Watch Your Step!

Day 339: It wasn't the first time I'd almost stepped on a grouse because I didn't see it, nor is it likely to be the last. Grice (as I like to call them, because the plural of "mouse" is "mice") blend in beautifully with the particular shade and grain of gravel popular with our trail crew. And they know it (the grice, that is). They stick to the shadows whenever possible, and if it wasn't for the fact that they will eventually move when you're almost on top of them, you might never know they were there. Once alerted to the first one, I realized I had two birds the size of nice laying hens in front of me...no, three...no, waitaminit, that piece of trail moved...four!...and for a few minutes, I thought I was going to be the one who had to step off into the meadow because they were holding their ground. Let me tell you, when one of these well-camouflaged birds lifts off unexpectedly a foot in front of you, you jump out of your hide. That's a lot of chicken to get airborne, and the sound of a Sooty Grouse beating its wings isn't too unlike the whup-whup-whup of a helicopter rotor (or at least it seems like it when you're in close proximity). As it happened, everybody but me skootched off trail about three feet to continue nibbling whatever it is grice nibble, hanging out in an open stand of subalpine fir until I'd gone by. Oh yeah, and one other thing: hikers in grouse country should be advised against wearing light-coloured footwear, and that includes exposed socks. Especially during breeding season, white socks or tennies may instigate a grouse attack.