Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Eighty Mountain Hike

 

Jim, Boonie, and I climbed a mountain yesterday, beginning with a couple of miles on the Continental Divide Trail, then an uphill, rocky, trek to the summit of Eighty Mountain.

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It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, and we got to meet this sweet little service dog, Penelope, along the trail.

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While eating a snack at the top, I saw something come out of a crevice in the rocks. It was the highlight of our hike, watching this guy and trying to get photos without frightening it.

Meet a Crevice Spiny Lizard, also known as Sceloporus poinsettii.

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We had a hard time identifying it by pictures on the internet, so Jim emailed a photo to a herpetologist, who was kind enough to respond.

So take a hike, you never know what you might encounter.

5 comments:

  1. Neat lizard! It reminded me of my pet iguana "Buddie".

    I would love to go hiking if only it would stop raining/snowing here.

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  2. Bet that little guy made your day! Interesting the wonders of nature that are out there to find! :c)

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  3. Great photos of the lizard - it's a beauty. I can imagine you guys sitting so still and quiet clicking away! You are right, I never know what I'm going to see when I start a walk, but if it's something special, it's always a bird. I'd love to see a nice lizard like that.

    BTW, I couldn't comment on your post - I had to open the Comment link into a new screen to comment.

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  4. The highlite of your hike was a feaking lizard? Too much vegan pizza and IPA.

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