Upper Coney Lake

Saturday I spent snowshoeing to the beautiful Upper Coney Lake, which lies in a cirque below Paiute Peak and to the southwest of Coney Lake. This popular summer hike is rarely visited in the winter months. In fact we had to break trail most of the day. A welcome occurrence on these trips. Sure you have to work a little harder, but being the first one up the trail has its advantages.

Lat/Long: 40.1077,-105.6246
Elevation: 10,500ft

Ptarmigans at 10,500 feet

One advantage is more wildlife spotting!
A Ptarmigans winter camouflage makes it virtually impossible to see in a snowy landscape! But camouflage is not the only benefit to it's white winter plumage. These winter feathers aren't filled with color pigments, instead they are filled with air. This air space in the feathers provides a layer of protection from the alpine cold.

Factoid:
Ptarmigans can be distinguished from grouse in two ways; Ptarmigan have feathers on their feet while grouse don't, and the tail of ptarmigan is usually more narrow than that of a grouse.

Lyon's Stone Cup Cafe

I have written about the Stone Cup Cafe in Lyons before. I wanted to picture it and blurp the address. This is one of my regular stops before heading to the backcountry. Good breakfast sandwiches, great takeout snacks(Vegan Power Muffin) , and dynamite coffee!

Go visit Them here:
http://www.thestonecup.com/
303-823-2345

Write your representatives.

Summit Texture.

The proposed federal land sell off in Bush's FY07 Budget includes lands
in previously protected areas in Colorado - please write or call your
representatives if this matters to you (especially Wayne Allard).
21,572 acres are going up for sale in Colorado, and 85,000 in California!!
Representative Udall of Boulder:
Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., sees it as a destructive way to pay for what
he considers reckless tax cuts. "It's like selling your homestead to pay your credit cards," he said. [Denver Post, 2/8/06]

Included in this land sale are:
A one mile long roadless area in the White River National Forest that
encompasses Elliot Creek about a mile north of the Eagles Nest Wilderness in Summit County. The Colorado sale list extends to lands near Grays and Torreys peaks, a parcel west of Vail ski resort and land around St. Mary's Glacier, a popular snowboarding site.

More on protecting our Wild areas!