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On those still summer evenings when the trapper sits in his cabin door as the sun slowly sinks in the west and he watches the trout jumping in the mountain stream which is now beautifully colored by the setting sun, his mind drifts to the cold, brisk, frosty mornings of fall when he can roam the mountain in search of fur. As he sits there the sun disappears behind the hill and the shadows of evening gather on the mountain. The trout cease their jumping and the muskrats play in the creek. One could hear the dull hoot of the owl from the forest of pine trees, or the distant howl of the coyote. The breeze sighing in the trees has now become cold, so he arises and goes into the cabin and goes to bed. In just such a manner as this the warm summer evenings passed away and the winter was near. He had already examined his traps and gun, and was making ready for another winter's trapping. Finally November came, with its frosty mornings and cold nights. The wild ducks had been passing, going south. The day before he had killed some ducks for bait and had prepared his traps. Next morning a frost greeted him as he opened the door of his cabin. He was soon on the trail with some bait and a few traps. He went up the mountain trail for some distance and then turned north and went over to Elk Canyon, where he set two traps in dens in the bank. Then on over to Moose Creek, where he set six traps for muskrats. As he was climbing up the trail a fine buck deer jumped across the trail in front of him. Farther up he set two traps for mink. The shadows of night were now settling down on the hills and he turned toward home. He arrived at the cabin after dark, but soon a cheerful fire was going. After he had eaten supper he sat down near the fire and listened to the roar of the creek outside, which was so smooth and quiet in summer.
Next morning it was raining and as he went through the woods he could hear the drops of rain falling from the tall pine and hemlock on to the maple trees below. Below, off to the right of him, could be heard the roar of the creek, and in an opening in the timber wild geese could be seen passing by. As he came near the first trap he heard a splash, and coming closer, found a large muskrat in the trap. After skinning it he started on to the next trap, which was near a log by the edge of the water. As he looked over he found it sprung; but the animal had pulled out. Near it were 'coon tracks and some hair was in the trap. The next three contained muskrats and the last a small mink. He now returned to his cabin. Along in the evening a freezing northeast wind began to blow. That night about three inches of snow fell; but it stopped before morning.
He arose early and started for his traps. As he came near the first trap in the canyon, a rattle of the trap chain could be heard. As he came nearer he found he had a large wildcat. After removing him from the trap he went on to the next, which contained a coyote. He now went on to the mink traps. One trap contained a fine mink, but the other was not disturbed.
In this manner the winter slowly passed away and the warm days of spring came, which covered the earth with green; the birds came back from the south and the trapper pulled up his traps.
Lee Martin.
Whatcorn Co., Wash.
Fur, News. Fur News, January 1916.
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