The *real* reason not to leave your pack at the col

[nartreb]

Note the new hole in the backpack...

Full story later. (Edit: full story is here: Four Peaks in the Willey Range)

 

[MichaelJ]

But … but … the photo is SO worth it!

 

[RickB.]

That is a great shot!
Looking forward to the details.

 

[lx93]

Now that's being stealthy...

Let me guess, you used a 70-300mmVR on a DX body?

 

[nartreb]

24-105 on a Canon Rebel XT. Just about spitting distance. By the time I took this shot, he knew he could run circles around me (and over me - that thing can climb!) and he wasn't too worried about me (as long as I was standing up. If I crouched, he got nervous).

 

[Paradox]

Here's another. About two years ago I left my pack (it had my camera in a pocket) at the Galehead Hut and zipped up to the summit of Galehead. No need for a camera up there. When I got to the top I did not even recognize it. There were beautiful views of Garfield, the Franconia Range, The Bonds and The Twins, because there was perhaps there was much as ten feet of snowpack up there. No camera.

 

[mirabela]

That's a wonderful picture, but I'm sorry about your pack. I saw another hiker's pack mauled by one of them at Times Square in the Santanonis a few years ago. Those things are all about business.

 

[Puck]

I could have taken a similar picture except the thieving critter was a marmot. Cute factor of 1.0 vs cute factor for the martin 9.8.

 

[gaiagirl]

Holy moley what a picture!!!! Sorry about your pack, but that is just astounding!

 

[surf88]

Great Pic. What Col was this at? Those guy have robbed me a few times over the years at Hermit Lake Shelters

 

[nartreb]

Still working on the write-up. Part of the problem is that I took over a hundred frames of this guy (not to mention fifty frames of grey jays) and a lot of them are at that almost-but-not-quite-good level where I end up doing various work (levels/curves, cropping) before I can decide which ones are worth keeping. When the light is low and the sensor noise is high, sometimes the best thing to do is to desaturate.

 

[nartreb]

Full report will be up in a few more minutes:

Four Peaks in the Willey Range

 

[Neil]

When I leave my pack behind I leave every compartment wide open in hopes of preventing weasel and rodentia incisors from incising my pack.

 

[peakbagger]

Its great to see they they are expanding their range in NH. Years ago they were reintroduced into the Nash Stream area and for quite awhile were listed as "threatened". For folks who arent familiar, their other name is "sable" (as in the fur coat variety) and were trapped out of the region at some point. Apparently some local trappers figured out an ingenious method of trapping them that played on ther curiosity and was very effective. (I dont know the details and dont care to give any folks pointers).

They were at some point considered to be a candidate for the "spotted owl of the east" but further research led to the conclusion that they liked forests with regeneration from timber or natural disturbances.