Into the Wild II (The Mountain Goat Stampede!)

eyedclaar

No, not a sequel to the movie. Just a follow up thread to the one I posted last week about my wife's solo backpacking trip on the wolf super highway.
Anyway, here is this week's installment:

High in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, my wife and I are searching for what is supposed to be the state’s most difficult hot spring to locate. This is day two of the search. Day one ended in failure, an impassable dead end of sheer rock walls dropping all the way down to the raging middle fork of the Boise River. We had attempted a descent on the wrong side of a massive granite outcropping and with night approaching we had no choice but to call off the search and set up our camp.

The next morning, we find a steep and rocky game trail on the other side of the granite mountain face. It is slow going, especially carrying full packs, but we finally work our way to within about 100 yards of the river. Lynx hot spring should be right below us at the river’s edge, but that isn’t what has stopped us dead in our tracks. Just ahead of us, the trail opens into a small plush and muddy meadow that smells slightly of geothermal activity. In the meadow, not more than fifty feet away, is an entire family of wild mountain goats. There are at least three generations, from a huge adult male with impressive black horns and goatee all the way down to a couple of new born fluff balls. Their shaggy white coats are ratty and shaggy and falling off so they can deal with the summer heat.

My wife and I exchange looks of complete bewilderment and excitement. Never have either of us been this close to mountain goats, not even close, Usually, you are lucky to spot moving white flecks on a far away cliff face with high powered binoculars. These one are close enough that I can make out individual leaves matted in their white hair. The goats are peaceful and relaxed and munching away on the long grasses when suddenly they all raise their heads in alarm. On the opposite side of the river two large canines come bursting over the rise and charge down the river bank. The goats panic and run.

WOLVES!!!!

NO FUCKING WAY!!!

We are about to witness some real National Geographic shit unfold before our very eyes!!

Excitement turns to a feeling of cold dread when I realize we are standing on the goat’s only escape route and they are charging right at us!

(Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion when I get more time here at work)

Heineken Helen

:eek: You can't leave it like that... my god, did the goats kill you and your wife? Perhaps you escaped the goats and ran straight into the wolves and you both met your death :( . Don't leave me in suspense like that... are ya dead or wha??? :cool:

NY PJ1

you're a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad-ass

eyedclaar

Heineken Helen wrote:

:eek: You can't leave it like that... my god, did the goats kill you and your wife? Perhaps you escaped the goats and ran straight into the wolves and you both met your death :( . Don't leave me in suspense like that... are ya dead or wha??? :cool:

Oh, we were both killed, but you will have to stay tuned for the details...

Heineken Helen

eyedclaar wrote:

Oh, we were both killed, but you will have to stay tuned for the details...

:mad: You just gave away the fucking ending

eyedclaar

Bump. If anyone wants to read how it started...

nick1977

You sure do have some great adventures, my friend. I want to know how it turns out!

eyedclaar

nick1977 wrote:

You sure do have some great adventures, my friend. I want to know how it turns out!

My wife and I don't want kids so we do our best to act like a couple. When you read about some dumbshit Idahoan who was torn apart by mountain lions, that will be me.

eyedclaar

NY PJ1 wrote:

you're a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad-ass

I didn't feel like at all like a badass when 300 pound papa goat was sizing me up from ten feet away, I promise you that. In fact, in the private reserves of my mind, I might have been wondering if my wife would make a good human shield.