Deer and Turkeys and Elk, Oh My!

 Monday morning we woke up early as it was another transition day plus we got an unexpected 7AM phone call after a time zone mix-up for a planned call. We also learned there was more snow than expected as everything outside was covered. We finished a few chores, got breakfast at Moe's Broadway Bagel, picked up some cash, then headed back to Estes Park. 

Avi and I finally snapped a picture together!

This is her crazy dog, Ziggy.

We could see much more snow in the mountains as we headed up in elevation. Once we started up the mountain everything was covered in 4 inches of snow. It was a true winter wonderland.

We stopped by the store on the way in, had lunch, and planned our afternoon. The sun came out after lunch, and it warmed a bit, almost immediately melting all the snow. In just a few hours, all the trees that were covered in snow were now green again.

We decided to hike the Cow Creek Trail just north of town in the Rocky Mountain National Park. As we pulled in, we were the only car there so during our hike up we were completely alone - a first for this trip. The trail took us up through a valley, with gentle elevation gain. Both of us dressed too warmly and I ended up peeling off my pants and hiking around in my merino wool tights! At least there wasn't anyone around, but I am not sure I would have cared if there were.

The trailhead is at a former dude ranch that has been preserved and converted to research areas, with the old bunks houses used to house the scientists when they are working there.

Much of our hike, we were walking in the open through the valley.

We made it to our turnaround point

While there weren't the mountain views we have seen elsewhere, we got to see interesting rock formations and walk through forests that look very different from those in NC.

Another hiking first for this trip were the wildlife sightings. About a mile in we saw a group of 10 mule deer on the trail. We waited a bit, but they weren't interested in moving without our motivation. We decided to move forward slowly, and they slowly moved down then off the trail.

This hike was a four-mile total out and back with about 400 feet of elevation gain. As we finished our hike, we passed two couples, the only other people we saw that day. Then just outside a main building before we got to our car, we saw a wild turkey pair. The tom was definitely strutting his stuff trying to get the hen's attention. She showed no interest, but we found it very interesting!

Finally, on our drive out we came upon a small group of elk bachelors right beside the dirt road. We were able to stop and observe them for a bit. One was curious about us but didn't approach our car. Eventually they jumped the fence and passed behind us before we moved on. In all our time in Colorado these were our best three wildlife sightings and they were all just an hour apart!

These young bucks were looking a little tatty - clearly they were in the process of shedding their winter coat.

We got this gorgeous view as we drove away from the trailhead.

We finished our short trip home, had breakfast for dinner, and started re-watching Deadwood in preparation for a stop there in July. We both enjoy that show as this is our third viewing.