Rock Chuck

Mon after we returned from Oregon, Chris got to go hiking Baldy Mtn, almost the highest peak of the Bridgers. He made it all the way to the top, and they started at like 5 pm. Anyway, the excitement before that was when Katie & I spotted a critter eating her flowers. She jumped up (we were at the dinner table talking) and ran after it. She scared it under my parents shed, and thus ensued the adventure.

This is the critter. We looked him up later online and found out he's a rock chuck, in the same family as a woodchuck!
Chris & Katie took charge. Well Chris did all the manly work to save us poor women from distress. John was right there to help. He first tried to shew the little bugger out the side of the shed, but then someone brought up the point, what if he gets out and then gets into something else, so we decided to trap him.
Chris found a box, and worked on maneuvering the animal into it, but he was stubborn. He'd either run the other way, or bite & hiss at the stick when Chris would come near to him.
Another view of the little guy.

"Daddy can I help?"
Chris finally figured out to board every possible escape route and then put the bag from a lawnmower up to the biggest hole, and was gonna gradually make the animal's space smaller and smaller to where he had to go into the bag. Here's John helping!
And I stayed well enough away!! I was keeping Ben occupied, yep that's what I was doing!
Katie was brave! They caught the guy and she helped put the board over top, so that he wouldn't get out.
Then we had to put him in something that we could transport him somewhere (to the foothills of the Rockies, good idea!). So the plan was for Chris to gradually open the bag and shake the guy into the bucket, and I was to trap him. Well, apparently I don't have fast hands, or I was too scared, b/c the minute the guy was in the bucket, he jumped out, ran through Chris's legs, across the street and into the engine of the car. I so wish we hadn't lost our video of this, b/c it has Chris jumping at least 2 feet in the air and screaming like a school girl. It was awesome. Totally Youtube worthy. Oh well.
There he is in the engine of the car. Now how to get him out.
Chris had the brilliant idea of lassoing him and trying to pull him out. He got it around the guy's neck, but he wouldn't budge, just kept hissing.
The guys started showing up who were gonna go hiking, so they got enlisted to help. Here's Cody holding the string, while Chris is trying to shew him out.
Banging on the bottom to scare it.
We attracted quite the crowd!
So, since pulling him out didn't work, the next best thing was dousing him with water. You can kind of see the water coming over the top of the car.
And the booger's free!! He was writhing, and hissing, and squealing the whole time Chris dragged him across the street and into the bucket.
The retelling of the story to my parent's next door neighbor's son, who also used to be my brother's elementary school teacher, Mr. Spady.
They had to get him out and show him to the Spady's
There he is in all his wet glory.
Putting him in the bucket for the final time. The boys ended up taking him to the foothills of the Rockies and letting him loose before they began their hike. What a crazy 2 hours, yep it took nearly that long to get the little guy. But man, so many memories came with it!! :)