Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels in Mount Rainier

I’m not sure if these are regular or Cascade species of golden-mantled ground squirrels. But I do know that they are golden-mantled ground squirrels of some sort ;)

A Thief at the Pinnacle

A golden-mantled ground squirrel at the top of the Pinnacle Peak Trail in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park

Word On The Trail Is That You’re Packing Mango

I originally wanted only the ground squirrel to be in focus with a blur of the snow of Mount Rainier in the background and the rock in the foreground. However, the rock closer to me had just enough texture that I found it distracting so I cropped that portion out. There’s a sunbeam that has broken through to illuminate just the squirrel’s eye, a lovely little touch for which I can take no credit.

This squirrel at the pinnacle of the Pinnacle Peak Trail is one of the most tame squirrels I’ve ever met, probably fed by hikers stopping to eat at the top of the trail as they enjoy the fantastic view of both Mount Rainier and the distant Cascade peaks. As I sat down in the dirt and opened up my bag of snacks for some of my prized dried mango, I felt some very small hands atop my own. I looked down and this little squirrel was constantly looking up at me or down at the bag, trying to grab some food while the bag was open and I was distracted by the beauty before me. This tête-à-tête continued for a while, the little fellow not discouraged at all that I refused to share my bounty.

On the one hand, it’s disappointing to see a creature in such a wild environment be so tame, but on the other it did allow me to enjoy the squirrel at a much closer range than I would have otherwise. I did see some other hikers feed it, but mostly I saw it forage naturally on its own, and it wasn’t overweight so I doubt it was indulging too heavily in tasty treats.

A golden-mantled ground squirrel kicks up dirt and runs away from the Pinnacle Peak Trail in Mount Rainier National Park

A Penchant for Beggary

I did eventually shoo the little thief away, not because it was being aggressive, but because its constant movements were kicking fine dirt onto my camera bag and I didn’t want to risk it also getting on my camera gear and gumming up the lenses. I saw many ground squirrels on this trip, even on trails more popular than this one, and even on this trail just a short distance away, yet this is the only one that approached me offering to lighten my load.

A Squirrel at Panorama Point

I was surprised but not disappointed to come across this ground squirrel at Panorama Point on Mount Rainier’s Skyline Trail and see that it didn’t approach me for food as did another squirrel at the top of the Pinnacle Peak Trail. The Point is also a popular hiking destination and a natural spot to stop for a bite to eat so after my earlier experience I expected the squirrels here to also be looking for handouts. However, it was definitely timid but like most squirrels also a bit curious so over the course of twenty minutes I watched its movements and pre-positioned myself to get the backgrounds I wanted. Since the squirrel had gotten used to me, I normally would have stayed longer but the wind was merciless (you can see it lifting up the fur in the final picture) so I continued round the loop to warm myself up.

A golden-mantled ground squirrel in front of a snowfield at Panorama Point on the Skyline Trail in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park

A golden-mantled ground squirrel at Panorama Point on the Skyline Trail in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park

A Squirrel at Pinnacle Peak

All of these pictures are of a single ground squirrel was busy stuffing its cheeks with seeds from plants beside the Pinnacle Peak Trail in Mount Rainier National Park.

A golden-mantled ground squirrel eating seeds beside the Pinnacle Peak Trail in Mount Rainier National Park

Sing! Sing! Sing!

It’s Karaoke Night on the Pinnacle Peak Trail!

A golden-mantled ground squirrel eating seeds on the Pinnacle Peak Trail in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park

I Thought I Knew You

Some of the squirrels I saw on this trip to Mount Rainier didn’t have a strong black line above the white line, only below, but I don’t know how definitive of an ID mark that is. One thing I do know is that they sure are cute!

This one wasn’t too far from the top of the Pinnacle Peak Trail where another ground squirrel was trying to steal my food, but this fellow wasn’t interested in me. It would stand on its hind legs and grab as many seed pods as it could, extract the seeds and stuff them into its already full cheeks, then move nearby and repeat repeat repeat until it must have filled its cheeks and sprinted off to the other side of the hill.

A golden-mantled ground squirrel stuffs its cheeks with seeds on the Pinnacle Peak Trail in Mount Rainier National Park

Chipmunk or Squirrel?

To the casual observer, a golden-mantled ground squirrel might appear to be part of the chipmunk family given the light-and-dark stripes that run the length of its body, but it is, you might have guessed, a ground squirrel. Even with a quick glance, you can tell the difference as in chipmunks the stripes extend into the face, while in ground squirrels they do not.

Chipmunk Cheeks

I hesitated with the title of this picture since it is clearly a ground squirrel and not a chipmunk, but I grew up in the east and when at dinner I stuffed my cheeks the way this squirrel has, they told me I had "chipmunk cheeks". Like that was a bad thing.

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