These splendidly shaggy magnificent mountain climbers are incredibly well adapted to the high and steep places of the world. Sufficiently insulated to survive winter temperatures as low as -50°, their feet combine snowshoes (cloven hooves that can spread apart) with crampons (sharp dewclaws). Young goats start rock scrambling within a day of being born.

My brother says they should be called snow gruffaloes.

On Rainier you may encounter them around Burroughs Mountain, Skyscraper Pass, Panhandle Gap, Van Trump Park, or off-trail alpine areas such as Cowlitz Gap.

They can be aggressive with each other, as nannies fight for dominance over territory and billies during mating season, plus sometimes with humans.

Although related to true goats, they're closer to the chamois and not a member of the genus Capra.

Mountain goats have never been domesticated, but indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest collected their spring molt (left after rubbing on rocks and trees) to include in weavings.