Located near Centura Health in Avon right off of I-70. An innovative natural science learning campus for residents and visitors of the Eagle Valley. Free and open to the public.

318 Walking Mountains Lane, Avon, CO 81620

Located at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola on Vail Mountain out of Lionshead Village, Vail. All visitors must have a pass to ride the gondola. Free and open to the public with valid gondola pass.
Nestled along Gore Creek near the Betty Ford Alpine Garden and Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail Village.
601 Vail Valley Drive, Vail, CO 81657

Walking Mountains Blog

Snowshoe Of The Week: Stories in the Snow

Posted by Nathan Boyer-Rechlin on Feb 11, 2020 1:52:12 PM
Nathan Boyer-Rechlin
Snow_Shoe_hike-65_Photo_Zach_Mahone_WEB

Have you ever taken the time to read stories in the snow? When we’re ripping through fresh snow at the ski resort, or pushing our heart rates on the skin track (maybe with music blaring through headphones) we are certainly connecting with the mountains experiencing the thrill our winter landscape provides--however there’s a whole story we may be missing!

Slowing down in our winter environment opens up a whole drama that (quite literally) leaves its tracks in the snow. While our wildlife may be more abundant and active in the summer time--winter landscapes give us a unique opportunity to, for a moment, follow the lives of the animals we share a home with here in the Eagle River valley! As we get later into the winter, and the snowpack gets deeper, the lines between our community and the ecological community get blurrier. Deep snow forces deer, elk, and other prey species lower into the valley. And where the deer & elk go, the mountain lion and other predators follow!

Only a few weeks ago mountain lion tracks were spotted in the town of Minturn. On a hike just last week I had the privilege of following a coyote, perhaps only minutes later, for over a mile up the trail. The tracks would dart off the trail, then return to the easier path--sometimes begging the question, what was our canine friend looking for in the drifts of snow? Later in the hike a frenzy of tracks closed in on a relatively fresh deer carcass--just bones and fur remaining. With more time, perhaps, I could have followed one of the many stories in that frenzy a little further.

Our valley is full of active winter wildlife--from mountain lion, lynx, and cyote, to the distinctive tracks of squirrel darting from tree to tree and even evidence of small rodents briefly emerging from their subnivean (under the snow) labyrinth. It takes years to become an expert tracker, but all you need to start reading the stories in the snow is a guidebook or app, and the willingness to maybe slow down for a moment. I’d highly encourage you to try it--no two chapters are the same!

 

Walking Mountains offer’s tracking themed snowshoe hikes every other week on Thursdays! The next Tracks, Signs, & Snowshoes program is this Thursday 2/13. The hike will be lead at Maloit Park, where in the last few weeks Walking Mountains programs have seen Moose & Lynx, among other exciting tracks!

Topics: Hike Of The Week, Backcountry Hikes

Nathan Boyer-Rechlin

Written by Nathan Boyer-Rechlin

Nathan is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Walking Mountains. Meet him on the trail for a hike!