This is The Cochise Apache, checking out my handbag hanging by the front door's spruce trees (he was on lawnmower duty that day) in case humans sensibly ever think of putting oats in there. And yes, doesn't he have a great metabolism!....more on that below.
Now, this is IMPORTANT! Trail Updates and Reports 2010 will be updated WEEKLY - either my own rides (this year heading south, often on undesignated trails, between the Sheep River and southwards of the Livingstone Gap), or through those being contributed in. So, not just the Kananaskis area but also the Ram, Hummingbird, Wilmore, Jasper and others - if you've ridden an area and there's knockout views, deadfall a giraffe would have problems hiking over, or your own special notes on river crossings, please.........share your treasures; they may be invaluable.
The Best and The Cochise Apache have the kind of metabolisms where one blade of grass translates into half the front field, devils to keep weight off. So, they are on starvation rations (their opinion) and the hotwired electric fencing moved in tiny increments each day. Cunning sods, they've learned to 'listen' for the electric 'click' and where it weakens on the far end of the current; she slides underneath and he jumps overtop - he also jumps over the corral fencing (4'6"), barbed wire (about the same) and also the cedar poling gate fencing when feeling grass deprived. Int-er-est-ing.
Dieting alone's not an option for these types, exercise has to factor in. So, they're both on grassed cutlines, mild slopes right now and long outline trots - where the topline muscles and diaphragm muscles work into lung expansions. Another month and they'll be ready for the backcountry, that's about the timeline I work on, hardening up muscles, respiration rates and rock-hard leg tendons and ligaments.
The muskeg, which is squelching well right now, should be drier then too. I had a report from one experienced backcountry couple who report the TOM SNOW TRAIL needs the equivalent of water wings. I'll give that one a try out with The Fox soon after next weekend, notebook stuffed into a pocket and camera gear for close-up details, so that'll be up on the TRAIL UPDATES - if it gets real interesting (!), the blog too.
