On my way home from Lincoln yesterday, the pull of the forest overpowered me as I went over the top of MacDonald Pass. I turned in to the Continental Divide Trailhead, pulled my bow out of the truck, donned all the warm weather gear I had, and wandered in to spend some time in the creation.
Razor-sharp wind whipped across the mountaintop, and cut through my thin gloves quickly. Slush and snow covered the trail from the parking area forward, making careful attention to my footing a necessity.
Before I even reached the forest, I glanced up from picking the least-slick spot to put my foot and saw a brown shape moving against the trees. Like lightning my head came up. I lifted my bow as the animal came into view.
Big!
That’s no muley, I thought. That’s a… cow. Not a cow elk, a bovine. Boooo!
Snow covered the ground in the forest, but the treeline stopped the wind. drops of melting snow fell from every tree in the 38-degree weather. Several trees brought low by wind blocked the trail, and made picking my way forward a very slow, wet endeavor.
Eventually I found a stump to sit on and see if any deer came by. None did, but the forest made up for their absence. The song of distant wind beyond the trees beat the sound of tires on a highway, hands down. Trees creaked, ice-cold snowmelt dripped, and God loved me.