Day 260: You'd think Hoary Marmots didn't have a care in the world, lounging around on the rocks in the "Sound-of-Music" setting which characterizes the subalpine areas surrounding Mount Rainier. Also colloquially called "whistle-pigs" for their high-pitched call, these large rodents are members of the same family (Sciuridae) as squirrels and chipmunks. Their nonchalance is misleading, however. During the few months when vegetation is available, Marmots must consume large quantities of food in order to put on the body fat which sustains them through a long hibernation. This handsome paradigm of the species was simply taking a break between snacks, one of several Marmots I observed during a short hike above Paradise.
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