Mischievous Marmots

More from my late July San Juan wildflower trip. After exploring Wetterhorn Basin, I drove to over Red Mountain Pass and the narrow Jeep road up to Porphyry Basin. Almost as soon as I got to the parking area at the end of the road it started hailing so I decided to jump into the back of my vehicle and rest for a while.

I was used to hearing the noise of the rain/hail pounding on the vehicle's roof and the wind outside, but as the storm cleared I started hearing strange scratching noises under my Jeep. I got out and discovered that this fat marmot, who didn't seem too concerned about my presence one bit, was busily gnawing on a cloth-like material that coated the undercarriage cover below. I'm not sure if the marmot was eating it or storing it for its den. I shooed the marmot away thinking it would be too scared to come back for more and got into the driver's seat of the Jeep to continue to wait for the light to change and the rain to totally stop.

The marmot, and his accomplice pictured below, had other plans. A few minutes later, one of them charged toward the Jeep again. I got out and shooed him/her away. The last thing I needed was for one of them to chew through the undercarriage cover and take a bite out of a brake line or something since I had to drive back down to Red Mountain Pass from 12,500 feet! After waiting for a while longer, the other one would charge toward the Jeep hoping to get past me. I shooed that marmot away again. This continued almost constantly for about two hours until another storm rolled in around sunset and the marmots took cover. Luckily, keeping the marmots away prevented them from damaging any vital auto parts and I was able drive down safely the next morning!

The first marmot's partner in crime pictured here. Even though they wanted to eat my Jeep they were at least kind enough to pose for some photos before they charged toward me again!

The marmots were't the only creatures up there (although they were perhaps the only ones with a taste for auto parts though). Later in the afternoon more wildlife, including pika and ptarmigan, appeared at the end of the Jeep road. Here is a photo of one of three ptarmigan I saw.

Nice shots Josh! I really like the DOF on the first image.

Another ptarmigan.

LUCKY. My buddy Kevin had a marmot chew through a bunch of wiring/hoses in his FJ recently. A $4,000 fix - and quite the tow job. On a related note, he had a Marmot chew up his back padding on his backpack during our Island Lake trip. Part of the game I guess, when you bring salty/fragrant stuff into their territory.

Great shots by the way.

Along with the multiple animals to photograph, the storms created some foggy conditions for landscapes. For at least a straight hour I found myself swivelling the camera on the tripod head between the ptarmigan, pikas and this scene over the Red Mountains too.

And more fog looking toward the outlet below Bullion King Lake. That's it for today! More shots from Porphyry Basin and the San Juans coming soon.

Joshua, funny story and you survived it! Attack of the Killer Marmots, what a headline!
Great photos too.

Nice stuff! Those marmots are the reason some people wisely travel with chickenwire fencing, and surround their vehicle with it when they hit the trail.

I've also heard of people getting coyote urine from trapping supply companies as a marmot deterrent. What a pain, and what a nightmare it would be to have your hoses chewed at a remote trailhead. Great photos though, can't go wrong with marmots in flowers. That's one exciting view of Red Mountain!

Great stuff, Josh--i especially like 1, 4 and 5! Youre lucky those marmots arent like the ones i saw up at Medano Lake a couple weeks ago--i swear they were as big as dogs!

Nice images! really like the first marmot with he wildflowers.

Great story and accompanying images!
The ptarmigans are especially nice. I like the pose of the first one, but prefer the more neutral colors in the second.
Marmot portraits are outstanding, as well. Beautiful view of Red Mountain, too.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work from the Gulch.

I agree about the excellent story and a great series of shots, Joshua. Well done!

Nice stuff, Joshua. I especially like the first Marmot shot (maybe a crop from the top?) and the Red Mtn image. I've had run-ins with Marmots too, usually hiking and backpacking though, never with my vehicle. I didn't know they found autos so tasty.