As the freshly fallen snow crunched beneath my walking boots I took in a deep breath and admired the surroundings. It’s not every day one gets to go on an eight mile mountain hike as part of their job. I felt so lucky to be in the great outdoors, with such a magnificent view.
Today we were hiking the Gravely range, looking at various points along streams and plotting them on a GPS unit. We noted areas effected by cattle grazing. These areas will be focused on in future management practises.
Our walk through the forest was spectacular. The conifer trees were a beautiful site with glistening snow balancing on their pines and leaves. There was a peaceful silence, all that could be heard was the dripping of melting snow from the trees and the occasional chirping of birds. From time to time I heard the creaking of an ancient tree swaying in the wind.
The rolling mountains sprinkled with snow were magical. During our hike we experienced all means of weather from snow, sleet and rain to the sun desperately trying to appear behind the clouds. It was a crisp, cold fall day in the mountains. The walk across the Ridge was particularly chilly, while the hike down proved to be more sheltered.
Everything looked rather dramatic with the grey sky and the misty white clouds. The hike was a lot of fun and my hot shower when I got back very rewarding. With winter approaching and the snow falling I am more grateful than ever to have a warm place to stay in. While I love camping nothing beats a bed on a cold winter evening.
We are going on a bear hunt 
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