From The Hills To The Lake

The sun is beating down, meltwater is starting to run and the the birds are singing away – is spring here, or is this the dreaded fool’s spring that boosts our spirits for a short while before disappearing into the fold of winter again? The evidence leans towards fool’s spring, as March typically brings with it, at the very least, a couple weeks of wintery weather before giving way to spring.

Whether it’s here to stay or not, this is the time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. The warm evenings are perfect to set up on the ice for some fishing, visiting with friends and jigging for burbot and lake trout. It’s a pleasant change from the colder winter fishing, where the conversation (and motivation) tends to die off when the cold settles in.

It’s also that time of year when the mule deer are starting to shed their antlers in the hills overlooking the lake, and while the majority of these hikes end empty handed, that’s definitely not what it’s all about. More than anything, it’s a fantastic excuse to stretch the legs, get some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful weather. During a recent midday hike, my scouting turned up hardly any sign of deer – only a handful of older tracks and one set of cougar tracks that had me spinning around to high tail it out of there.

But there were little signs of spring all around, like the willows starting to open up and the catkins on young cottonwoods on the cusp of being ready for harvesting and turning into balm of Gilead. Everywhere you look, spring gets closer and closer to arriving, and getting outdoors, be it in the hills or on the lake, is the front row seat to it all!