We've been cross-country skiing every weekend since mid-December and it has been wonderful. There have been bright sunny days and stormy, snowy days. Tours where I broke a sweat in a t-shirt and tours where I stayed bundled up even on the steepest hills. When you head into the woods, it is hard to know what to expect--the environment is so dynamic.

Regardless of the temperature or the visibility, we like to talk about how other critters handle winter. How do they stay warm? What do they eat? Where are they?

Follow up:

One of the ways we answer the last question is by looking for signs. Signs include: tracks, scat, rubbings, antler sheds, nests, pine cone droppings and fur or hair.

Last weekend we skied at the B-Bar Ranch up Tom Miner Basin in the Gallatin Mountains. While we didn't see any wildlife, we knew they were near.

Beaver-chewed aspens near a small creek.

Deer tracks in deep-ish snow.

A few weeks ago I skied Snow Pass and Bunsen Peak trails in Yellowstone. I followed coyote tracks almost the entire 10 miles. I guess the ski tracks were easier for it to walk in than the untracked snow.

Coyote tracks and a little scat.

What signs of animal life have you seen this winter?