Shyla the Dragon

The thermometer read -9°F (-23°C). I lagged behind our normal start time for our morning hike/ride while spent extra time donning many layers of warm clothes. I started out on my snowbike with Shyla next to me - because I knew that I'd be warmer pedaling than hiking. We headed straight up to the sunrise plateau. We were a little late for sunrise but it was still pretty. Near the left border of the photo, birds (tiny black specks) were flying in the frosty air.

When we arrived on that plateau after about 7 minutes outside, Shyla already had a snow beard. And, I noticed that I could see the steam coming out of her nose, almost like she was dragon. The mist in front of her face was from her own breathing.

Her frost beard was impressive.

It was not a good morning to linger taking lots of photos because my fingers were rapidly becoming numb. Very soon, we started the longish climb up to Hug Hill. When we topped out on the granite peak, I was warm, and Shyla kept right on running.

Shyla does very well in the cold, as long as we keep moving. Each winter, we seem to have a few days with temperatures around -20°F. My guess is that she'll need to wear winter boots. However, her thick and luxurious coat will keep her core warm as long as we stay in motion.

When we arrived at home at the end of our ride, I thought that it would be fun to have Shyla wear some of my warm head and neck gear. She's a good sport about photos like this one!

I stopped in at home with the pups to warm up before I headed out for a bit more solo snowbiking. While I was in the house, I realized who was the smartest of us all...

R might have been the smartest... but I still love my winter snowbiking, even if it is a trifle crazy on a day like today. After I read about the Iditarod bike race a few years ago, I realized that, if I wore lots of warm gear, I could be comfortable while riding a bike on trails any day in the winter. It's true - I was warm today despite the frigid air.

After I headed out on my own, I followed the tracks of a galloping canine for a short distance in the fresh layer of snow that had fallen overnight.

Near the end of my ride, I traversed slope that was coated in hoar frost. The beauty and stillness awed me. The world felt like delicate crystal with an incredible blue background. It's worth it to go out into nature even in this cold.

That was near the end of my ride, and my body was still warm except for my slightly chilly toes. When I arrived home, I weighed the clothes that I'd been wearing - all the layers combined weighed 12 pounds! Wow.

As of this evening, the cold snap hadn't broken, and the sky over the Divide showed it.

I love these mountains, no matter how cold they may be.