A squirrel in Yosemite stole my map and I had to navigate by memory

I was checking my route at Glacier Point and a bold little guy just grabbed the paper right out of my hand! Ended up relying on trail markers and a vague memory of the John Muir Trail. Anyone else have a wildlife encounter totally mess with their plans?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.reese13d ago

My buddy Mark had a raccoon in Great Smoky Mountains steal his whole bag of trail mix last fall. The thing unzipped his backpack while he was taking a photo, just pulled it right out. He was counting on those snacks for a long hike back to the car. Ended up cutting his trip short because he was so hungry. Honestly, those park animals are getting way too smart about human food.

the_lucas12d ago

Yeah, the "getting way too smart" part is the real problem. It's not just cleverness, it's that they've completely lost their fear of us. They see a backpack as a food box that sometimes has a human attached. Parks post all those warnings, but people still feed them or leave scraps, so the animals learn. Next thing you know, they're opening coolers and car doors. Your buddy's hike getting cut short is a bummer, but it's a small price compared to an animal getting sick or aggressive because it expects food from every person it sees.