By Earl U. Homuth
While relaxing peacefully with a bit of light literature under a tall hemlock on a sunny slope, the writer was disturbed by the sharp sensations such as an ant may impart. After the experience had been repeated several times a casual search for the insects was begun, and there were none. But the ground was found to be littered with several dozen porcupine quills. A good collection was gathered as mementoes of an experience which had previously been duplicated only with cactus, in the deserts of the Southwest.
Porcupines are often noticed in the Park. Near the Community House several fir trees show dead branches, and bark peeled off about thirty feet above the ground, evidently the work of these rodents. A ranger reports avoiding possible punctures while driving on the Rim Road late one evening, by giving a porcupine ample time to decide to amble into the woods instead of following down the roadway as it did for several yards.