Follow the Trail

I've often marveled at how the girls will stick their noses right into a deer or elk footprint in the snow and breathe in deeply the scent left there by the animal. (Same for coyote, fox or wolf prints, but their favorites are deer and elk.) They'll then visually follow the tracks along the road, or off the road and into the forest proper, clearly wanting to pursue the scent trail.

In this winter's deep snow, going off road to follow tracks isn't a possibility, no matter how enticing.

These photos, taken on yesterday's hike, show the girls intrigued by a set a tracks leading away from the road. Maia quickly left them, knowing the snow was too deep to follow, but Meadow went a couple of steps in pursuit, then stopped to look and sniff, hoping for a miracle sighting. No luck.