A Trail Runners Rewards

I get paid back in beautiful scenes, and beautiful animals on a regular basis. 

Here's a few from this week-

 Can you see his nice rack? I saw him again today and have a few more shots in my camera still. He's a handsome buck!

 One of the only watering holes around. This is where the deer where coming up from.

 Every time I think the season is over, I see another one!

 By far, one of those sections of trail that always stun me when I look up.  It's not my favorite to run, but it's so pretty that I love it.

 Below-even when I'm having a poopy run and decide to end it early....I never feel like it was a waste of time or effort....there's always some sort of pay off that makes it worth it. This was Tuesday. Brian and I had a meeting at the school, and then around 11 we headed out for a run.  Well, it was too late in the day for me because it's already really hot by 11, so I did 1.5, sat and cooled down, and did another 1.5.  And I'm still not totally sure what it is I saw.....

 I saw something short, fuzzy, and fairly filled out. About knee high. It was not mangy looking like a coyote, nor as thin as they normally are. And it had a bobbed tail.  It's body and the way it moved was different from any coyote I have seen, and I've seen a good number through this canyon over the years.  So, of course I ran to catch up to it.  It wasn't afraid, nor confrontational. It would stop and look at me, then walk a little, then stop and look.  Below, it's walking down the trail.

 The body looked more cat like to me, while the face was pointy like a coyote. So, the rational part of me says it's a nice, fuzzy, young coyote with a bobbed tail.

 And then the other part of me says....maybe it does look more cat like???

 Here it looks like a huge fox w/o the bushy tail.

 Then again.....cattish???

 I'm still not sure what I saw, but it was something to see it and try to figure it out as I'm following it along the trail.  We were equally curious about each other, but not afraid of each other. That was Tuesday. Here's what I learned today....At the bottom of that canyon, right at the dam when you are first running out of Castle rock and the trail splits, the Rangers found a Mt. Lion kill last week. They have not spotted the Mt Lion, but found the remains of it's kill. I learned this because some dude on a bike w/no pack or water or gear of any kind told me I should not be out there because there's a Mt. Lion in the area and I should be more careful.  Dude....where's your pack w/emergency gear?? Cuz I've got mine on. You should probably be more careful. : ) I stopped and talked to the rangers this morning for a while about it and got the info I needed....and kept running. For the record, I've seen a real, live, in nature, Mt. Lion.  What I saw Tuesday was not a Mt. Lion.  I think its a new, California hybrid.  Bobyote.

Have a great weekend!