[pct-l] Spruce Grouse

[cobwebat99@yahoo.com (Ben Curtis)]

Here's an account of my Washington spruce grouse
encounter that I wrote soon after the incident.

Less than a mile from the
Canadian border I came upon the grouse just standing
in the trail.  When I stopped, it walked up to me,
stepped over my foot and passed me on the trail.  I
squatted down and rested my pack on the uphill side of
the trail.  The bird stayed within my reach while
making a low churring noise.  
     I have tons of Spruce Grouse pictures, but when I
have one of these encounters, I can't seem to help
myself.  I have to take a picture.
     After getting my Spruce Grouse fix, I stood up
and headed for the border. The beer in my pack that I
had carried from Stehekin wasn't getting any colder. 
About three steps later the bird ran up behind me and
grabbed my left gaiter in its beak.  I kept walking,
but it turned its attention to the back of my pant
leg.
 I stopped, and the bird stopped its assault.  It then
allowed me to reach down under it with my hand and
gently toss it off the trail, but as soon as I started
hiking, it resumed its assault.
     I tossed it off the trail two more times  On the
last toss, I ran down the trail.  I paused once to
look back and saw the grouse legging it for all it was
worth after me.  It finally gave up after about 50
yards.  At least now I know that I can out run a
grouse.  
     About 50 more yards down the trail, I came upon a
hen with a single chick.  Neither one had any interest
in getting out of the trail when I walked up to them. 
It's amazing that these things aren't extinct.

http://www.thruhikers.com/cgi-bin/photopost/index.pl?photo=60

-Ben

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