Get Wild” publishes on Fridays in the Summit Daily News. Frances Hartogh is a volunteer wilderness ranger and sawyer for the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance, an all-volunteer nonprofit that helps the U.S. Forest Service protect and preserve the wilderness areas in Eagle and Summit counties.
On a hike in the Holy Cross Wilderness Area, my fellow volunteer wilderness ranger and I heard eerie cries. Redoubling our pace, we were suddenly treated to an amazing site: two spectacular lynx traveling up a nearby scree slope. We’d heard a lot about these elusive cats but had never before seen them or heard their bizarre vocalizations. We stood mesmerized, listening and watching, as they walked from view.
With snow still deep in the High Country, it is the perfect time to learn more about Lynx Canadensis, also known as Canada lynx. In deep snow, exceptionally large hind paws act as snowshoes. Long back legs make lynx highly adapted to hunt their preferred prey, snowshoe hares. Lynx tracks can be up to 5 inches wide and 8 inches long. The pads are rarely visible due to their furry feet — another adaptation to snowy habitat.
