Today started with another hearty breakfast and we took a long trail walk to Rock Creek with Amy and Nick. The day started overcast so no temptation to risk the mozzies in shorts! We were beginning to feel like we knew some of the wildlife signs and got excited at the fresh bear scat - laden with berry debris. From the scat we could tell that this bear had been eating buffaloberries, cranberries, roots and leaves. We got even more excited spotting bear tracks. Later Laura looked at our photos and said they were tracks of a black bear and tracks of a grizzly bear with cub. The latter was particularly interesting as we are sure they were not on the trail as we walked out but they were there as we returned - that's fresh.

On the walk we had to take off socks and shoes to cross an area of bog that was knee-deep at times. Eventually we reached Rock Creek and enjoyed a sunny and relaxed lunch. Dave got arty and constructed a couple of stone towers without too many collapses. Back at the cabin we watched a family of dark-eyed junco birds feeding their youngsters, and the usual snow-shoed hare hopped about eating the grass in front of the cabin.

Our time at Rocky Mountain Escape was a wonderful experience in all kinds of ways. Laura's no-nonsense hospitality was a treat but it was her back-country knowledge and wisdom that allowed us to begin to feel closer to the wilds and wildlife. For instance, we now know that some squirrels store mushrooms on tree branches for the winter (see photo) and that orange lichen grows on rocks where chipmunks pee! These might sound trivial as examples but the totality of this experience did leave us feeling connected with our surroundings.