Wednesday, April 16, 2008

I'm Getting Spoiled

I had a haircut afterwork so we (Eddie) didn't get started hiking until 6. I parked low and went west. I wanted to go off-trail around the area where I found the leg bone and vertebra. I found the lower jaw bones of a deer, with full cheek teeth and most front teeth. I still think all the bones are from the same animal.

The jaw bones, which I believe are called the ramus (from the skull ID book) were still connected at the very front of the mouth. We didn't find anything else, and we spent so much time exploring off trail that by the time we looped around on the Fairy Dust and came back by Rock City I wasn't going to have time to check out the raccoon skeleton. My daughter decided it should be called a skeleton now since it is nearly picked clean. Plus she can't stand the word carcass.

As Ed and I walked down the path where the deer skull used to hang he looked up on the trunk as we passed by that tree. I didn't slow down, but he knew to glance up there. We heard a few frogs chorusing from the large pond, and saw the mallard pair in a pondish area just before the 1st of the 3 lakes.

Total hike was 1 hr, 50 min, and Ed and I stopped by McDs for an ice cream cone and doggie treat. As Eddie was straining in his seat harness the guy told me they were out of treats, so I gave Eddie the last 2 bites of my cone, which he fully expected and enjoyed.

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