Hikers Stumble Upon Rare Animal in Wilderness

Hiking in the wilderness can present any number of surprises depending on where you are and what kinds of creatures you'll come across. Some recent visitors to Mount Hood in Oregon were shocked by one animal in particular they stumbled upon.

Jackson Smith was backpacking with a friend on the Yocum Ridge Trail on July 27 when they noticed a goat climbing down the cliffside. It turns out it was a Rocky Mountain goat, which are extremely rare in that part of the state and are more common in the eastern portion closer to the Rocky Mountain range.

"I heard some rock fall along the ridge to our north and looked up to see this Rocky Mountain goat about 30 to 50 yards away from us," Smith told KOIN of the encounter. "We were both completely shocked, but stayed still and silent as the goat began its descent down the ridge towards the Sandy River below."

The Rocky Mountain goat's natural habitat stretches from southeastern Alaska all the way down into Utah and Colorado. According to the U.S. Forest Service , they were reintroduced to parts of this region in the 1900s after they were overhunted the previous century "following the arrival of European immigrants." In this reintroduction, they were also brought to areas that were outside of their known range, which included Oregon.

Mount Hood National Forest spokesperson Raven Reese told KOIN that while there have been "occasional reports" of mountain goats on Mount Hood , the sightings are usually never confirmed.

"We don’t have an established population and are not working to reintroduce them," Reese said. "Any goats seen are likely dispersed or vagrants from established populations elsewhere."

It sounds like this one in particular might have been lost.