First Mountain Hike of the Season

After months of anticipation, the snow has melted enough for us to hike in the lower part of the mountains.  On Saturday we drove up Red Grade Road, which leads to the east side of the Big Horn Mountain Range.

Our first animal sighting was this male blue grouse, who we caught trying to impress a nearby female.  After about 45 minutes of hiking/looking for elk, deer and moose antler sheds, a thick fog rolled in.  So we piled back in the car and took a drive, which was fortuitous since we might not otherwise have spotted this guy grazing near the road.

Next time we are planning to drive further up the mountains and hopefully see some baby moose and elk.  We're keeping our fingers crossed!