Here Kitty

[mbiraman]

I'm not sure if this matters to anyone but it does to me. Just a little report of an outing from a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't been up river in a while and we had had fresh snow so i decided to snowshoe along the river trail a couple of miles up river. There's a good view of a headwall across the river.

IMG_0002 by mbira2ride, on Flickr


Looked like someone had been thru on a snowmobile a few weeks earlier and tamped the snow down a bit. Then someone had been thru, probably my neighbor Peter, x-country skiing. I'm just snowshoeing along.

IMG_0003 by mbira2ride, on Flickr

Just around the corner from that shot and a few hundred yards there was lots of animal activity. There were numerous deer, elk, snowshoe hare and wolf/coyote tracks. I spend time looking at tracks and seeing what they say to me. The more i look at tracks the more i learn about what's going on. I have noted to myself on a couple of occasions that i hadn't seen any cat tracks this winter.I continued on up the trail till i got to the place i was going to have lunch. You have to drop down from the trail towards the river but before that you hit a relatively flat bench. A big flat area covered in fresh snow, untouched. As i walked onto the bench there they were. A beautiful set of cougar tracks.






IMG_0006 by mbira2ride, on Flickr

That made my day. It always feels good to me when i see lots of animal activity. Somehow big cats and bears bring that feeling out for me. I sat down just below the tracks and made lunch, enjoying the view and breathing deep.
A view looking up the valley.

IMG_0004 by mbira2ride, on Flickr

On the way back i came to all the tracks from earlier but seeing them from a different direction and light they start telling a bit different story. The wolf or Large coyote is chasing either the Hares or the deer. it turns off the trail heading to the river. Of course the Cougar is coming that way below the road. In hindsight i think the cougar was probably stalking the whole crew and waiting for its chance. The woods are alive. (-:


bill

[Brute1100]

Beautiful day dude... Love seeing cat tracks... Thanks for sharing...

[TFC Rick]

Bill,
Anything you say matters to me. Thanks for the report and as always awesome pics.

[Chug]

Great looking photos. Ah seeing kitty tracks is alway's nice, unless they are in your own tracks.. OR seeing Kitty watching you from 20 yards away... They are stealthy creatures..

Do not wear Calvin Klein Obsession for men, in the woods.. Unless you want Kitty to play with you.. Big cat's Love that scent.

[TallPaul]

Thanks for sharing. I love seeing the pics from your neck of the woods.

[Hawk-eye]

Man I always like seeing your "outing" pictures. Mighty fine looking place you live in and around! Thanks for sharing.

[dragon360]

Again - absolutely stunning!

[HangingKayaker]

Stuff like this does matter!! Always like to see the pics of you out playing in your backyard.
I'm surprised how little the cougar tracks have compressed the fresh snow, very nimble on their paws.

[MAD777]

Wow, majestic mountains behind majestic trees!
Really nice!

[old4hats]

Every time you post pictures I feel so sorry for you, having to live in an area where you can't even get a decent view of nature. You must feel really deprived. No tall buildings, houses, junk yards, just nothing. I sure hope it doesn't give you a complex. Can you tell I'm a bit jealous?