Sunday, April 20, 2008

Schlepp Conquers the Faulty Trail / Terrance is Back

Today Schlepp, Kent, Ric, and Karl went up to Tijeras and followed the Lower Faulty Trail until it met the Upper Faulty Trail and then returned by the South Crest Trail. 4.3 miles and about 1000' of elevation. Kent lent the furry one his camera. Perhaps tomorrow Kent will e-mail the resulting photo this way.

Meanwhile, Terrance has responded to the near-80 degree weather and started rumbling about. He passed on a plate of strawberries and a dish of water, but not to worry -- he weighs 12-½ oz. That turns out to be exactly what he weighed last Oct. 6th when he was last weighed right before he hibernated. After I took him off the scales, he scampered into the Vinca and hung out at the edge of the porch for awhile. But now he's scooted off deeper into the tangle of vegetation and is nowhere to be seen. TTFN, Terrance.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Terrance Spring Update

Its April 19 and Schlepp has been worrying about Terrance. Last year he was up and about by mid-April, but this year he's nowhere to be seen. Well, as bears are wont to do, he rustled around in the leaves under the Vinca where he'd seen Terrance burrowing in last October. Sure enough, just under the surface was Terrance, all squinty-eyed and sleepy but OK. He had turned himself around from last fall when he was about 6" deep and was only under the very loose leaves lying on top of the ground. Suspect he'll be up and around one of these days when he decides its safe and warm enough to come out.

The last two years he dug in within 15' of the swimming pool. Schlepp thinks that when Karl turned on the pool heater in early April those years, it warmed up the ground and got Terrance jump started. For now, he's in a safe place and we're glad to know he made it through the winter.