Porcupine!

Look who I met on my hike from Lake County Demonstration Forest to the McCarthy Creek campground! A PORCUPINE! I followed it for a few minutes snapping pictures and trying not to get too close. The porcupine saw me and kept waddling down the trail. This porcupine appeared not to be in any hurry. This is more exciting than moose scat!

How lucky am I to see a porcupine again! I kept following for several minutes before saying, "Could you step off the path for a minute so I can get by?"  Apparently the porcupine did understand because it stepped off the path to the right.

I said, "Thank you very much. You have a good day now."

I hiked to Ferguson  Creek. McCarthy Creek is only 1.2 miles further.

The water supply for Ferguson Creek campground is a tributary of the Knife River. I took this picture on the bridge over the tributary. As far as I can see up stream and downstream the creek bed if completely full of these giant boulders. I have never seen anything like this before. How can this stream be full of boulders? Is this entire area full of boulders and the stream has just uncovered the sediment and soil that hides them from my view?

Here is McCarthy Creek. According to the guidebook there is a grassy lined waterfall here. Due to the drought the waterfall is now a water drip. I can see each drop falling separately. The photo doesn't show it but in this pond of water I saw two dozen minnows and a frog. The minnows are more visible by their shadows than their bodies. I hope it rains soon. Even the natural vegetation around here looks thirsty.

Some placed a painted rock in a rotting log that says you are amazing. I am not really sure if I like it or not. I added 3.6 miles today. My new total for hiking the trail is 63.4 miles. I have 269.6 left to go.