December 21, 2013

Ski season has arrived at Lake Wicwas.  I saw the first skier out on the lake last weekend, and I took my maiden voyage this weekend, before the rain came.  The snow was perfect: soft and bright, firm enough for a good kick, and slow enough to handle the downhills with ease.  I tracked out my favorite trail,

First Ski of the Season

and also trekked across the ice a bit, but a layer of slush has formed under the snow already, making it not as pleasant as on the trails - and that was before the rain.

I came upon a set of mink tracks coming out from under a tree trunk at the water's edge.

Mink Tracks

 

I'll watch for more tracks in this area this winter.  Mink keep several dens, usually living in one for a few days before moving on to another.

I didn't see any fox or deer tracks in the deep snow, even several days after it fell.  I expect now that I've set some ski tracks the fox will find them soon enough, as they like the easy traveling that the packed trail allows.  I might see deer tracks as well now that the warm weather has thinned out the snow cover.  I had a report of a deer killed on the ice near Bryant Island.  I'm not sure I'm ready to trust the ice enough to venture out in that area, especially with the warm weather of the past few days.  Let's hope we get back to winter soon!