OTHER Trip Report 07/30/2025

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Point 11,934
Date Posted	07/30/2025
Date Climbed	07/25/2025
Author	gore galore

A Rare Hawk Attack
A Rare Hawk Attack by gore galore Backcountry encounters with wildlife are common and attacks by such animals are unusual when one keeps their distance and practices cautions when encountering wildlife dangers. Usually, wildlife attacks are thought of being that of a marauding bear, a charging moose or elk or perhaps by a stalking mountain lion but as I was to find out wildlife attacks can also come from large predatory birds who feel threatened by one's presence. Although hawk attacks are rare, the danger is real, it is menacing and can result in injury, and it happened to me. I was about an hour into my hike around 9:00 am on the Peaks Trail outside of Frisco in the Tenmile Range. My intent was to intersect the Miners Creek Trail and follow it to the saddle below Peak 5 and make the short climb to Point 11,934. This map point was to be the second to last of climbing all of the named peaks and also the elevation points above timberline in the Tenmile Range of which 11,934 appeared to be the lowest. The day called for no precipitation which was good as I thought of the distance ahead from the Miners Creek Trailhead to my objective. When I left the trailhead that morning mine was the only parked car. There was no warning of the impending danger as I hiked along the trail when I heard the whoosh sound near my head with what I thought had to be a bird. At first, I thought it might be a camp robber bird, but the velocity and suddenness of the incident was the difference of the speed of a helicopter to that of a jet plane. I heard the sound of the screeching of the bird high in the trees on the left side of the trail which gave away its location and I could see now that I was facing a hawk. I have learned that there are nine species of hawks in Colorado but in the moment, I was not able to identify it specifically other than it was a hawk. As I looked up into the trees at the hawk, I could only admire its presence not realizing any inherent danger. Perhaps the hawk was only protecting its territory from what it perceived as a threat, and I would move on without any further incident. I slowly turned away from the hawk to continue my way when I heard the suddenness of the whoosh near my head again. There was no warning, not even the blur of the bird but this time I became somewhat concerned as to what was happening. I have since learned that hawks like to attack from behind and when I turned away it gave the hawk another opportunity to attack. I didn't think that the hawk would actually collide with my head because of possible injury to the bird but I was wrong in that assumption. Hawks use their talons and beak in an attack on their prey and the same can inflict puncture injuries in the head area of a human. Looking back, I find it somewhat ironic that I was not at the top of the food chain in my encounter with this hawk. The persistent screeching of the bird high in the trees told me that something was terribly wrong here. It was long past the spring mating season and too late for the yearlings to be in a nest nearby. I learned later that hawks can sometimes mistake humans as intruders to their territory or as prey as hard as it may be to believe that an adult hiker of any size with a day pack could be considered prey to a predatory bird. My intention now was to leave the area, and I slowly turned again to continue my way which unknowingly only repeated the second incident as it gave the hawk another opportunity to attack. The whoosh near my head was much too close and came unexpectedly while the screeching was constant from the hawk in the trees. I now felt the real menace from this attacking hawk and my concern was protecting my head area. I was wearing a baseball cap and wraparound sunglasses which I felt gave me some protection until I could escape this danger. This time after the third attack I backed away facing the hawk for a distance which I learned later is the proper way of escape and then quickly turned and swiftly hiked away perhaps anticipating another encounter but there was none. Upon returning home I had time to process my encounter with the hawk. After some research I believe it was the color of my hat that indicated a threat or as prey to the attacking hawk. The bill and the front of my hat is blue in color and the top is white perhaps indicating some type of intrusion to the hawk. I can only think of it as so. My hike to the summit of Point 11,934 was successful. During the later part of my hike and return I met solo hikers, groups of hikers, hikers with dogs, trail runners, trail bike riders, an EV bike rider, and through hikers on the Colorado Trail on foot and by bike. But their memory will fade, and I will not remember any of them like I will always remember my encounter with the attacking hawk on that Friday day on the Peaks Trail of the Tenmile Range.

A Rare Hawk Attack

A Rare Hawk Attack

by gore galore

Backcountry encounters with wildlife are common and attacks by such animals are unusual when one keeps their distance and practices cautions when encountering wildlife dangers. Usually, wildlife attacks are thought of being that of a marauding bear, a charging moose or elk or perhaps by a stalking mountain lion but as I was to find out wildlife attacks can also come from large predatory birds who feel threatened by one's presence. Although hawk attacks are rare, the danger is real, it is menacing and can result in injury, and it happened to me.

I was about an hour into my hike around 9:00 am on the Peaks Trail outside of Frisco in the Tenmile Range. My intent was to intersect the Miners Creek Trail and follow it to the saddle below Peak 5 and make the short climb to Point 11,934. This map point was to be the second to last of climbing all of the named peaks and also the elevation points above timberline in the Tenmile Range of which 11,934 appeared to be the lowest.

The day called for no precipitation which was good as I thought of the distance ahead from the Miners Creek Trailhead to my objective. When I left the trailhead that morning mine was the only parked car. There was no warning of the impending danger as I hiked along the trail when I heard the whoosh sound near my head with what I thought had to be a bird. At first, I thought it might be a camp robber bird, but the velocity and suddenness of the incident was the difference of the speed of a helicopter to that of a jet plane.

I heard the sound of the screeching of the bird high in the trees on the left side of the trail which gave away its location and I could see now that I was facing a hawk. I have learned that there are nine species of hawks in Colorado but in the moment, I was not able to identify it specifically other than it was a hawk. As I looked up into the trees at the hawk, I could only admire its presence not realizing any inherent danger. Perhaps the hawk was only protecting its territory from what it perceived as a threat, and I would move on without any further incident.

I slowly turned away from the hawk to continue my way when I heard the suddenness of the whoosh near my head again. There was no warning, not even the blur of the bird but this time I became somewhat concerned as to what was happening. I have since learned that hawks like to attack from behind and when I turned away it gave the hawk another opportunity to attack. I didn't think that the hawk would actually collide with my head because of possible injury to the bird but I was wrong in that assumption. Hawks use their talons and beak in an attack on their prey and the same can inflict puncture injuries in the head area of a human.

Looking back, I find it somewhat ironic that I was not at the top of the food chain in my encounter with this hawk. The persistent screeching of the bird high in the trees told me that something was terribly wrong here. It was long past the spring mating season and too late for the yearlings to be in a nest nearby. I learned later that hawks can sometimes mistake humans as intruders to their territory or as prey as hard as it may be to believe that an adult hiker of any size with a day pack could be considered prey to a predatory bird.

My intention now was to leave the area, and I slowly turned again to continue my way which unknowingly only repeated the second incident as it gave the hawk another opportunity to attack. The whoosh near my head was much too close and came unexpectedly while the screeching was constant from the hawk in the trees. I now felt the real menace from this attacking hawk and my concern was protecting my head area. I was wearing a baseball cap and wraparound sunglasses which I felt gave me some protection until I could escape this danger.

This time after the third attack I backed away facing the hawk for a distance which I learned later is the proper way of escape and then quickly turned and swiftly hiked away perhaps anticipating another encounter but there was none.

Upon returning home I had time to process my encounter with the hawk. After some research I believe it was the color of my hat that indicated a threat or as prey to the attacking hawk. The bill and the front of my hat is blue in color and the top is white perhaps indicating some type of intrusion to the hawk. I can only think of it as so.

My hike to the summit of Point 11,934 was successful. During the later part of my hike and return I met solo hikers, groups of hikers, hikers with dogs, trail runners, trail bike riders, an EV bike rider, and through hikers on the Colorado Trail on foot and by bike. But their memory will fade, and I will not remember any of them like I will always remember my encounter with the attacking hawk on that Friday day on the Peaks Trail of the Tenmile Range.

Comments or Questions

jibler

whoa
7/30/2025 8:18am

that's wild - and yeah pretty dang rare. I recall this one time i was messing around on the southside of mt morrison and i come over this big rock to see way out west. but directly level and flying right at me was something big - likely an eagle? but in a scene like right out of matrix (where neo is dodging the bullets by falling backwards) I fell back as it swooped by and put my arm in front of my face so it wouldn't claw me.

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