Mountain Treasures II – The Treasure Hunt

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3

It is treasure hunting time once again where I live. A lot of the mountains at higher elevations are still inaccessible, but I’ve been fortunate enough to find a few places to hike while waiting for the high-country snows to melt away.

Hiking the mountains in the early spring is often a mixed bag of events. Sometimes a cold, grey morning can start off looking like the bottom is about to fall out, then turn into a beautiful sunny day in just minutes. Other times it looks like perfect weather to hike, only to have a storm blow in, and, well, the bottom falls out. It’s always good to carry rain gear and some extra warm clothing along just in case.

As I’d mentioned in another post, Mountain Treasures I, animals such as deer, elk, and moose shed their antlers each year and grow another set. Mountain goats and sheep have horns instead of antlers. These animals keep their horns all their lives; the horns just grow larger as the critter ages.

On this particular day a cold wind whipped around us as we ascended to a ridge I wanted to hike. Fortunately, I’d worn several layers of clothing, including thick gloves, ear muffs, a hat, and not one, but two hoods. I used it all. Meanwhile, Star the Wonderdog romped about with her tail flying behind her like a golden plume. After being cooped up this winter, she was no doubt glad to be out of the house and in the field again. A little wind wasn’t going to dampen her exuberance.

We hiked about an hour before I saw the first of the two antler sheds. I stopped in my tracks and took a picture of it, the first find of the year. Although I didn’t know it at the time, the second shed was in the picture as well, off to one side and in some branches. Not to be outdone, Star the Wonderdog trotted over and presented me with an old chewed-up apple she’d just found.

I held the antler up to the sky and once again praised the One Who created all things, including the deer which shed the antlers. And once again I thought about being the first person, on a planet of billions of people, who got to touch it.

After finding the second antler, I put them together on the ground in front of Stardog and lifted my camera. True to form, Star looked away. I lowered the camera and she turned her gaze toward me. I lifted it back up, and Star looked away again. See Queen of Quirk. I have to admit, Stardog is consistent! And I am so blessed.

Have a great day.