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Alpine Oddity


ScottP

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I was on the S Rib of Guye Peak this morning when I came across something I haven't seen in the 20 some-odd years I've been going up into the Cascades:

627Ants-med.jpg627Ants1-med.jpg627Ants2-med.jpg

The mound was nearly 3 feet tall and the base footprint was close to 5 feet in diameter. It was completely coveredwith ants to the density you see in the third, close-up picture.

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About ten years ago a kid burned an ant hill down by Fort Lewis. The fire was extremely difficult to put out and caused a great deal of dammage. The reason it was such a big deal was because the fire went underground. It kept popping back up and causing problems long after they throught they had put it out. Burning anything in the backcountry is a bad idea...burning an ant hill is a really bad idea.

 

Jason

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I've got one that size 50 feet from my front door. When they get too rambunctious around the house I figure they just need a project, so I go stir the pile with a (long) stick, give them something to do. Those little suckers do bite.

 

There was an awesome/horrible ant tree belay on the E. Butt of El Cap, it may still be there for all I know.

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If they were an invasive foreign species like fire ants, I'd say go ahead and smoke 'em. But they are probably just a native species that has been here all the time, mostly unnoticed. Any naturalists out there who might have a clue about how common such large hills are and what species this might be?

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The problem which took place in Tacoma is due to the fact that ant hills exist underground. The fire finds its way into these ant hill tunnels and stays there. Even in major pacific northwest rainshowers some of these fires continue to smoulder only to spring up at an alternate location later on. Burning ant hills is a great way to cause a forest fire...

 

Jason

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