Tracking Snow

"Tracking Snow" is something that I'd not even heard of just a couple of months ago. But up here in northern Michigan, it's an important thing. In Tucson, AZ, they let school out for the first day of Rodeo. But here, they let school out for the first day of firearm deer hunting season. Camouflage clothing, deer stands, conservation officers, blaze orange hats.. they are everywhere here. Tracking snow, for those who don't know, is a freshly fallen snow layer that enables hunters to follow their shot deer to where it has fallen.

The interesting thing is that most of the people I actually have talked to don't hunt, but perhaps go along to deer camp, in order to do the driving, cooking, take photos, or just to have some beer-induced camaraderie.

Firearm season starts here on the 15th of November, and yes, we do have tracking snow. It's pretty on the trees, and the ground, but it's still too warm for the snow to have stuck on the roads here in Big Rapids. They are talking about lake effect snow around the leeward side of the Great Lakes. And up in Traverse City, where we were last Tuesday, they are predicting 4-6" of the stuff.

I don't like to talk about plans in here, but I will say that, when we do leave here, I'll let you know. I don't yet know when that will be.