Created 10-Apr-21
Modified 20-Dec-23
2021-04-09 | Dry Island Buffalo Jump PP | 878m max |878m TH (top of ridge) |9.8km | 547m TA | w/ Shannon
Something different, free of ice and snow. I had a little ‘bingo card’ in my head. Crocus, bluebird, buffalo bone, deer, antler shed, dinosaur bone, dinosaur TOOTH, meadowlark, ground squirrel (gopher). So the tooth was a long shot, the antler was technically not a fresh shed but last year or older (still counted it) plus we also saw pileated woodpeckers, rabbits, were serenaded by coyotes across the river, petrified wood, squirrels, cactus and much more. It was a full day and often rambling hikes can be a little disjointed without a destination (beyond waypoints like the river and the top of the ‘dry island’) but there was lots of micro terrain and even a little easy scrambling to enjoy.
The last weekday of Shannon's break. The road was gated at the top viewpoint, which was fine. We took the road down to the river for a start. Crossing the adjacent meadow we saw our first crocus. Winding our way up to the top of the dry island feature took some twisted and turns and after exploring it we took lunch out of the wind. A few other distant hikers were out but overall pretty quiet. Stopped off in Olds to see Garry on the way home nicely rounding out the day. He related taking the family there and letting the kids out at the top of the hill to run down to the picnic area.
© Clayton Ditzler
