Tracks In The Snow

One of my favorite things about hiking in the winter is being able to see trails through the snow so easily.  I always think it is awesome to be the first one down a trail after a fresh snow.  Yes the trail can be hard to break especially where the snow has drifted and crusted over, but there is a certain satisfaction to be had walking where no one else has ventured yet.

 

Dozens of deer trails cross the park and wander in and out of the woods along the trail.

 

 Even the mice have ventured out from the safety of their burrows deep under the snow to make a few tracks of their own.

 

The snow looked so inviting right here that I couldn't resist making a snow angel along the trail.  Getting out of the snow proved to be a little more difficult as it was far deeper than it looked when I first plopped myself down in it.

 

In this tree there were a pair of hawks which promptly flew away as I tried to get closer for a better picture.  Funny how the animals that leave few tracks were the easiest to spot today.

 

A different kind of track:  the remains of a barn foundation lies quietly as the forest grows up around it for decades after the person that built it has gone.