Trail Talk – June 2025

MAGGIE BARKED just the one time. This was unusual; if there were other hikers or dogs ahead of us, we’d expect a bit more of a serenade. An early morning walkabout on Steep Canyon Rangers’ Trail in Jacksonville’s Forest Park was always a great way to start the day. Seldom did we find other park patrons out and about at this early hour: the sun just now rising above the eastern ridge.

So, as she came galloping back around the bend in the trail, we could be certain that something unusual lay ahead. Deer on the trail usually found her voice quite still as she herded them back into the woods. And encounters with our local bear population had resulted in Brother Black Bear deciding that he had more important business elsewhere, a dog yapping at his feet not something he wanted to stick around for. We’d only seen cougar once, just a young one, so similar in appearance to a scruffy dog. We’d kept our distance and never saw Mama Cat. Smaller critters were simply to be tolerated by Maggie and often ignored. Perhaps we were about to come face to face with a coyote. Or fox.

Cautiously venturing up and around the corner, we only saw that the trail was unoccupied. Then a loud rustling in the madrone canopy overhead brought our eyes upward… and we took a step back in utter astonishment. There, about 15 feet above us, perched a very nervous Pacific Fisher. Tail twitching back and forth, small guttural barks, and overall demeanor let us know immediately to quickly continue onward and not disturb him anymore. (We established his gender by his size, males generally twice as large as females).

This secretive inhabitant of mixed woodlands was not what one expects in a morning’s adventure. Generally nocturnal in habit, fishers are great predators of tree nesting animals, stealing eggs or young birds, squirrels, or what have you.

Other days on other trails had brought us into the company of other members of this quite ancient lineage. Playful otters in surf and streams seemed most gregarious and curious. Their playful antics had brought them up beside our boats where we exchanged those knowing glances of folks enjoying time on the water. However, like our Pacific Fisher, weasels and mink are more nervous and timider, preferring shadows, the former often lurking in the half-light of dawn and dusk, the latter scurrying along under dense stream side vegetation. As for the few badgers and single wolverine we’d encountered, their more aggressive temperament and overall behavior were fair warning to keep our distance.

Back to our fisher. Its appearance was a great reminder that many other animal folks share our local woodlands. It’s always good to remember that quiet travel on the trails might yield just such a treasured experience.

PS: a reminder that Bear Ridge Trail is open. It connects the upper reaches of Pipsissewa and Knobcone Pine Trails and provides expansive views of Bear Creek Valley, the Southern Cascades, and the Siskiyous.