Forest walk

Last weekend after returning from Aspen we took the cats out for a forest walk. For the incredulous, yes, you can "walk" cats—they don't like harnesses (although we've done the harness and leash thing when they were kittens), but they will follow you on a walk in the forest (at least ours will). And they really like it, too. They get all excited, get bushy tails, and they run up the occasional tree (it seems like just to show off). They like exploring, sniffing (stinky) things, and checking out new places. However, I don't think they go out very far by themselves. They like us to guide the way. And they more or less know when we go on these walks. Here's Harley waiting for us to gather up our stuff (usually a couple of beers and walking sticks).

The beavers have constructed at least two dams on this little creek, but it seems that the one in the pic (the one farther upstream) has either failed or they're letting some water through. The previous, really large dam they built downstream collapsed (or was destroyed), which is why, we suspect, they built this dam upstream. Because the downstream dam isn't holding back water, the creek is low enough for the cats to explore. They often like to stop to get a drink of "fresh" water (although sometimes the water we see has gas floating on it, so I don't know how good it is).