavy critter was trying to get into my cargo carrier.
I keep my ignition remote and harmonica within reach. I hit the alarm and played my harmonica. The varmint left.
A midnight stroll through Eleven Mile Canyon’s Springer Gulch brought me face to face with Mountain Lion.
I played the mouth organ, the Cougar left.
From porcupines and ground squirrels to raccoons, when they hear my harmonica, critters tend to leave. I don't leave home without it.
My harmonica playing has the same effect on people.
_____________________
OSPREY
Photos by Cathy Mainardi and Mark Strohl
Elk
Where there are Elk...
...there is Elk shit.
Caribou, Yukon Territory
