Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Marmots on the Decline!?

Perhaps the bear canisters have had a big impact on the marmot population? Or do they do any kind of hybernating?
Saw only one this trip, makes his home under a man made rock bridge somewhere after trailside meadows but before treeline. Saw him on the way up and the way down.
Plenty of chipmonks and little grey fellows the size of a rat with fluffy tails. Name of this rodent anyone?
Last time we were up at trail camp(seven years ago with no bear canister requiremnet)the marmots were everywhere, it was hard not to see one in the landscape if you looked hard enough.
We had to hang our food off the large boulders there.

i think the marmots fly south for the winter

DHmeieio,
Glad to hear, I guess I wasn't in the right place at the right time.
The Rangers at the Lone Pine Station asked me if I was with you. Did you hike this past weekend?

Paige, there was one marmot at Consulation Lake when I camped there a couple of weeks ago. He was very shy (which is unusual). Those little buggers.

In August at the top of Old Army Pass, I thought I could have marmot round up there were so many around.

I too was surprised. We saw one Marmot, near the meadow stream just south of Trail Camp, but nothing else.

I dare say a scrap of food got dropped on a rock near our camp site, and the next morning it was still there.

I am glad we had no problems.

Paige,
I think the little grey rodents you saw are Pikas. I didn't think they had much of a tail, though.

Thanks Walter, that was just the advice I was looking for, I will look them up on the web.