~ Mt. St. Helens ~
On this summer evening, I waited patiently for the sun to illuminate from the south face. I took a few pictures and surveyed my climbing route with my binoculars. To the left, from where I took this picture, a strange occurrence happened. I began to hear a series of unusual high-pitched yelping sounds coming from a pack of coyotes. They were in close from where I was photographing and the loud ruckus echoed through the dense forest. This lasted for several minutes. It was like they were celebrating the joy of a fresh kill, or perhaps it was their way of establishing dominance among the pack. It was an eerie feeling, and not the typical "howling sound" I've heard from coyotes in the past.