Quick trip up the Incline

Azure skies and brilliant sunshine extended their cheerful greeting this morning and the perfect workout for snowy - slushy conditions is the Incline.  So I laced up a pair of screw shoes, donned a running skirt for some vitamin D action, and made a quick trip over to Manitou.  Surprisingly, the normally overflowing parking lot at the Barr Trail trailhead was almost empty.  Made my way around the bluff to the bottom and started the march up the mountain.

Yes folks, read the sign - I AM a lawbreaker.  So are thousands of others in this fine town who regularly trek up the hill.  Good news for all of the lawbreakers - it's on the verge of becoming legal.  Yahoooo!!!

Nearing the top, it was shady and cool.  

With one mile and 2000 feet of vertical gain in the legs, a fellow lawbreaker snapped this photo at the top.

Awesome beauty on the way down.

I love rocks!

The run down Barr Trail was part super-slush, part snow-pack (awesome traction!), and part dirt.  Made it to the bottom safe and sound and continued to savor the awesome sunshine and blue skies.

Caught this little buck foraging in our front yard and perennial flower garden (looks like a bunch of weeds at this time of year) in the afternoon.  He dug himself a nice hole in the snow then moved on to check out the bird feeder to the right.  He was a little ticked off because the BIRD feeder was EMPTY.  Oops, my bad.  After he moved over to our neighbor's yard, I filled it for the next group of visitors.  Notice the buck in our neighbor's yard across the street.  There were also two does to the right of the little guy in our yard.  Couldn't fit them all in the photo!
Happy Trails this week!