Okay, so you know from previous blog entries that I walk the dog, Maya, almost every day, down on the trails below the ridge. I usually walk her on a retractable lead when I'm down there. Especially during the winter when those damn snow machines are sharing the trail with me. They come so fast, I can't take the chance of her running into one head on. 
Okay, I want to tell you first off that this picture was NOT taken by me. It is from a National Geographic site. However, if I'd had my camera with me it COULD HAVE BEEN taken by me.But I'm getting ahead of myself.We we're just moseying on down the trail as usual. Inspecting every track that I can see and Maya is lovin' it and sticking her nose in every hideyhole she thinks may house a mouse or better. She was full out on the lead when she started going a little crazy....hot on a trail. I reigned her in on the leash as I approached the spot. Thank God!
She was on a blood trail. Seemed very fresh to me. There's a small bend in the trail at just about this point. As we followed the blood around the bend I heard a growl and movement in the brush to the side of the trail. And there he was, chowing down on the carcass of a small doe. A wolf! Quite the adrenalin rush!! He growled a little more and then skulked away in the underbrush. I don't think he went very far. But I sure as hell did. I'm just so thankful that I had Maya reigned in on the lead. Who knows what would have happened.
I've been down to that spot several times since and it's truly amazing how nature takes care of itself. All that is left now is the hide, a piece of jawbone and the spine. All the ribs have been broken off and carted away by various animals. The hide looks like its been chewed down and is cleaned up enough that you could pick it up. Which of course I did. My curiosity is overwhelming sometimes.I'm pretty sure that the victim doe was one of the doe from our property. We have a night camera set up and there has always been three doe in the pictures....until recently. Now there are suspiciously only two. Big BAD wolf!!! Survival of the fittest I guess.
Well it's now January. So far so good. We have survived some nasty snow storms and we still move on. We're getting closer to having our solar power totally hooked up. An 'expert' is dropping by sometime next week to have a look. Turns out that the solar power company we purchased from has hit the hills. We weren't to sure where to turn for awhile but alas.....help will be arriving. I'll keep you up to date on how that progresses.
