Deer Hunt with Dandelion Girl

The silver helmets are in hibernation, but just have to tell about our five days of deer hunting in the mountains:

A lowering full moon lead the way while a glowing sunrise covered our backs as we hiked past ditches, over beaver dam-logs, through leafless willows to a spot high on the mountainside to take our stand. We passed a lot of deer, elk, coyote, and rabbit tracks. At one point in the snow it looked as though the coyote was chasing the rabbit. I wonder who won?
We hiked with our thermals and six layers of clothes covered by orange on top of crusted snow, boot deep powdered snow or just left plain boot prints in the snow.
Cold wind blew over the pines, naked aspen trees and through stumbles of brown and gold weeds. The morning sun was a welcome sight.
Golly gee, low and behold, out from beneath the snow popped a dandelion. Dandelion Girl is thrilled!

Our hard side popup was a joy, we had power all five days and nights. What a joy. No more tenting it for us!

Our alarm clock battery let us down, so we didn't get in a very good Sunday morning hunt, but we soon learned how to set the alarms on our trusty cell phones.
All in all, beautiful crisp fall days of hunting.
Bonnie's Haiku

From sun's warm patches
snow smothered autumn leaves twirl
with wind's bellowing whips

Joe's Haiku (his words put into place by Bonnie)

Campfire's companion
consists of moon sillouetted
amidst stalwart conifers

Mud and more Mud

The sun came out, we loaded our silver helmets, Ruffus our ATV, packed a lunch and headed for the fall foliage up Mirror Lake Byway.
With the government shutdown, there wasn't anyone at the pay booth, so we filled out an envelope, put in our $6 and found the mountains.
We rode though the musty smell of dying leaves and the moist smell of a recent snowfall over very muddy, muddy trails. Fallen leaves were polka dots on the snowbanks.What delight, and dandelion girl found her flower!
Now Ruffus will get a bath and go into hibernation til next spring. Silver Helmets over and out.

Fall aspen and winter

can you see the tiny yellow dandelion in the foreground?

summer aspen and winter

Mud and more mud, not fun to drive through the puddles today

Lunch by a beautiful 'widow maker'

A side-trail note

Due to another stormy weekend, we won't be ATVing, but wanted you to follow an exciting dream come true path we me. My novel, SALLEE'S SECRET is being published by traditional publishers, Safkhet, and will be ready for distribution during the summer of 2014. Man oh man, what a ride this is.  Come along with me.     www.safkhetpublishing.com/authors/bonnie_glee.htm and see my author page.