Featured Images: #1 Spider North of Banner Peak, 11,154 feet. #2 Spider on Big Sam, 10,000 feet. #3 Emigrant Wilderness Sunset, #3 Coyote on thin ice at Round Top Lake, #4 Bear in Poison Flat.
Spider at 11,154 feet near Lake Catherine, just North of Banner Peak. It appears this lady is missing one of her rear right Legs. You can see the socket it fit into on her body. Carrying large eggsack.
below: Jumping Spider, family Salticidae, wearing granite camouflage at the Top of Big Sam, Emigrant Wilderness. Thanks to Dr John Hafernik, San Francisco State University, for the identification.
below: High Emigrant Wilderness sunset, Lake Tahoe to Yosemite trail
below: Coyote at Round Top Lake 2009, Lake Tahoe to Yosemite trail.
Heading West across Poison Flat in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness on June 2, 2010, I noted a proliferation of fresh bear tracks in the wet snow and soggy ground. I slowed my pace and increased my observation, and saw this bear rooting around before it saw me.
Bear saw me and started to freak out, until I made soft clicking sounds. This perplexed bear, who was now studying my frozen form carefully. Noth those fuzzy ears pointing at me. After a minute long staring contest, I moved my hand to switch the camera to video. this shot was taken with the camera in hand, but at chest level. I did not have time to bring the camera to my eye before it spotted me.
I was using the tree in the foreground as cover, and when I emerged to get a clear shot, bear spotted me.
That small movement was enough to break the spell. If I made gentle noises, the bear was intrigued. But bear was not happy with any movement whatsoever. Bear wheeled on it hind legs in a quick move, and hit the ground galloping away as quickly as it could.
That's very quickly. Wild bears do not like to be around people. The wild bears know we shoot them.
comments?
Below: Guitar Lake at the Western base of Mount Whitney
