Notes from early Spring

A section of the Colorado Trail near Breckenridge

Last week, I saw the first of the red-winged blackbirds by my office down in the flatlands where the flattened cattails lie over the thawing wetlands.

It seems like on the first day above 50 everything starts to appear from wherever their wintering grounds were. Today, I awoke to tapping on the side of the house and looked out to see the first Pygmy nuthatch on our cavity-infested wood siding going for some sort of insect. The blue spruce outside the kitchen window is starting to "move" a bit more with the arrival of the dark-eyed Junco's, probably pissing off the local house finches who have been there all winter. It's just a short time before the pine siskins move back into that tree too. The few flies that have been in torpor all winter and somehow survived are awakening and looking half-drunk as they try to get outside, driving the dogs crazy with their buzz.

It's only March 4th, but the signs are arriving daily - it's spring!

It may not seem warm to some, but it's been over 50 degrees for the last couple of days at 8,400 ft and that makes for some crappy suncrusted snow but it also means that the Front Range's infamous upslopes should be arriving soon and dumping lots of snow on the local stashes. When it gets this warm and I smell the ponderosa's vanilla scent over the smell of snowmelt on the soil, I start to think about what the upcoming mtn bike adventures will be this year, and the spring couloirs that I want to ski. Skiing Torrey's NW couloir, and Sawtooth and Elk's Tooth? A Rough Riders ride in Marin? An unsupported Colorado Trail tour? A Virginia fall colors tour with TK? Or perhaps a New Zealand tour and race for SSWC2010...so many options, how could anyone get bored?