A snowy hike

Yesterday afternoon, the Duo and I took a snowy hike. Snow plummeted out of the sky creating a tunnel of white.

The Duo were ecstatic, zooming around like they were possessed by the spirit of winter.

R clamped a large branch in his jaws and zipped enticingly past K. Alas, K wasn't in a "stick" game mood.

K was busy flying instead!

Most of the animals had hunkered down during the maelstrom. That is, except the hardy coyotes. I saw their very fresh tracks on our path. I think that the dogs scented them in this photo as they focused on the direction where the paw tracks were leading.

I immediately called them and leashed them. R stormed back to me, thanks to our many hours of practicing recalls close to coyote scent. K wasn't far behind.

Of all the animals in our forest, I worry most about coyotes hurting our dogs. They live in packs here, and they have a "luring" strategy for tempting a dog into their midst. The outcome is sometimes dire for the dog. Consequently, I vigilantly in watch for signs of coyotes during outings. Moreover, when I see fresh coyote tracks, I often practice recalls right next to the tracks to prepare the dogs for future tempting situations.

"24 Paws of Love" asked how I decide when it's safe to let the dogs run off-leash after reading about the fact that I leash K when following mountain lion tracks. As a general rule, I leash the dogs when we are traveling on a wild animal's tracks, when we are in areas that I know are heavily used by wild animals, and when the dogs' body language tells me that an exciting wild animal is nearby.

The kind of body language that catches my attention is either the start of intense running into the woods or a prolonged stare focused on one section of the woods. I watched K closely during the stare in the photo below but it turned out to be a false alarm.

Then, the Duo both perched on boulders, almost like a sculpture, to contemplate a scent or sound that I couldn't perceive. Their intensity didn't reach a level that made me leash them.

Walking through the snow storm was bitingly cold but tons of fun. I love being in the forest when the fury of the natural world is unleashed.

Comparatively, this morning was calm but painfully cold. The snow had stopped and the wind lulled at dawn. K stood resplendent in the sunrise light at the start of our snow bike ride.

Despite the cold, I reveled in the glory of our snowy forest. The crystalline blue sky beckoned K and me up high to gaze at the towering peaks of the Continental Divide.

We climbed through the fresh snow and the dark forest, eventually emerging out of the shade and into the sunshine. Oh, what a day - a day to celebrate the stunning beauty of wintertime in the mountains! I'll show more photos of our winter world tomorrow.