Strange encounters of the bird kind

[Hillwalker]

This is a trip report with a strange little twist. Monday 8/14 I parked ole "GOTGORP" at Pinkham and hiked the Direttissima trail to the Glen Boulder trail and up to Boote Spur. At the point just below Slide Peak where the trail goes back into the Spruce, I heard a little cluck - cluck, and there was a pretty little Spruce Grouse standing in the trail in fromt of me. I stopped and we looked at each other at about 10 feet for a few seconds, then the bird started walking up the trail, and I followed. After about 50 feet, the bird stopped, turned around and clucked at me and then turned right and disappeared in the the woods. When I reached the point where the bird left the trail, I looked into the brush and discovered a large pile of trash. Plastic drink bottles, part of a tarp, a couple of tops from food containers and a mass of other stuff. Almost overwhelmed at the quantity I repacked my stuff and managed to find room for the mess. It had been partially buried about 10 feet from the trail and then dug up by the locals. Mind you now this was about 4 hours in at about 4800 feet. Anyway, feeling like I had just accumulated a bit of good Karma, I finished my hike by lounging on Boott Spur for about an hour, then skirting Tuck's and down hiked Lion's Head and back to Pinkham and my trusty-rusty Saab. I am convinced that little Spruce Grouse directed me to the trash left by some Hoods in the Woods. Started at 0800, out by 1500. Beautiful day in a little used sections of the Presi's. Saw no one for the first five hours. Gonna do it again tomorrow in the reverse, but up Boote Spur trail and down G boulder trail

 

[Waumbek]

Thanks for cleaning up this crud, and good karma to you and the bird. Boote Spur isn't in the "wilderness," but I've found solitude there too.

 

[weatherman]

What a great story! Smart bird: she probably thought "hmm, I'll lure this human away from my nest by showing him something he must like, because the only time I've seen this stuff before there seemed to be lots of humans around."

 

[danno]

Thank you for cleaning up. I wonder how long the stuff had been up there. I was on that trail when I did isolation on july 30, and didn't see it, but it sounds like it was hidden a bit.

You definately get good karma points for hauling it out. Thanks!!!!!

Also, tell the grouse thanks if you see him/her up there again. I wonder what he/she wrote in his/her journal about the experience. maybe something like "I finally got a nice human to gather up all that weird stuff and take it out, what an interesting person. Cluck cluck cluck cluck..."

 

[Hillwalker]

2x

I did the hike again today, but didn't see my little feathered friend. Today was up Boote Spur from Pinkham, and down Glen Boulder and back to Pinkham. Hotter and slower than monday, but still a fine day. Lots of Monarch Butterflys migrating along the ridges. Just sitting in the breeze watching them fly the contours is pretty special. I counted about 15 a minute flutter by during the proper breeze conditions. I pointed out the migration to two hiking couples sitting just above Glen Boulder and they were enchanted