Day 99, Attack of the Cooper's Hawk


Day 99 coopers hawk
I had hoped to camp at Morning Star Lake and spend the last two days of this journey in the Cut Bank area, but a grizzly bear took up residence in the campground and it was closed. So I day hiked to the lake and on the way back, I was sitting in the trail on my pack overlooking the valley when (and I am not making this up) a wolverine walked within 15 feet of me. I grabbed the camera but it saw me and shot off down the trail and into the brush. Dejected, I began walking to the truck when I heard a racket above me. It was an irate Cooper's Hawk. The hawk dive-bombed me several times and called at me. The reason? It had a fledgling in a nearby tree. The bird continued to dive-bomb me as I walked down the trail until I was no longer what it considered a threat. Cooper's Hawks aren't very big, but look at those talons. Now imagine them stuck in your neck.