Wolverine, the largest member of the weasel family. Pound per pound, one of the toughest animals on the landscape. An animal not often seen, but love hearing the stories by those who were lucky enough to see one. An individual covers a large amount of territory, particularly the males. Up north males may have a home range as large as the two national parks the size of Kootenay and Yoho. That’s 3000 km2. But in the mountains out here, one-third or less of that range, full of rugged landscapes. A big reason why they are not often seen.
The few times I have seen their tracks in the snow, and one time I was driving home and about 100 meters ahead of me, I saw one cross the road. But as of this summer, I have a better story, a personal encounter with a wolverine.
On one of my hikes about 2200 meters above sea level, I was coming up to the crest of the trail. When, from the other side a beautiful wolverine comes up. It stops and looks at me, I stayed calm, looking at it and thinking I need to take a picture of this amazing animal. After about two seconds the wolverine turns around and starts running away from me. I opened my pack and grabbed the camera and walked to the spot it was standing on. I quickly got it in my camera’s viewfinder, and started thinking, it’s going to stop, it’s going to stop. About 30 meters from me, it stopped and looked at me for a couple of seconds before it was off again. I was able to get a few pictures of it, while it was running and when it stopped for few second.
Not the best pictures, but more than good enough to help me remember the encounter for a long time. This one was my favorite, seeing the bottom of its three paws and just when it started to look back at me. A quick wildlife experience, but by far, one of the highlights of the year that will keep me getting out there.
