Glacier National Park Hikers Treated to Sweetest Encounter with Mama Mountain Goat and Baby

Deep in the heart of Montana's Rocky Mountains, Glacier National Park boasts some of the most impressive mountain and glacier scenery in the United States, if not the entire world. But Glacier Mountain Park doesn't just have towering mountain peaks, jewel-toned glacier lakes, and deep valleys. It's also home to lots of alpine wildlife, including the always-lovable mountain goat!

Whenever possible, savvy hikers usually try to keep their distance from wildlife on the trail for safety. But hikers Sydney and Isaac were surprised with an adorable up-close encounter with this mama mountain goat and her baby in Glacier National Park!

At first, Sydney and Isaac (posting together as @galindosonthego) were obviously nervous, and for good reason. Mountain goats can be pretty territorial, and they especially didn't want to make a protective mama goat mad! But the hikers remained calm and gave the family some space, and they had the perfect vantage point as the adorable baby goat, calling for his mama, walked right above their heads!

Related: Baby Farm Goats Having a Pajama Party Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving

Sydney and Isaac's viewers fell in love with the adorable baby animal and his doting mama (and the breathtaking glacier views behind them), but many of them were also impressed by how well the two hikers handled their wild animal encounter.

"'I'm not gonna move unless she makes me,' amazing, like, the best way to handle up-close encounters (for most animals)," @hippiesoulbabe praised their cool-headedness.

"Lolol, if they show up, you have definitely won the hiking award," said @maybe_maybenot_sophia. I concur!

Mountain Goats in Glacier National Park

While getting a close numbers estimate has proven tricky, National Park Service officials estimate that between 1,200-2,100 mountain goats live in Glacier National Park, according to Montana's Hungry Horse News. These goats love hanging out on high cliffs and walking along high-elevation trails through the park, and hikers will often have to make way for mountain goats when passing each other along the narrow cliffside trails!

While mountain goats aren't aggressive by default, they can quickly become dangerously aggressive during breeding season or when they have their kids with them (as this mama goat did). Also, according to the Washington Trails Association (WTA), mountain goats crave the salt from hikers' sweat and their, um, liquid waste. Yeah, gross, I know. Salt-hungry goats can get pretty pushy with hikers, which is not something you want on a narrow mountain trail overlooking a steep drop!

Mountain goats are adorable, but as with all wild animals, people still need to be careful around them. If you're going hiking in Glacier National Park (or anywhere with mountain goats), the WTA advises keeping at least 150 feet away from mountain goats at all times, going at least 50 feet off the trail for bathroom breaks, and, if a goat wants to pass you, giving it the right-of-way (just like Sydney and Isaac did for Mama and Baby). If you respect the goats and give them their space, you're much more likely to have a peaceful time on the trail - and you might even get to witness a beautiful encounter like this lucky couple did!

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