Armed with my camera, I left the house this morning with hopes of pulling off a few good photos on my drive through to my friend’s house. With an inquisitive eye, I watched the horizon and the landscapes flashing by as I drove, surprisingly nothing caught my attention until I was almost home. I was making my way through a succession of fairly sharp corners when I noticed a shape, far in the distance; I knew to be out of place. At the very same second, the Black Lab in my back seat also noticed the familiar shape ahead, as it took a magnificent leap over the old barb wire fence that separated the road from the field. He knew we were watching him, as he strutted towards the base of the mountainside backing the grassy field. In the creatures retreat, the whines from my backseat passenger turned into sharp yips of excitement.
Grabbing for my camera, I had it turned on and ready to shoot before the car was even stopped, I didn’t want to miss this shot. At first, the animal struck me as a large doe but as I got closer those large long ears turned into the rack of a King Stag. It was like Bambie’s father but in real life… This had to be THE largest White Tail I had ever seen. Of course, with my luck he was well out of my cameras reach before I even pulled up. Snapping a few shots of what I could still see of him, sadly he would only show me his white rear end. To conclude the story, getting back in the car I attempting to scan over the shots I had taken only to discover, that Yes, I had left the Memory Stick for my camera… lying on my desk at home. With intentions of sharing beautiful wildlife snapshots with my audience today, I must leave you with this slightly embarrassing story of… “The BIGGEST Deer I Ever Saw”, sequel to the “I Swear, the Fish Was This Big!”
Since I was a child, I have been visiting a remote alpine lodge hidden away in the towering mountain ranges between Keremeos, BC and Manning Park, known as Cathedral Lakes Provincial Park. Here, I have found a little piece of heaven on earth, a place where unauthorized vehicles are not allowed. Where the lakes are still a crystal blue, clear to the bottom, and bountiful with varieties of trout and bass, and where the only noises heard are the chirping of a hiding Pyka and the breeze rustling through the trees. At night, you can look up and the dark sky is littered with the most vibrant stars and clusters and planets.... Skies, undisturbed by the lights of civilization. The hosts at Cathedral Lakes offer accommodations in the lodge, cabins, and chalet, meals, and days upon days of hiking, fishing and climbing.
Almost every house I have ever lived, has been a safe haven for wild animals.I remember, as a small child, having baby bear cub faces at my bathroom window, and baby fawns-so new- wobbling on their long gangly legs around my backyard.It was not unusual to have some sort of bird around that was injured and being healed, the number of little birds I have released back into the wild is many.
Generations of deer families have come home every year; a family that started with only two does who bore each a set of twins that one year are now a group of six or so adults with masses of babies running and chewing at their side.Not everyone is as lucky, to have these beautiful animals as neighbors but at least with these photos you can see…
