After Monday’s disappointment with finding the Mountain Goats at Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park (if you missed my post about my first day in the park, here is a link: “Glacier NP … First Impressions”), I went back out yesterday morning to try my luck again. This time, I did find the goats and the conditions were much better than they were on Monday. The temperature was a bit cooler (upper 40’s), but no fog and totally blue skies, with no clouds to be found!
Also working in my favor, I did not have to hike nearly as far as I had expected. While hiking up the boardwalk trail, the goats were off to my right, moving from a wooded area to a large snow patch. After reaching the snow, the group of approximately a dozen goats lay down in the snow and just enjoyed the coolness … bet it’s quite hot in their long, winter coats, although they are now beginning to shed them for the brief summer. Mixed in with the group, I counted 5 newborn goats (kids). Here are a few of my favorite images of the goats, in their snowy environment:
I overheard one of the park rangers telling someone that the goats had only recently been moving to lower ground, from their birthing sites, high in the steep rocks. The goats typically give birth on a narrow ledge that is on a very steep slope. This helps to protect the young kids from potential predators reaching them. With this group moving to lower altitude, I’m hoping I can get back up to Logan Pass one more time before I leave the park. I’d love to get some close-up shots of the young kids!