Bill, Trail Walking Ambassador
Why do I love snowshoeing? Because it lets me enjoy all the trails here in Summit County, high in the Colorado Rockies. My wife and I are avid trail runners and walkers, and snowshoes let us spend nearly as much time on the trails in the winter as we do in the summer. Living at 9000 feet, at the edge of the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area, we can count on snow at least 6 months of the year, so snowshoeing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. Another of my passions is photography, primarily landscapes and wildlife, and again, seeing all the animals in their natural environment, year round, makes this a special place to be. Since not everyone is lucky enough to be able to live here, I thought I would share a few wildlife photos I have taken over the past year, some summer, some winter, all here in Summit County, all within 20 miles of my home. Enjoy!
You will all recognize our largest wildlife, Moose. I took this shot less than ¼ mile from my house.
And one more, taken this fall, even closer to my house, which is right on the edge of the wilderness area.
Next are our Rocky Mountain Elk.
And one more.
Then we have two kind of deer, first the Mule Deer.
And we also have White Tail Deer.
We naturally have black bears, but fortunately no brown bears here such as the Grizzly. This 450 pound black bear was in my back yard.
We even have Tibetan Yaks.
We have lots of Mountain Goats, mostly living high above timberline.
Another shot of Mountain Goats.
Then there are our Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.
And more Bighorn Sheep, near Arapahoe Basin Resort.
We have Bison.
We have lots of Coyotes.
One more coyote.
We have lots and lots of Red Foxes.
Including young ones too.
We have Raccoons.
We have Mink
We have Marmots.
Another set of Marmots.
We have Pika, mostly up high above Timberline.
One more Pika.
We have Bald Eagles.
Golden Eagles.
Red Tail Hawks.
Ducks.
And ducklings.
Geese.
Great Blue Heron.
Ermine (this one was on the steps of my hot tub).
And I will end, for now, with a shot of me shooting a baby Mountain Goat high in the mountains above Keystone Resort.