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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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My first tiger.
Have seen a bunch since but the first blew me away.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Phylp just reminded me of another "most memorable" wildlife sighting, that involved Donini.
On the last morning of our 2010 COR get-together, Donini was somewhat slow in exiting his camper van. Both he & I had suffered bad guts the previous day, most likely from mild food-poisoning.
By around 9:00 A.M. there were about 80 turkey vultures circling over Donini's camper. I have to confess, that I feared the worst.
Soon after, Donini made an appearance, & the disappointed vultures departed.
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Jim Clipper
climber
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The harbor seal, who mounted my leg, while abalone diving. Never thought about how I might look in a wet suit, at least to the furry sea creatures...
edit: kismet!
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Alois
Trad climber
Idyllwild, California
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In the summer of 2017, my wife Penelope and I were hiking just below the summit of Rising Wolf Mountain out of Two Medicine Lake in Glacier NP. Out of nowhere, a grizzly appeared about 40 feet above us. I froze and Pen took this picture. The bear was really close for comfort, but after looking me over went down away from us.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Alois, he/she might have been up there eating moths, believe it or not.
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Pete_N
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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In the early 90s I was camped on Forest Service land above the Owens River Gorge. My girlfriend and I were in the back of my pick up, huddled out of the wind in the shell, preparing dinner and our two dogs were outside, between the open tailgate and our small fire. I remember looking up from the vegetables I was chopping, towards the fire and seeing a mountain lion just on the other side of the fire from us. The dogs, less than 10 feet from the cat, were clueless, focused on us and their forthcoming food. I didn't think, just reacted and launched myself out of the truck with my 3-inch paring knife in hand--the mountain lion vanished and I grabbed the dogs before they could chase after it. (Yes, I know the knife was ridiculous…) My friend never saw the mountain lion.
Another memorable wildlife sighting took place in Panama. I was finishing up some field work off the coast of the Azuero Penninsula, and I'd been in and out of the water on my 8' Zodiac all morning. I was in the boat, messing with some gear, and looked up to see a juvenile whale shark maybe 6-7' long swimming towards me at the surface. I remember thinking momentarily that I should grab for my camera but that there was no way I could get the camera ready, get my mask on and get in the water with any hope of getting close to the shark, so I jammed my mask against my face and tumbled in the water. I didn’t get a great view in the water, but there was something special about that sighting: the view of that beautiful fish through a few inches of crystal-clear water, being totally alone in a really remote location, and the freedom to just tumble in the water for a better view. I’d seen whale sharks before, but that one was really fantastic.
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Rick Linkert
Trad climber
El Dorado Hills CA
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In July of 1974, Dennis Phillips and I pulled onto Big Sandy in the mid afternoon. We decided to fix the first Zig-Zag and enjoy the “room with a view,” rather than head for the summit. Toward sunset the face lit up and was golden. In this incredible light, a pair of Golden Eagles drifted by on the thermals about 20 feet out. They were close enough to be eye to eye as they checked us out. Pretty spectacular. Of course, no photo. But, a very vivid memory.
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Out running in Cuyamaca park east of San Diego, I came over a little roll in a meadow. On the far side of the meadow, about 150 yards, were two tan creatures. Naturally I thought deer as Cuyamaca is full of them. Then I noticed that they weren't moving like deer, more slinking. Right after that I saw the long tails. This was September. Apparently lions usually give birth in the spring, so I surmised that this was a mother and a large cub. They vanished into the trees.
I am peak bagging in the San Bernardino Mountains and following a fire road. I come up on a shoulder and there was a lion 30 feet from me, squatting like it was about to sh!t. He rose up, looked at me and silently left into the forest.
I feel very lucky. Many people I know who have spent a lot of time in the mountains have never seen a lion. I have heard that for every time you see them, they have seen you a hundred times.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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I've heard that as well and it always makes me wonder, who did those studies?? ;-)
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Alois
Trad climber
Idyllwild, California
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Reilly, that is what the rangers told us later. Apparently, moth larvae congregate under the rocks (at certain elevations, close to the summit) and bears go up there to feast on them. We were told that the Rising Wolf Mountain is notorious for grizzly encounters.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Snake River canoe trip with Robbins, Miller, a little psychotropic assistance and a most aggressive mooooose.......
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cyndiebransford
climber
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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While climbing at Frog Buttress near Brisbane, Australia, I was about 15 feet above the ground on a ledge waiting for my climbing partner to return with a second rope and I heard a rustling in the brush. I thought it was Todd, but no, a huge, 4 to 5 foot, monitor lizard came strolling towards the cliff and climbed right on the ledge I was waiting on. It touched me with its tongue and then continued climbing the crack system we were going to climb. I, of course, was screaming loudly the entire time. Some Aussie mates back at the camp area asked Todd if that was me screaming and he headed back to check on me. I told him my story and he was less than impressed. About a pitch and a half up the climb I hear him inhale sharply and I asked "So you see the lizard?" He wanted me to send his camera up to him, he took a few photos and continued the climb.
I am enjoying everyone's stories. Keep this going.
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Psilocyborg
climber
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Saw a large mountain lion from the car on main divide road just off the 74 above lake elsinore.
Another memorable one was a bald eagle flying around the peaks surrounding vogelsang lake in yosemite
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capseeboy
Social climber
portland, oregon
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Around spring 1994--Beacon Rock in the Columbia river gorge. Walking to the base with Jim Opdycke and two Washington state park officials. We're discussing the possibility of keeping some of the rock open during Peregrine falcon nesting. As soon as we reach the base there's a loud skreetch and explosion of feather's in front of us. A Peregrine has just taken out a seagull. Jim said, looks like the Peregrine isn't the only endangered species.
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Adventurer
Mountain climber
Virginia
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Not really wildlife but one of my most memorable animal sightings was a group of Bedouins with their camel convoy in the Sinai in Egypt.
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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I got homesick for the Gunks and went there in the middle of winter, with about 4 ft of snow on the carriage rd. I camped in camp slime although technically it was closed. I found a slab of rock to put my sleeping bag on, and thought I had the place to myself, until in the middle of the night a bear shows up and climbs a tree about 30 ft away. It started making noise like I was supposed to leave, but I just ignored it. Then it stopped yelling at me, but had really heavy and loud breathing until I fell asleep. Some time later the bear wakes up and climbs down the tree, waking me up too. Instead of eating me, it just left. It's normally a very busy climbing area, and they don't call it camp slime for nothing.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Snorkeling alone about 20' down along the outside of the reef surrounding the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands, I had that weird feeling we sometimes get when we think someone is watch us... Looking around, I saw two sharks, not sure what kind, about 8' and 12' long within 20 feet of me. I faced them directly, pulled my arms and legs close to my body and floated to the surface as they followed me intently. With my back to the reef and breathing quickly through my snorkel, I suddenly lunged my arms toward them, fingers splayed. They immediately and quickly swam off into the blue... WHEW!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Hey Boo how about those pesky sharks in the "pass" into Caroline Island that we anchored in on the way to Hawaii from Tahiti. Small but nasty little fukers and good luck with the fishing I remember.......
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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we saw and absolutely huge eagle in the gros vants last summer I don't know what kind but it was brown and had a wingspan of at least 10ft it did a barrel role right in front of the van perhaps 40ft off the deck..
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