Sept 20 - Lake Solitude (BCC)

 Sunny day with highs in the low 70s.

Heading up BCC to hike somewhere around Brighton area. Didn't know where until I pulled into an empty Silver Lake parking lot. The plan is to do the loop but we'll see, I'm interested in getting my porch finished.

Empty boardwalk this morning. It's in the low 40s and sun still rising. The leaves are starting to turn here in spots. By next week-end...

Quiet walk around the lake.

There's one duck and I do find the beaver in the middle of the lake. The pier on the opposite side gets me pretty close.

I head up the trail towards Lake Solitude.

I run into a doe downhill very early. She's basking in the sunlight and having breakfast.

Followed by a lone spike buck also on the downhill side. Just got a glimpse of him as he ran off.

I also see a moose print on the trail - could one be around?

Just before the lift, I meet a doe and baby standing on the trail.

 They head downhill and are followed by a bigger buck. (Wow! Two buck in a single day; that's got to be a record for me.)

At the little rockslide, I see a Pika. She's away from her huge veg pile.

While watching the Pika, I meet a doe and two babies. The babies stop for a feed. While feeding, she actually starts heading in my direction. She stops short. I wait for her to move off but she's just feeding. I move her along as I continue forward.

Oh, as I'm watching the deer, I hear veg dragging to my left. It's the Pika moving leaves up her veg pile. She's sitting on top. Queen of the mountain!

I reach the Lake and it's quiet here. I check for deer or moose and find nothing. I don't even see any ducks.

Now the dilemma, to go up or not. Well, there's only a few weeks before the snow arrives so I should go up but like last week, just not feeling it. But I start around anyway. On the other side, I change my mind and decide to head back and up to the switchback.

Quiet trip back, I do run into 2 more deer closer to the switchback trail so I think they are not repeats. 

That brings the deer total for the day to 10. Two buck and 3 babies. Awesome!

I reach the switchback trail and head up. When I arrive there is a Pika on the downhill side. I continue along to the other part of the rockslide looking for Marmot. No Marmot today.

I head back to the Pika and take a break on a rock. I get to listen to chirping Pika on all sides of me. Pretty cool!


Time to head out!

Awesome day!

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