A Park Alive: RMNP in Winter!

Jared Gricoskie of Yellow Wood Guiding is today's guest blogger:

February is generally the dead of winter in Rocky Mountain National Park, but it can also be one of the most beautiful and captivating times of the year. The thought of an icy landscape, bare branches, and howling winds conjures up images of stagnancy and hibernation – though this time of year is more alive than one would think if you are willing to look closely! Even the ice on Rocky’s subalpine lakes that we think of as a frozen solid is moving and shifting as it constantly freezes and refreezes while the temperature fluctuates and the wind blows. The sights of the undulating ripples of ice can transport you into another world…that is until a 30 mph gust of wind jolts you back to reality! Even the rivers come alive with the ice. Imagine walking down the river beds as they wind through the Park’s meadows, catching glimpses of a coyote against the snowy back-drop, and following the tracks of an elk as he uses the river bed as an easy winter route to travel. Embrace the ice!

For help planning your Rocky Mountain National Park winter adventure (information on renting snowshoes, places to stay, and other winter activities in Estes Park) please visit: Estes-Park.com.

Big Horn Sheep - Love on the Rocks in RMNP

Today's Guest Blogger is Jared Gricoskie of Yellow Wood Guiding YWGuiding.com

Here in Rocky Mountain National Park, December is the Big Horn Sheep's mating season. Big Horns spend most of the year in small bands of females and lambs, with the males in separate bands of mixed ages. Most of the time females just want to eat grass generally on a southern facing slope, but for as little as 48 hours a year the ladies are in estrus and looking for the right guy. During these extremely brief mating periods, females attract males through scent and may attract more than a handful of suitors. Females select males on a basis of body size, horn size, and fitness. They attract a few males and then run, much like a scene from a school yard where the boys chase the girls. During the pursuit, the lead male will often turn on the males behind him and clash. The sounds of two rams crashing their heads together can be heard from over a mile away. In the end, the female selects a male to mate with and will very likely not interact with him again. So be sure to scan the rocky southern facing cliffs around Estes Park during the first two weeks of December. For Big Horn Sheep, love really is on the rocks.