It Ain't All Columbines and Harebells Out There

I'm pretty excited about finally getting 4 trail cams out on the property last month. It's something I've been wanting to do for years. So I head out early this morning to do my regular duty of swapping out the full SD cards with empty ones, starting with the farthest camera from the house, which is about a 10-minute walk down into the back country.

As I'm walking across a meadow back there, I suddenly hear a rattlesnake at my feet! I immediately jump back and manage to avoid a strike. I literally stepped right next to him and he never warned me as I was walking toward him, which is what I'm used to.

It's late October, and it never occurred to me to wear my snake gaiters for the hike. I usually only wear them in the summertime up here. It was an unbelievably close call, and I'm back there without my GPS tracker (which has an SOS button), and without cell service. Had I been bitten and screamed at the top of my lungs for help, no one would hear me, given my remote location.

So I thank the spirits of Lone Eagle (our beloved property), do the rounds on the trail cams, and though a bit weary from the close encounter, I go ahead and check my SD cards when I get back to the house.

And guess what? Turns out that shortly before I kicked up the rattlesnake, a mountain lion passed by the nearby trail cam, about 100 yards away.

And the next camera up? Another mountain lion this morning. Oh, and the universe threw in a skunk for grins.

You know, I tend to play outside when I'm up here. But I've used up enough lives for one day and I'm instead going to stay in and hunker down to a good book and a steep cup of Joe. Smart.

I love Colorado. And I love our property even more. Also, folks? It's a jungle out there.