This morning I was undecided as to where to hike today.  It was already almost noon when I tossed some snacks into my backpack and headed out the door.  I ended up at Elk Island on the Beaver Pond Trail.

There were small patches of wispy clouds in a bluebird sky.  The sun felt warm and made for a pleasant hiking day.

The bison seem to like this trail.  Each time that I walk it, there are large bison 'pies' that I have to tiptoe over.  It is rather silly that at the trail head there are doggy-doo bags provided so you can clean up after your pooch yet the pies left by the bison could fill up more than one pair of shoes.

All was quiet in the treetops.  The squirrels on the ground were the only noise makers today.  I couldn't tell if they were playing a game of tag or hard-to-get.  They would chase each other over logs, around bushes and up and down tree trunks.  A couple of them were close to running into me.

I met up with one other person today.  I think he had just stopped so his dog could do his business.  He didn't look dressed for an outing.

It's going to take awhile to melt all the snow that is tramped down on the trail.  A lot of it has melted beneath the trees and on the banks of the ponds but the trail itself has more than a foot of packed snow in some places; yet in others it is bare.  In 2013, the last of the snow melted in June and I think there was more snow this year.

The drive home is usually uneventful except for today.  I was only a couple miles away from the park gate when a front tire blew.  Thank goodness for roadside assistance and the fact that it was a nice day.  An hour later I was on the road again.  Other drivers don't like it when one travels at 80 kph on a highway where the speed limit is 110 kph but what can you do when you have a temporary little 'donut' tire for a spare.

I made it home safe and sound.  As I unpacked my vehicle, the chickadees were singing their cheeseburger songs in the trees.  The bluejays were squawking as they sat on the fence.  I could see the deer in the forest behind my yard so I knew it wouldn't be long before they came for a visit.

The first to arrive were the five amigos.  Their coats are getting darker.  The young ones are beginning to watch for danger and do the 'tail up' stance along with stomping the ground with their front feet.  They thought Spike the cat was a threat and started chasing the poor guy.  I've never seen him move that fast across the snow!  It was a good thing that he was close to the shed when they spied him.  He didn't have far to go to hide.

Something scared the deer off during the first visit.  They came back about 15 minutes later but there were more.  The two mule deer had shown up as well.  That made for quite the action in the backyard; fighting, head butting, foot stomping and rearing up.  I had my own reality nature show.

I don't usually have more than one light on in the evening but tonight I turned that one off as well to participate in Earth Hour.  I lit a couple of my favorite candles and did some internet shopping for new tires.

There is truth to the statement that you learn something new everyday.  I found out what muskrats do during the winter season.  In the summer, they can be seen along roadside ditches, munching on fresh grasses and reeds.  In the winter, they are busy as well.  They do not hibernate.  If you drive by a snow covered pond and see small mounds on the surface, they are probably the

handiwork of a muskrat.

I wouldn't want to find out how sharp those little teeth are.  Obviously, they are not only capable of chewing up the reed stalks, but they are also capable of chewing through the ice that forms on lake and pond surfaces.

I was on a pond surface today.  There were numerous mounds

on it.  I took a closer look and saw that the dark areas of the mounds were underwater plants that the muskrats had brought to the surface.

There were many animal tracks in the snow today; coyote, elk, bison.  They criss-crossed the open area like roadways on a map.  The coyotes had checked out all the muskrat mounds.

I took my skis out today.  I use adventure skis that are made for either groomed trails or breaking trail.  They work much better when I'm breaking trail.

I created a large loop that started along the shoreline, went south up to a beaver lodge and then back to where I began.  There is the perfect amount of snow on the pond for x-country skiing.  I went around my loop a couple of times; soaking up the sun and admiring the blue, cloudless sky.  

The temperature was above zero again today.  When I got back from skiing, I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the back deck.  The chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers were busy at the feeders.  A squirrel chattered up in a tree.  A couple of magpies were raiding the grain that was put out for the deer.

It was so beautiful that I looked for more tasks to keep me busy outside. I took down the decorations from my backyard Christmas tree.  I chopped a bin full of wood for the indoor stove.  I could hear water dripping off the garage roof and the snow on my neighbor's metal roof was sliding over the edge; landing in a big bank on the ground.

It sounds like there will be some fresh snow this evening. Another few centimeters would make for excellent skiing in the days to come.  

I left the cold temperatures behind and found sunshine, blue sky and +4C in Jasper National Park.  Things never change.  That first glimpse of the mountains is always exciting.  On the drive through the park I saw two herds; one of mountain sheep and one of elk.  They were in areas along the highway where I could not pull over to take photos.  Hopefully I'll get some wildlife photos tomorrow.

I got settled in my room.  By the time I was done, the snow was melting off the roof and I was roasting like a turkey.  I had to take some layers off.  I wore only a windproof shell over a light under layer when I went for a walk. 

I hiked north on the road to the bridge that joins the shore and a little island on Pyramid Lake.  The sun was so bright.  I had to take advantage of that so I decided to walk back on the lake.  It was warm and beautiful.  I could hear laughter on the skating oval.  A family was out there with skates and a sled.  I'll be trying that oval out tomorrow.

As I walked along the shore, the wind picked up loose snow and created little snow devils that travelled across the surface.  The wind gusted now and again but that didn't deter some skiers from trekking across the lake.  I hope that I'll be able to do that tomorrow when I get back from the tour.

I have an ice walk tour of Maligne Canyon planned for tomorrow.  The weather is looking great.  It will be a fantastic way to spend some time outside in the mountain air.  I'm hoping for another blue-bird sky day.

Oh Happy Day!

What a glorious day!  Clear blue sky, sunshine and warm temperatures!  I watched the sun rise this morning as I sat at the kitchen table; the brilliant colors peeking through the trees.

The birds were chirping in my neighbor's willow tree as they waited their turn for a spot at the feeder.  It sure does not take long for them to carry away all the nuts that I put out.

I was trying to decide where to trek today.  It didn't really matter.  I just knew I wanted to be outside.  Something or 'someone' was motivating me to head to Elk Island.  I was so glad that I listened to that little 'voice'.

I didn't even make it to the park gate and had to pull over on the side of the highway.  I witnessed another first!  This winter I saw a pileated and a hairy woodpecker side by side on the same tree and a blue jay and a hairy woodpecker side by side at the tray feeder in the backyard.  Today's first was amazing to say the least; numerous white tailed deer and bison grazing on the same hill.  What a sight!  I was the only one that stopped to view that spectacle.  Traffic just kept zooming right on by.  It was too bad that everyone was in such a hurry.

As I turned into the park entrance, a small herd of bison greeted me today.  Most were content to be laying in the snow, soaking up the sunshine.  They didn't appear to care that a crazy lady with a camera was taking their picture!

There were no vehicles in sight so I traveled at a leisurely pace along the parkway.  The snow has melted a visible amount.  All the bison 'fertilizer' is now visible on the snowbanks; having been removed from the road by the snowplow through the winter.  It's no wonder the grass in the ditches grows as tall as it does!

 It was great to be able to drive slowly through the park without having vehicles pull up behind.  I was able to notice a coyote plodding through the trees just a short distance from the road.  It didn't even stop to glance up at me when I pulled over.  I was hoping that it would stop in the open area but it was on a mission.

There were a number of small herds of bison alongside the park highway.  I'm sure that today had the greatest number that I've seen this winter.  One of the park rangers was out with his meter stick taking measurements of the snow pack in the trees alongside the road.  The bison paid no mind to him either.

Astotin Lake is only one stop away from the trail head that I was going to so I decided to drive into the parking lot area adjacent to the lake.  There were no vehicles yet but there was a lonely bison beside one of the picnic tables.  This was also a first for me.  In all the years that I've been visiting this park, I've never seen the bison in that picnic area.  I stopped there again after my hike and there were a few people milling around and the bison was headed to a quieter spot.

 I was undecided as to what to wear; snowshoes or hiking cleats.  I opted for the cleats and was happy with the choice.  The sun had not yet softened the snow so it was a pretty easy hike.  There is at least two feet of packed snow on the trail.  It will be July before the snow is melted in the treed areas.

The birds were very vocal.  Blue jays, crows, ravens, chickadees, and magpies could be heard in the distance.  I stopped at my favorite area where many large spruce can be found.  Their branches reach over the trail on either side, creating a tunnel that you have to walk through.  I heard a bird call that I had not heard before so I stood still and listened; hoping to hear it again.  

As if on cue, the little feathered friend flew to a nearby branch and sang for me.  It was a chickadee that I had not seen before.  I'm going to put my bird book and binoculars in my backpack for the next outing.  I had to wait until I got home to find out that it was a boreal chickadee.  Yey!  I had another first today!

I stood underneath the canopy and listened to those sweet sounds of mother nature.  The little chickadee sang.  A slight breeze was causing the loose bark on the nearby birch trees to flap back and forth.  A blue jay called from an evergreen stand in the distance.  I could smell the sap from the spruce boughs.  What a relaxing spot!  If only that moment could be bottled and shared with those who don't have the time to take in what mother nature offers.

I continued on my way back to the trail head.  The air was warming up nicely and the water was beginning to flow in the parking lot.  After I made my way out the rutted up driveway, I headed back to Astotin Lake to see if the bison was still there.  Just before I got to the turn off, I noticed a number of mule deer under the trees along the edge of the campground.  It was certainly a great day for wildlife sightings!

On my way home, I noticed that the bison herd had moved but the deer remained grazing on the sunny hill.  I also noticed that the vehicles on the highway kept whizzing by; probably oblivious to the fact that there were 8 deer right beside the road.  Many of those people may not have cared.

As long as I can remember, I've had an appreciation for nature and a love for being outside.  The farm that I grew up on has a creek that runs through it.  It flows in the spring when the snow melts.  I spent countless hours building rafts from tree branches and then filling my boots with water as I tried to set sail.  It was exciting to see the first marsh marigolds show their yellow blooms in the sloughs.  I watched for the first pussy willows to break through their hard coverings.  I recall the look on my mother's face on the day that I was going to sleep under the stars by the fire pit behind the house.  For some reason she kept mentioning the skunk that was in the yard the night before.

My love of nature has not changed.  My appreciation of the great outdoors has grown.  I find solace and peace in the forest after a hectic week at work.  Today is my birthday and I could think of no better place to spend the day.  My forest friends came out of the woods and the sunshine and warm temperature was spirit-lifting.  Oh happy day!