Today I got up really late but then made up for my laziness by going on a hike with mom (and Gabe), up in the forest between the canal and the logging road. Saw a ton of deer tracks. It was really gorgeous up there, it was cool yet sunny and there are still patches of snow here and there. So at one point we got up on the logging road and walked it for awhile, and we came upon these huge tracks in the snow, and Gabe was walking in them and smelling them, so I had to stop him from messing them up further. From a distance I thought they were bear tracks, because of the size, but then when I got closer I realized there were no large hind foot pads. Cougar! They were probably several days old but there was no doubt about it. Large, round, no claw marks. It had come down out of the forest, crossed the path, and gone down the bank towards a stream. So I took a few photos of them! It's certainly not everyday one comes across cougar tracks. In fact this is only the third set of cougar tracks I've ever seen in all my years hiking! I also took a lot of photos of the forest and Gabe and will post some soon.

Other than that I haven't really done much. Except we all went to check live traps set for bobcats tonight in several locations. No catches today.