Wildlife

Kris and I went for a short hike this  afternoon at the state park near our home. We made it an easy walk, as the weather is cold and the sky  is overcast today. We had a little bit of snow this morning, though it melted off quickly, as November snows will. There were a few prairie dogs out and we saw two deer as we were leaving, but it was largely uneventful.

As we were driving into the park, however, Kris told me that a mountain lion was spotted in the park last week.  This big cat was near two of the hiking trails - not the ones we were on - and that it's the first time a lion was seen at such a low elevation since the park was established in 2006. We speculated a bit, thinking it might be a young animal who has just left its mother and is trying to establish a home range.

Neither of us has ever seen a mountain lion in the wild. It would be the event of the year for us to do so. Kris has seen at least one bobcat in the park, but I've never seen one of those either. In fact, she's ahead of me in spotting bears, eagles and several other species here in Colorado.

I try not to be jealous.

Earlier this week, though, on another much longer hike I took by myself, I did see a yearling mule deer buck. It was a two-pointer the way we count the antler points here in the west, and it didn't seem at all concerned about me. In fact, it let me get within about five feet of it. In all the tromping around Jamestown Island I did when I worked for the National Park Service, I never was able to get so close to a living wild deer. I almost could reach out and touch it.

So now we're home for the rest of the afternoon, flopping, and looking forward to a quiet evening together as old married people do. Here's hoping your evening will be as tranquil and as happy.