Do Not Feed the Wildlife

The clouds gave way and made for a perfect day on the mountain. The high was 62º with a low of 49º. My daily chores kept me from walking out to Myrtle Point to check on the sand myrtle. I hope to get our there soon. The mountain is becoming greener by the day. I love seeing new growth on all of the vegetation around camp. It is as if you can see the mountain coming to life before your very eyes.

The squirrels are starting to get bolder. Remember, if you are at the lodge, or anywhere in the park, do not feed them. They will bite. This is the time of year when we find them climbing on our window screens on the kitchen. They would love to find a way in. I have found that splashing water on them gets them off the screen pretty quickly. I guess we are lucky it is squirrels and not bears. Back in the day they would have crew members sleep in the kitchen to make sure the bears did not get in. I wouldn't want that guard duty. Since the lodge put in the incinerator, it has cut down on our bear activity. We may see one or two a year, not the dozen or so they use to see. I do like the idea of the bears staying wild and relying on nature for their food. We have not seen any in camp this year. We have had tells of one around the shelter, bu that didn't last long. Maybe it has moved on. Just remember when you are hiking, do not feed the wildlife. If you are camping in the backcountry, hang your food. If you are a lodge guest, keep your food in the designated food cans and do not leave your snacks unattended. The boomers, a.k.a. squirrels, are quick and will chew through anything.

I hope everyone enjoys the mountains this weekend. Come on up and see us. We will have plenty of our famous "No-Bake" cookies waiting for you.

Do you see our little friend? She is enjoying her dinner of grass and more grass.