A Frosty Day at the Mountain Park!

A foggy, frosty day greeted last evening's 3" of new snow that fell on Pueblo Mountain Park. I was fascinated by how the temps in the twenties and fog combined to dress everything in icy crystals that looked like white spiky thorns. Here are a few of the photos I took on a delightful afternoon hike along the Mace Trail.

A Bit More Snow!

We were hoping for more, but we'll take whatever we get. This last storm brought only 4.3" of snow. Added to January's meager 3.8", December's 16.3", November's 11.8" and October's generous 30. 3", we are up to 66.8" for the season. Another 50" will bring us to an average winter's snowfall. Here are a few photos I took this morning of the lovely winter wonderland that Pueblo Mountain Park is right now. Lots of fox tracks, with a set walking across the very frozen pond - and people tracks along a trail. By the way, a blooming spring beauty was found on Feb 2, so the tug of war between winter and spring is officially underway.

As January Ends at Pueblo Mountain Park!

It's the middle of winter, and right on schedule, Claytonia rosea is not too far away from presenting its first blooms. Underneath a clump of naked Gambel oak along the Tower Trail, I've been watching several plants of spring beauty the last couple of weeks - I've found leaves but no buds or blossoms (I have found spring beauty blooming as early as January 18 a few years ago). This morning, I took this photo - conditions allowing, it won't be too long to this year's first blooming wildflower in the park, a sure sign that winter will not last forever. Speaking of winter, the prolific snows of the early part of winter have given way to several dry weeks. January's sparse 4" of new snow was a big shift compared to the nearly 60" we received through the end of December. But, there's still plenty of winter left.

Art meets Fire Circle at MPEC!

Maya Avina and several local artists and art students from CSU-Pueblo teamed up to make a beautiful series of Nature tiles. These tiles will soon adorn the rock work at MPEC's new fire circle benches in front of Horseshoe Lodge. This past Friday, Maya delivered the tiles...here are photos of some of them. As soon as we get a stretch of milder weather and schedules allow, we will get these added to the circle benches.

Students Return to MPEC's Outdoor Classroom!

Today MPEC resumed the Earth Studies program when our 2 buses with about 70 5th graders from Hellbeck and Morton Elementary Schools arrived at the park. Today's lesson included basic orienteering, where students learn about using a compass, and then navigate their way through one of several courses we have set up in the park. The photo with the card illustrates one of the activities they do as they reach a point along the course, in this case reinforcing the tree identification lesson from the fall. It feels so good to see and hear these young people happily and actively learning while spending the day out in Nature and these big beautiful ponderosa pines.

MPEC drums in the Winter Solstice!

About 30 of us acknowledged the "return of the light" drumming around a warm fire in front of MPEC's Horseshoe Lodge as daylight began to slip away on Sunday evening. Winter solstice, the day of the year with the least amount of daylight and the most amount of darkness, marks the lengthening of each day as the sun begins climbing in the southern sky.

MPEC's Winter Wonderland

Winter has arrived with gusto to Pueblo Mountain Park (and lots of other places, so I've heard). The last few days' snow, not to mention the 14 below temps the other night, say that autumn is now just a memory. Snow total for this season is 55" so far, the snowiest start to winter the park has seen in several years. I took this photo this morning: sun not yet shining on the landscape, temp at 2 below, looking out over the park and mountainous backdrop from my property just east and up the hill from the park.

Happy winter, Ranger Dave