11 February 2017, Deer Creek Canyon Hike

Meetup group hike with Kirk, Sara, and Nathan.  Nice weather, partly cloudy, warned of rain in the afternoon.  We traveled along the Plymouth Creek Trail, then around the mountain, and up to the top of the trail.  The trail itself had some icy stretches in the ravines, but it was free of actual snow.

There was still a little snow left in clearings, in places shaded by the trees.  The snow must’ve fallen on the ground more heavily in the clearings than under the trees (due to branches), and melted more slowly in the shade.  It’s possible that the wind blew a little more snow up to the trees.

From the top of Plymouth Mountain, we skipped the Homesteader Trail, and went up Plymouth Creek Trail towards the Golden Eagle Trail and Bill Couch Mountain.  We returned to the Plymouth Creek Trail, but took the scenic route with the Meadowlark Trail to return to the parking lot.

At the top of Bill Couch Mountain, and on the side of the Plymouth Creek Trail, there were many leafless shrubs waiting for spring.  They stood about 2-3 feet high, but I did not recognize them.

Being a group hike, I did not have time to take additional ‘observation’ photos, and I did not take any field notes.  There were a 3-4 piles of deer scat along the trail, though.  Deer are very common in the foothills.  I also heard a bird call that I didn’t recognize along the Plymouth Creek Trail, before the Golden Eagle Trail to the top of Bill Couch Mountain.

Along the way, the smallish green succulents were identified as Yucca (Yucca glauca).  Even immediately after the cold, they seemed quite happy in the environment, the only real sign of growth in late winter.

A quick check for the Yucca also brought up the green manzanita (Actostaphylos x coloradoensis), which I’ve also seen on the trails.  It’s a pretty hardy plant, being an evergreen despite the leaves.

Flickr photo set.

DSC017015, DSC017016	Lunched at the rocky peak of Plymouth Mountain.  Back of Kirk and Sara’s heads.
DSC017017, DSC017018	Views of the forest and plains (pointed east-ish) from Plymouth Mountain.
DSC017019, DSC017020, DSC017020, DSC017022	Views of the forest and hills (west, north) from Plymouth Mountain
DSC017023, DSC017024	Views of the forest and plains from Bill Couch Mountain.  Visible layering on the west side of the hogback.
DSC017025, DSC017026	Views of the hills west-northwest of Bill Couch Mountain.
DSC017027	Corporate facility north-northeast of Bill Couch Mountain (Lockheed-Martin?)
DSC017028	View southwest-south, along the Golden Eagle Trail and Plymouth Creek Trail.  Snow visible on the shadowy north side of the trees.
IMG_20170211_125456	Small cactus along the Meadowlark Trail.