Valentines Day

Day 1 (2/14/10)
It’s Valentines Day and what a better way to spend it then taking a cross-country ski trip out on the bike trail. The weather was perfect around thirty degrees and calm. It was slightly overcast with the sun occasionally poking through. There is always something to see and some story to interpret when you’re on the trail. Today we came across sign of where a hawk had swooped down and attacked some animal from above. It was hard to tell who had been successful. There were two places where you could see where the hawk’s wings had disturbed the surface but if he had been successful he had flown off with the prey and there was no sign of blood. I am surprised that nobody seems to use the trail for skiing. We were the only ones who had been on most of it since the snow five days ago. By one of the roads that cross the trail somebody had walked their dog but otherwise the trail was pristine. As much as I like the lack of activity it still surprises me. We did find a couple of my tie builds still standing but most have been removed by the railroad company. We saw a mink or weasel scurry across the trail in front of us but wildlife was otherwise quite scarce.