Fresh, cool, crisp air is exactly what I found at Elk Island today.  After shoveling the driveway and filling up the feeders, I tossed the snowshoes into my vehicle and headed to the trail.  There were no vehicles in the parking lots on the way to Amisk Wuche and I was the only one in that trail head parking lot. 

I hadn't been there for awhile.  The snowplow had cleared it, leaving two foot high banks around the perimeter.  I could see that the trail was packed down so opted for the hiking cleats instead of the snowshoes.  They were adequate for the couple inches of fresh snow that fell last night.

There were lots of animal tracks on the trail; hares, mice, squirrels, coyote and some that I could not identify.  I had not seen them before. The tracks followed the trail but also meandered through the trees.  They were not moose or deer.  

When I got to the first boardwalk, I found out who they belonged to.  I have never seen elk on that trail, but there were two of them feeding in the forest to the east of the pond.  Their tracks came off the boardwalk, onto the pond and up the hill where they hid amidst the trees.

The forest was silent.  There were no birds chirping.  There were no rustling grasses or leaves.  There were no creaking trees.  I could only hear the crunch of my boots on the snow.  It was perfect.  

The snow that accumulated on the evergreen branches from the storms over the past month has fallen to the ground.  I could tell that the wind had helped.  The heavy snow caused the branches to sag but with their burden gone, they are beginning to return to their original positions.

As I hiked through my favorite evergreen filled ravine, my footsteps disturbed a couple of squirrels.  Their chattering echoed through the trees.

Too chilly for me!

The sun came out and the day was beautiful.  I thought that I might hike one more trail so before leaving, I visited the outhouse.  It was a little too frosty for me!  

Rather than hike again, I chose to drive to the north park gate to see if any other animals were out.  A bull moose was feeding in a willow thicket.  He must have been camera shy because he didn't stick around long enough for me to get a photo.  Further up the road, I saw a coyote that was almost black.  He too, was not sticking around for a photo op.

I drove to the Astotin Lake parking lot.  Along the driveway, a large bison was feeding in the deep snow.  I watched as he moved his head back and forth to uncover the buried grasses.  He seemed to be alone even though there were many tracks that crisscrossed the field.

I saw another bull moose on the drive home.  It too was feeding on some willows but it was close to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre. 

My outside time lasted only a couple of hours but it was wonderful.  Just what I needed.  The crisp air was fresh and the exercise tired me out so I had a lengthy afternoon nap!  

Just a little frosty.