Marmots and Bears and WOLVERINES, Oh My!!!!
I’ve been out to Skyscraper Pass many times, it’s by far one of my favorite hikes at Mt. Rainier. But this time was special – we saw one of the 2 known adult wolverines who have moved into the national park after over 100 years of being absent!!
We were in the upper part of Berkeley Park, heading from Sunrise toward Skyscraper. Marmots were whistling and screeching like crazy all over Berkeley Park. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, dropped my hiking poles, fumbled for my big camera, and BAM it’s one of the 2 known adult wolverines in Mt. Rainier National Park. I only got one photo, s/he was moving fast and I had a hard time getting focused.
I can’t tell you how much this made my summer. There has been a successful breeding female there for several years now, and a wandering male. Not sure which one we saw, but I’m still in awe. A WOLVERINE?!?!? Wow.
As a bonus, we saw a far off black bear on our way back to the car, along with several marmots and a pica. I’m usually thrilled to see bears, but today it was the wolverine who stole my heart.
Check out The Wild with Chris Morgan podcast about the incredible Mt. Rainier wolverines 
Then you’ll realize how crazy amazing it was that we actually saw one. The episode is called “True Grit – the wild wolverine” Listen directly from the podcast website, or anywhere else like Spotify, Apple, or Google.
Or read this article about how rare and elusive these creatures are. Yep, I’m still pinching myself and telling myself it was real!! I submitted the sighting to the Cascades Wolverine Project.
