Squirrels In The Mist

Day 303: Friday and Saturday were our two annual volunteer recognition picnics. The first is held at Longmire where we have use of the historic Community Building. The second is at Sunrise and, although we have the option to hold it indoors if the weather is bad, we're usually willing to put up with a light chill and/or sprinkles to have it in the picnic area. This year, the decision was made with a metaphorical flip of a coin as Rovers and other volunteers began to gather after having spent time on the trail. We set up a grill in the mist-shrouded picnic area and watched as several Cascade Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels (Callospermophilus saturatus) enjoyed their own personal harvests. This pudgy little moocher had what appeared to be a mushroom in its hands, but whether it had been gathered from nature or was the ill-gotten gain from some visitor's lunch was debatable. I thought the stem looked rather too neatly sliced to have been anything other than commercially raised, but the mist might have been distorting my view. As for the picnic, at the end of the first hour, a few raindrops began falling. Within five minutes, a deluge dropped, bringing the festivities to a hasty and soggy close.