Here is one final (maybe :o) ) post of the Mount Evans mountain goats. One morning, while photographing a large group of goats at the summit of Mount Evans, I ran across this interesting scene:
As you can see momma was at the top of the wall and baby was trying his best to scale the near-vertical wall. After a little while, he did make it to the top. But a while later, I looked over and saw this scene:
Mom had somehow descended the ruins, without the little one noticing she was gone. When he noticed her below the ruins, he desperately tried to descend the wall, but was a bit frightened at the thought of going down this sheer wall, causing him to be stranded at the top! This little guy was bellowing a lot, not sure how to get down. By the way, did you notice how he has his front hooves splayed out? This helps give him traction and a better “hold” on the rocky surfaces, one of the reasons the Mountain Goats can traverse such rugged terrain with apparent ease.
Not far away, a yearling was intently watching. With all the ruckus, he casually walked over to the kid and offered “his help”:
The kid landed safely at the bottom and then ran to catch up to mom.
At the top of the summit is some old building ruins. As you can see the building was made of rock and mortar. Several of my trips to the summit saw some of the goats climbing the walls and roof of this old ruin. And I was blessed to see this funny and interesting sight play out in front of me. I’ve often wondered if the yearling was a sibling of the young kid … or just a “friend” having some fun! :o)