Mountain Quail

I’ve seen hundreds of Mountain Quail on this hike so far (more than the rest of my life combined!), but never imagined I’d catch one. Honeybuzz practically stepped on the bird huddled in the trail this morning, clearly sick or injured, and I grabbed it to admire the beautiful plumage up close for a minute. There was nothing further we could do, so, hoping for the best, I left it in a bush and we continued on our way.

Thunder clouds appeared in the Trinity Alps Wilderness this afternoon and we had a brief rain shower – the first precipitation I have had on this entire trip! Not even enough to get the ground soaked, but the air is heavy and sticky as I drift off to sleep after a 28-mile day.