America the Beautiful: Mighty Northwest (2018): Season 1, Episode 3 - Under the Volcano - full transcript
Contemplate this.
You live by a time bomb.
Perhaps you dig under it.
Somehow fly through its core.
Or even scale its snowy peaks.
Now, ascend from plain...
To peak... And beyond.
And discover extraordinary life
within the most explosive
mountain range in america.
♪
(playing america the beautiful)
♪
♪
If you're
a pristine mountain range,
like the cascades
of the pacific northwest,
a volcanic eruption
can really mess things up.
♪
But out here, the land
is used to destruction.
Healing is just
a matter of time...
And the right recipe.
First ingredient,
a very large cup of water.
♪
Good snowmelt can ensure
a year-round supply.
Then, to bake any lava cake,
you need a little flower.
Blow in some seeds,
and eventually a few flowers
find just enough nutrients
to take hold.
It's not much, but it's a start.
What can happen to them next
is where things get weird.
♪
Out here, flowers
don't get uprooted.
They get down-rooted.
Shrinking violets have nothing
on disappearing daisies.
♪
The mysterious force
behind this phenomenon?
These blooms are getting
bagged from below
by a plucky little
pocket gopher.
♪
♪
♪
This rodent is
strictly vegetarian.
To cope with all the chewing,
his chompers grow fast.
If he wasn't grinding them down
with gritty eating,
the pocket gopher's teeth
would lengthen
about one inch every month.
His favorite salads are made
of roots, flowers and bulbs.
All of which he can grab
from the safety of
his extensive burrows.
♪
Being a gopher is a dirty job.
He excavates about
a ton of soil every year.
His ears and eyes
are able to shut tight
while he digs tunnels
for foraging and protection.
He makes new emergency exits
as he goes.
And then seals the entrances.
It's this underground specialty
that protects many gophers
from eruptions.
And they are among
the first to venture
into the ashen remains above.
♪
♪
Their diggings aerate the soil.
Like good gardeners
preparing a garden bed.
♪
♪
Despite their appetite
for destruction,
gophers provide one
of the final ingredients
needed for this land to heal.
Their services have been
most useful in the cascades,
america's most volatile
mountain range.
♪
The u.S. Cascades stretch from
northern california to canada.
Among its peaks lay
13 major volcanoes.
Of these, seven have erupted
in the past 300 years.
All of the recent eruptions
in the lower 48
have been from
cascade volcanoes.
Life doesn't always
return so easily.
California's lava beds
national monument
sits in the southern end
of the cascade range,
inactive for nearly
a thousand years
and still barren.
But there is a belly
to this beast.
♪
As streams of lava subsided,
their outer layers
cooled and solidified.
As the lava that remained
liquid continued to drain...
A network of massive,
underground tunnels formed.
More than 700 twisting, turning
caves in this one area alone.
♪
They average 55 degrees
year-round
with reliable pools
of freshwater.
♪
That makes these lava tubes
the perfect pit stop
for thirsty mammals
who relish the darkness.
♪
When night falls, in they come.
♪
♪
This is a townsend's
big-eared bat.
He's left his daytime roost...
...To drop in
for a quick drink.
And he has plenty of friends
that follow.
♪
Infrared cameras allow us
to see this action.
But these bats are flying
in complete darkness.
They navigate with echolocation
that works like radar.
Their signals are
too high-pitched
for a human to hear.
But for the bats, they are so
loud that they close their ears
just before chirping,
only opening them again
to detect the return signal.
It's so accurate it allows them
to home in on a moth in midair.
♪
♪
Tonight some of these bats
will eat their own body weight
in insects.
It's thirsty work.
♪
♪
The lava tubes are a quiet
retreat for parched visitors.
They are also reminders of how
volatile the cascades can be.
Today, these smoldering giants
still hold devastating power
within their jagged peaks.
♪
Look no further
than washington's
famous fire-breather.
Mount saint helens
is best remembered
for its massive eruption
in 1980.
That's when she blew her top
clean off;
1,300 feet of height, gone.
The blast reached speeds of
more than 600 miles per hour,
leveling 230 square miles
of lush forest.
It took out
185 miles of highway,
47 bridges,
and killed 57 people.
Mount saint helens' slopes
were scarred by molten rock
and gases from deep
within the earth.
But she's had help recovering,
cultivated by pocket gophers
and pollinated by returning
birds and insects.
♪
Now, some four decades after
the mount saint helens eruption,
there's regrowth
on an epic scale.
♪
And where wildflowers bloom,
more critters come a-knockin'.
♪
This is the cascade
golden mantled ground squirrel.
♪
It's not bothered
by a lack of trees.
They're happy to live their
entire lives on the downlow.
♪
Their fun in the sun
only lasts the summer.
The rest of the year,
they'll hunker down in the dens
they're furnishing.
For as long as eight months,
they won't eat at all.
And only stir for
a bathroom break.
The cascade golden-mantled
ground squirrel
lives solely in
the northern cascades.
♪
From its lookout
on mount saint helens,
it has a clear view
up to this simmering giant...
Mount rainier.
About 50 miles to the north.
Think the saint helens
eruption was big?
You ain't seen nothing yet.
At 14,410 feet,
washington's mount rainier
stands out in the crowd.
It's the highest mountain
of the cascades;
the fifth tallest peak
in the lower 48.
Ice-cold streams
course down her sides.
These cascading waterfalls
gave the range its name.
Some of this water comes
straight from
the melting glaciers.
It's a chilly place for a swim.
But one skinny little creature
takes the plunge.
Fast-moving mountain streams
are an unlikely place
for a frog.
Most prefer a nice, still pond.
But the tailed frog
can handle the pace.
♪
There are few amphibians
like him;
he's uniquely designed
not to get washed away.
His lungs are small to help him
sink to the bottom.
Where he clings to rocks with
special hard-tipped fingers.
They grip like claws.
He can stay underwater for days.
He gets most of his air
from the water,
absorbing its oxygen
through his skin.
But the coolest part
about this frog
is the tail that
gives him his name.
It helps him overcome
his biggest hurdle:
Mating.
♪
First, he has to find a female.
Easy to spot.
They're bigger,
and the girls don't have tails.
♪
♪
When you find a gal like this,
you don't want to let her go.
Better to be a bit clingy than
to risk her being swept away.
Other female frogs lay
their eggs in the water
for males to fertilize.
But in a stream like this,
all those future frogs
would be washed away.
That's where the tail comes in.
Surprise!
It's not a tail.
♪
This is one of the only
species of frogs
that fertilizes internally.
It's a silent ritual.
They can't croak or even hear.
But they'll have plenty of time
to get to know each other.
They'll stay locked together
like this for up to three days.
♪
♪
The only thing more unique
in the frog world
than a tailed frog is
a tailed frog tadpole.
They also have to be careful
not to get washed downstream.
Instead of the usual
tadpole mouth,
junior here has
one big suction cup.
He clings hard to rocks
and inches his way along
looking for algae to eat.
♪
The best of these little suckers
can travel up waterfalls.
♪
The weaker ones,
they'll have to hope for
better luck farther downstream.
(birds chirping)
other creatures take advantage
of these fast-flowing waters.
♪
Every time the rapids
dip and bubble,
these icy streams are
filled with more oxygen.
♪
And that suits the pacific
giant salamander just fine.
This adolescent isn't giant yet.
But he'll get there.
Thanks in part
to that freshwater
rushing through
his bushy red gills.
It's like taking
a big, deep breath.
With a steady diet of seafood,
he'll grow up to
six and a half inches.
Then he must make the most
extraordinary decision
of his life.
Deep in the cascade mountains,
a pacific giant salamander
preps for his next move.
And it's like something
out of a sci-fi screenplay.
It has a 'matrix'-style
red pill/blue pill
kind of a choice.
This one takes
the blue pill option.
He'll keep his gills
and forever remain
in the aquatic larval stage.
Blue pill salamanders
keep growing,
go on to dine
on fish and crayfish,
even have a family.
But they will forever be tied
to life within these waters.
♪
This guy, he takes
the red pill option.
He heads for dry land and
undergoes a metamorphosis.
He loses his gills and leaves
his underwater life behind.
♪
He still needs to keep
his skin damp,
but after a good rain,
this young pioneer will explore
the farthest reaches
of his habitat.
He may grow up to
a foot in length
and hunt mice, shrews,
even snakes.
But at this early stage
of his transformation,
he'll take what he can get.
♪
♪
♪
Here, on the cascades'
west side,
the snowmelt that pours
into streams and lakes
keeps the rich
volcanic soil moist.
This area would also be
brimming with prairie grass
and wild flowers,
except for one thing...
Rabbits... By the thousands.
European rabbits were
brought here in the 1800s
and have turned the land
underfoot into swiss cheese.
♪
In this one area alone,
they've dug more than
300 feet of tunnels
with more than
50 separate entrances.
They'd be even more
out of control
if it weren't for
their native nemesis...
The fox.
(barking)
these are called red foxes,
but they can be any color
from orange to black.
♪
What unifies them is a white
tip on the end of their tails,
and their taste for rabbit.
The foxes take some tunnels
for their own,
and look out for easy meals.
The living is good here
under the high cascades,
and that means kits.
♪
(mewing)
it's early spring, and this one
is less than two months old.
He still needs mom
for milk and fun.
It's a game every mother knows.
It's called nag.
♪
You win when mom starts
paying attention.
(whining)
♪
♪
Of course there's
no winning for mom.
She has more than one kit
to keep happy.
Including a one-eyed runt.
She'll baby him for now,
but just like the others,
he still has to learn to get by.
And that starts
with play-fighting;
not just with mom,
but with each other.
♪
(squealing)
the skills they learn here
will soon help them
make their first kill.
All the rabbits can do
is look on.
♪
While the kits practice,
mom ventures out
for the real thing.
Bunnies beware.
Death in the cascades
is just a burrow away.
This red fox mom has got
a knack for hunting
beneath washington's
cascade mountains.
Specialized ears
allow her to home in
on the low-frequency sounds
of underground scurrying.
♪
With a little concentration,
she can pinpoint
just the right spot.
♪
♪
♪
She has just
a couple of weeks left
until her kits will
accompany her on the hunts.
♪
Until then, she brings home
as many as rabbits
as she can catch.
The kits grow on the flesh,
and play with the rest.
♪
Smelling, pouncing, tracking.
♪
By the time summer ends,
they'll be hunting
for themselves.
Some foxes venture
farther up the slopes
of the mighty cascades.
But that's only for
the strongest and hardiest
of creatures.
More than a mile
above sea level,
freezing slopes mix
with subalpine meadows.
♪
Overlooking it all,
hoary marmots.
They soak up the sun
and contemplate the season.
♪
They've survived winter
by sleeping underground
for eight straight months.
Now they must make up
for lost time.
Make hay while the sun shines.
And eat it, too.
High up on mount rainier's
western slope,
there's a colony of about
a dozen spread over 20 acres.
Young, up to two to three
years of age.
And the old.
The largest weighs
about 20 pounds,
and 20% of that is pure fat.
And this time of year,
a third of his weight will be
the contents of his stomach.
As they work to
put on the padding,
they also watch out
for each other.
This one senses trouble.
And makes a single whistle.
This says to the group, 'don't
panic, but pay attention.'
♪
Then the threat shows itself.
It's the red fox's
highland cousin,
the cascade red fox,
found solely in these mountains.
♪
He catches the scent of
the marmots and creeps in.
♪
He only needs one
not to heed the alarm.
♪
He spots young marmots
by the main burrow;
maybe he'll be able
to catch one off guard.
♪
♪
The marmots spread the alarm
throughout the whole clan.
(chirping)
more frequent whistles
means more danger.
(chirping)
♪
♪
They disperse into burrows,
some six or more feet deep
and with multiple entrances.
♪
♪
The craftiest of critters
has been outfoxed.
♪
♪
♪
He'll have to look elsewhere
for his calories.
And fast.
♪
There's deep trouble coming,
deeper than anyone can imagine.
The cascade range
may have fire within,
but up top, it's one of
america's greatest snowmakers.
The volcanic mountains run
close and parallel
to the pacific ocean.
And its towering peaks trap
most of the pacific's
incoming moisture.
Up high, that water turns to
snow, with astonishing results.
♪
♪
Mount shasta holds
the united states record
for the most amount of snow
from a single storm:
189 inches fell here
in a single week in 1959.
That's nearly 16 feet.
In 1999, mount baker recorded
the world's highest snowfall
in a single season:
An incredible 95 feet.
♪
Volcanoes caked in snow.
Just because you're
hot stuff underneath
doesn't mean you can't
have a chilly exterior.
And that's just the way
one elusive mammal likes it.
♪
The american pine marten
may look a little foxy,
but it's more like
a mini wolverine.
And snow makes their day.
In it, they're fast, agile.
♪
♪
These winter weasels freely hop
around their range,
which may be as big
as 12 square miles.
This female is her own lookout,
totally comfortable
standing on two legs.
Her long, thin body is not
the best at holding heat.
So if bounding above
the snow gets too much,
she has shelter below.
♪
Tunnels:
An out-of-sight labyrinth.
♪
And a hollowed log to call home.
The marten is impressive
on the ground.
But that's the least of it.
♪
The volcanoes of washington
support thick forests.
Most of the life here
is above ground.
♪
The marten has adapted.
♪
She's a tree-climbing
specialist.
♪
Her semi-retractable claws
extend for grip.
♪
♪
The canopy is
her hunting ground.
♪
Birds, eggs, insects,
and other mammals.
♪
No squirrel is safe.
♪
(chirping)
♪
♪
She has it cornered.
A dead tree, stripped of bark,
and slippery,
is barely an obstacle.
Not even a squirrel
can hide for long.
All it takes is
a little patience.
♪
♪
♪
You'd think winter
would be a good time
to escape the mountains,
head south for some sun.
But the marten has
a stealthy companion up here.
There's a phantom
in these woods.
For him this is a warmer area.
Washington's cascade mountains
are the southern part
of the range
for the canadian lynx.
He crosses the border
whenever he likes.
No visa required.
♪
He's completely at home
in the deep snow.
His wide, furry paws
act like snowshoes.
They quietly distribute
his weight
to keep him on top
of the deep white powder.
♪
Many believe those ear tufts
amplify the sound
of potential prey.
♪
♪
It's patient work.
His main prey is hard to find.
♪
Snowshoe hares also
have oversized feet
for managing snow.
And an all-white winter coat.
♪
It's the rabbit's perfect
camouflage for this season.
♪
But no season lasts forever.
Spring warms the northwest's
cascade mountains.
It brings a burst of green.
(birds chirping)
♪
♪
But not only the landscape
changes color.
♪
The snowshoe hare is getting
a new outfit for the season,
trading in his white coat
for brown.
The full transition can
take up to 12 weeks.
Until it's complete,
he stands out in the shadows.
And for him, that's a problem.
The lynx is still here.
He's not heading back
to canada anytime soon.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
(squeal)
♪
It's a good spring to be a lynx.
♪
He dines on the eastern slopes,
at the top of the cascades.
He steers clear of
the eastern foothills below,
and for good reason.
The cascade's lower east side
is like another world.
♪
The range's high peaks
block moisture.
♪
Vertical pillars of ancient
lava tower above barren plains.
♪
Dry, open, and lifeless.
You gotta love sagebrush
to hang out here.
But among these woody shrubs
is a wonder of its own.
(warbling)
(warbling)
these early birds aren't
looking for worms;
they're looking for love.
Greater sage grouse lie low
and dine on the brush
for most of the year.
But come spring, as many
as 70 or more males meet up,
to perform one of the most
extraordinary mating rituals
in all of north america.
(warbling)
(warbling)
the more experienced males
grab prized spots
in the middle of the group.
Then, a wiggle in their walk,
and a jiggle in their
giblets, and it's game on.
They gulp a gallon of air
into pouches on their chest.
♪
Breathe in.
(warbling)
breathe out.
(warbling)
breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in; breathe out.
Up to 10 times a minute.
(warbling)
(warbling)
those that can't make the cut
quickly get the boot.
(chirping)
(chirping)
after all that,
it's still up to the females
to choose their man.
Most will pick
the same lucky guy
and will make it clear
when they're ready.
♪
♪
And that's it.
All that work for
a fleeting moment of fancy.
(warbling)
he'll have no further contact
with her or their young.
♪
The future for him, his family,
and any creature here,
is only as secure
as the cascades themselves.
♪
A single eruption could inflict
unthinkable destruction.
♪
And in a heartbeat,
reboot the entire ecosystem.
♪
Whether on the eastern slopes,
or the western...
Up high... Down low...
Or even underneath...
This mountain range looms
as a constant reminder
of our volcanic past
and an uncertain future.
You live by a time bomb.
Perhaps you dig under it.
Somehow fly through its core.
Or even scale its snowy peaks.
Now, ascend from plain...
To peak... And beyond.
And discover extraordinary life
within the most explosive
mountain range in america.
♪
(playing america the beautiful)
♪
♪
If you're
a pristine mountain range,
like the cascades
of the pacific northwest,
a volcanic eruption
can really mess things up.
♪
But out here, the land
is used to destruction.
Healing is just
a matter of time...
And the right recipe.
First ingredient,
a very large cup of water.
♪
Good snowmelt can ensure
a year-round supply.
Then, to bake any lava cake,
you need a little flower.
Blow in some seeds,
and eventually a few flowers
find just enough nutrients
to take hold.
It's not much, but it's a start.
What can happen to them next
is where things get weird.
♪
Out here, flowers
don't get uprooted.
They get down-rooted.
Shrinking violets have nothing
on disappearing daisies.
♪
The mysterious force
behind this phenomenon?
These blooms are getting
bagged from below
by a plucky little
pocket gopher.
♪
♪
♪
This rodent is
strictly vegetarian.
To cope with all the chewing,
his chompers grow fast.
If he wasn't grinding them down
with gritty eating,
the pocket gopher's teeth
would lengthen
about one inch every month.
His favorite salads are made
of roots, flowers and bulbs.
All of which he can grab
from the safety of
his extensive burrows.
♪
Being a gopher is a dirty job.
He excavates about
a ton of soil every year.
His ears and eyes
are able to shut tight
while he digs tunnels
for foraging and protection.
He makes new emergency exits
as he goes.
And then seals the entrances.
It's this underground specialty
that protects many gophers
from eruptions.
And they are among
the first to venture
into the ashen remains above.
♪
♪
Their diggings aerate the soil.
Like good gardeners
preparing a garden bed.
♪
♪
Despite their appetite
for destruction,
gophers provide one
of the final ingredients
needed for this land to heal.
Their services have been
most useful in the cascades,
america's most volatile
mountain range.
♪
The u.S. Cascades stretch from
northern california to canada.
Among its peaks lay
13 major volcanoes.
Of these, seven have erupted
in the past 300 years.
All of the recent eruptions
in the lower 48
have been from
cascade volcanoes.
Life doesn't always
return so easily.
California's lava beds
national monument
sits in the southern end
of the cascade range,
inactive for nearly
a thousand years
and still barren.
But there is a belly
to this beast.
♪
As streams of lava subsided,
their outer layers
cooled and solidified.
As the lava that remained
liquid continued to drain...
A network of massive,
underground tunnels formed.
More than 700 twisting, turning
caves in this one area alone.
♪
They average 55 degrees
year-round
with reliable pools
of freshwater.
♪
That makes these lava tubes
the perfect pit stop
for thirsty mammals
who relish the darkness.
♪
When night falls, in they come.
♪
♪
This is a townsend's
big-eared bat.
He's left his daytime roost...
...To drop in
for a quick drink.
And he has plenty of friends
that follow.
♪
Infrared cameras allow us
to see this action.
But these bats are flying
in complete darkness.
They navigate with echolocation
that works like radar.
Their signals are
too high-pitched
for a human to hear.
But for the bats, they are so
loud that they close their ears
just before chirping,
only opening them again
to detect the return signal.
It's so accurate it allows them
to home in on a moth in midair.
♪
♪
Tonight some of these bats
will eat their own body weight
in insects.
It's thirsty work.
♪
♪
The lava tubes are a quiet
retreat for parched visitors.
They are also reminders of how
volatile the cascades can be.
Today, these smoldering giants
still hold devastating power
within their jagged peaks.
♪
Look no further
than washington's
famous fire-breather.
Mount saint helens
is best remembered
for its massive eruption
in 1980.
That's when she blew her top
clean off;
1,300 feet of height, gone.
The blast reached speeds of
more than 600 miles per hour,
leveling 230 square miles
of lush forest.
It took out
185 miles of highway,
47 bridges,
and killed 57 people.
Mount saint helens' slopes
were scarred by molten rock
and gases from deep
within the earth.
But she's had help recovering,
cultivated by pocket gophers
and pollinated by returning
birds and insects.
♪
Now, some four decades after
the mount saint helens eruption,
there's regrowth
on an epic scale.
♪
And where wildflowers bloom,
more critters come a-knockin'.
♪
This is the cascade
golden mantled ground squirrel.
♪
It's not bothered
by a lack of trees.
They're happy to live their
entire lives on the downlow.
♪
Their fun in the sun
only lasts the summer.
The rest of the year,
they'll hunker down in the dens
they're furnishing.
For as long as eight months,
they won't eat at all.
And only stir for
a bathroom break.
The cascade golden-mantled
ground squirrel
lives solely in
the northern cascades.
♪
From its lookout
on mount saint helens,
it has a clear view
up to this simmering giant...
Mount rainier.
About 50 miles to the north.
Think the saint helens
eruption was big?
You ain't seen nothing yet.
At 14,410 feet,
washington's mount rainier
stands out in the crowd.
It's the highest mountain
of the cascades;
the fifth tallest peak
in the lower 48.
Ice-cold streams
course down her sides.
These cascading waterfalls
gave the range its name.
Some of this water comes
straight from
the melting glaciers.
It's a chilly place for a swim.
But one skinny little creature
takes the plunge.
Fast-moving mountain streams
are an unlikely place
for a frog.
Most prefer a nice, still pond.
But the tailed frog
can handle the pace.
♪
There are few amphibians
like him;
he's uniquely designed
not to get washed away.
His lungs are small to help him
sink to the bottom.
Where he clings to rocks with
special hard-tipped fingers.
They grip like claws.
He can stay underwater for days.
He gets most of his air
from the water,
absorbing its oxygen
through his skin.
But the coolest part
about this frog
is the tail that
gives him his name.
It helps him overcome
his biggest hurdle:
Mating.
♪
First, he has to find a female.
Easy to spot.
They're bigger,
and the girls don't have tails.
♪
♪
When you find a gal like this,
you don't want to let her go.
Better to be a bit clingy than
to risk her being swept away.
Other female frogs lay
their eggs in the water
for males to fertilize.
But in a stream like this,
all those future frogs
would be washed away.
That's where the tail comes in.
Surprise!
It's not a tail.
♪
This is one of the only
species of frogs
that fertilizes internally.
It's a silent ritual.
They can't croak or even hear.
But they'll have plenty of time
to get to know each other.
They'll stay locked together
like this for up to three days.
♪
♪
The only thing more unique
in the frog world
than a tailed frog is
a tailed frog tadpole.
They also have to be careful
not to get washed downstream.
Instead of the usual
tadpole mouth,
junior here has
one big suction cup.
He clings hard to rocks
and inches his way along
looking for algae to eat.
♪
The best of these little suckers
can travel up waterfalls.
♪
The weaker ones,
they'll have to hope for
better luck farther downstream.
(birds chirping)
other creatures take advantage
of these fast-flowing waters.
♪
Every time the rapids
dip and bubble,
these icy streams are
filled with more oxygen.
♪
And that suits the pacific
giant salamander just fine.
This adolescent isn't giant yet.
But he'll get there.
Thanks in part
to that freshwater
rushing through
his bushy red gills.
It's like taking
a big, deep breath.
With a steady diet of seafood,
he'll grow up to
six and a half inches.
Then he must make the most
extraordinary decision
of his life.
Deep in the cascade mountains,
a pacific giant salamander
preps for his next move.
And it's like something
out of a sci-fi screenplay.
It has a 'matrix'-style
red pill/blue pill
kind of a choice.
This one takes
the blue pill option.
He'll keep his gills
and forever remain
in the aquatic larval stage.
Blue pill salamanders
keep growing,
go on to dine
on fish and crayfish,
even have a family.
But they will forever be tied
to life within these waters.
♪
This guy, he takes
the red pill option.
He heads for dry land and
undergoes a metamorphosis.
He loses his gills and leaves
his underwater life behind.
♪
He still needs to keep
his skin damp,
but after a good rain,
this young pioneer will explore
the farthest reaches
of his habitat.
He may grow up to
a foot in length
and hunt mice, shrews,
even snakes.
But at this early stage
of his transformation,
he'll take what he can get.
♪
♪
♪
Here, on the cascades'
west side,
the snowmelt that pours
into streams and lakes
keeps the rich
volcanic soil moist.
This area would also be
brimming with prairie grass
and wild flowers,
except for one thing...
Rabbits... By the thousands.
European rabbits were
brought here in the 1800s
and have turned the land
underfoot into swiss cheese.
♪
In this one area alone,
they've dug more than
300 feet of tunnels
with more than
50 separate entrances.
They'd be even more
out of control
if it weren't for
their native nemesis...
The fox.
(barking)
these are called red foxes,
but they can be any color
from orange to black.
♪
What unifies them is a white
tip on the end of their tails,
and their taste for rabbit.
The foxes take some tunnels
for their own,
and look out for easy meals.
The living is good here
under the high cascades,
and that means kits.
♪
(mewing)
it's early spring, and this one
is less than two months old.
He still needs mom
for milk and fun.
It's a game every mother knows.
It's called nag.
♪
You win when mom starts
paying attention.
(whining)
♪
♪
Of course there's
no winning for mom.
She has more than one kit
to keep happy.
Including a one-eyed runt.
She'll baby him for now,
but just like the others,
he still has to learn to get by.
And that starts
with play-fighting;
not just with mom,
but with each other.
♪
(squealing)
the skills they learn here
will soon help them
make their first kill.
All the rabbits can do
is look on.
♪
While the kits practice,
mom ventures out
for the real thing.
Bunnies beware.
Death in the cascades
is just a burrow away.
This red fox mom has got
a knack for hunting
beneath washington's
cascade mountains.
Specialized ears
allow her to home in
on the low-frequency sounds
of underground scurrying.
♪
With a little concentration,
she can pinpoint
just the right spot.
♪
♪
♪
She has just
a couple of weeks left
until her kits will
accompany her on the hunts.
♪
Until then, she brings home
as many as rabbits
as she can catch.
The kits grow on the flesh,
and play with the rest.
♪
Smelling, pouncing, tracking.
♪
By the time summer ends,
they'll be hunting
for themselves.
Some foxes venture
farther up the slopes
of the mighty cascades.
But that's only for
the strongest and hardiest
of creatures.
More than a mile
above sea level,
freezing slopes mix
with subalpine meadows.
♪
Overlooking it all,
hoary marmots.
They soak up the sun
and contemplate the season.
♪
They've survived winter
by sleeping underground
for eight straight months.
Now they must make up
for lost time.
Make hay while the sun shines.
And eat it, too.
High up on mount rainier's
western slope,
there's a colony of about
a dozen spread over 20 acres.
Young, up to two to three
years of age.
And the old.
The largest weighs
about 20 pounds,
and 20% of that is pure fat.
And this time of year,
a third of his weight will be
the contents of his stomach.
As they work to
put on the padding,
they also watch out
for each other.
This one senses trouble.
And makes a single whistle.
This says to the group, 'don't
panic, but pay attention.'
♪
Then the threat shows itself.
It's the red fox's
highland cousin,
the cascade red fox,
found solely in these mountains.
♪
He catches the scent of
the marmots and creeps in.
♪
He only needs one
not to heed the alarm.
♪
He spots young marmots
by the main burrow;
maybe he'll be able
to catch one off guard.
♪
♪
The marmots spread the alarm
throughout the whole clan.
(chirping)
more frequent whistles
means more danger.
(chirping)
♪
♪
They disperse into burrows,
some six or more feet deep
and with multiple entrances.
♪
♪
The craftiest of critters
has been outfoxed.
♪
♪
♪
He'll have to look elsewhere
for his calories.
And fast.
♪
There's deep trouble coming,
deeper than anyone can imagine.
The cascade range
may have fire within,
but up top, it's one of
america's greatest snowmakers.
The volcanic mountains run
close and parallel
to the pacific ocean.
And its towering peaks trap
most of the pacific's
incoming moisture.
Up high, that water turns to
snow, with astonishing results.
♪
♪
Mount shasta holds
the united states record
for the most amount of snow
from a single storm:
189 inches fell here
in a single week in 1959.
That's nearly 16 feet.
In 1999, mount baker recorded
the world's highest snowfall
in a single season:
An incredible 95 feet.
♪
Volcanoes caked in snow.
Just because you're
hot stuff underneath
doesn't mean you can't
have a chilly exterior.
And that's just the way
one elusive mammal likes it.
♪
The american pine marten
may look a little foxy,
but it's more like
a mini wolverine.
And snow makes their day.
In it, they're fast, agile.
♪
♪
These winter weasels freely hop
around their range,
which may be as big
as 12 square miles.
This female is her own lookout,
totally comfortable
standing on two legs.
Her long, thin body is not
the best at holding heat.
So if bounding above
the snow gets too much,
she has shelter below.
♪
Tunnels:
An out-of-sight labyrinth.
♪
And a hollowed log to call home.
The marten is impressive
on the ground.
But that's the least of it.
♪
The volcanoes of washington
support thick forests.
Most of the life here
is above ground.
♪
The marten has adapted.
♪
She's a tree-climbing
specialist.
♪
Her semi-retractable claws
extend for grip.
♪
♪
The canopy is
her hunting ground.
♪
Birds, eggs, insects,
and other mammals.
♪
No squirrel is safe.
♪
(chirping)
♪
♪
She has it cornered.
A dead tree, stripped of bark,
and slippery,
is barely an obstacle.
Not even a squirrel
can hide for long.
All it takes is
a little patience.
♪
♪
♪
You'd think winter
would be a good time
to escape the mountains,
head south for some sun.
But the marten has
a stealthy companion up here.
There's a phantom
in these woods.
For him this is a warmer area.
Washington's cascade mountains
are the southern part
of the range
for the canadian lynx.
He crosses the border
whenever he likes.
No visa required.
♪
He's completely at home
in the deep snow.
His wide, furry paws
act like snowshoes.
They quietly distribute
his weight
to keep him on top
of the deep white powder.
♪
Many believe those ear tufts
amplify the sound
of potential prey.
♪
♪
It's patient work.
His main prey is hard to find.
♪
Snowshoe hares also
have oversized feet
for managing snow.
And an all-white winter coat.
♪
It's the rabbit's perfect
camouflage for this season.
♪
But no season lasts forever.
Spring warms the northwest's
cascade mountains.
It brings a burst of green.
(birds chirping)
♪
♪
But not only the landscape
changes color.
♪
The snowshoe hare is getting
a new outfit for the season,
trading in his white coat
for brown.
The full transition can
take up to 12 weeks.
Until it's complete,
he stands out in the shadows.
And for him, that's a problem.
The lynx is still here.
He's not heading back
to canada anytime soon.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
(squeal)
♪
It's a good spring to be a lynx.
♪
He dines on the eastern slopes,
at the top of the cascades.
He steers clear of
the eastern foothills below,
and for good reason.
The cascade's lower east side
is like another world.
♪
The range's high peaks
block moisture.
♪
Vertical pillars of ancient
lava tower above barren plains.
♪
Dry, open, and lifeless.
You gotta love sagebrush
to hang out here.
But among these woody shrubs
is a wonder of its own.
(warbling)
(warbling)
these early birds aren't
looking for worms;
they're looking for love.
Greater sage grouse lie low
and dine on the brush
for most of the year.
But come spring, as many
as 70 or more males meet up,
to perform one of the most
extraordinary mating rituals
in all of north america.
(warbling)
(warbling)
the more experienced males
grab prized spots
in the middle of the group.
Then, a wiggle in their walk,
and a jiggle in their
giblets, and it's game on.
They gulp a gallon of air
into pouches on their chest.
♪
Breathe in.
(warbling)
breathe out.
(warbling)
breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in; breathe out.
Up to 10 times a minute.
(warbling)
(warbling)
those that can't make the cut
quickly get the boot.
(chirping)
(chirping)
after all that,
it's still up to the females
to choose their man.
Most will pick
the same lucky guy
and will make it clear
when they're ready.
♪
♪
And that's it.
All that work for
a fleeting moment of fancy.
(warbling)
he'll have no further contact
with her or their young.
♪
The future for him, his family,
and any creature here,
is only as secure
as the cascades themselves.
♪
A single eruption could inflict
unthinkable destruction.
♪
And in a heartbeat,
reboot the entire ecosystem.
♪
Whether on the eastern slopes,
or the western...
Up high... Down low...
Or even underneath...
This mountain range looms
as a constant reminder
of our volcanic past
and an uncertain future.