But as we started underway we noticed something. The air felt strangely colder somehow, even more than normal. My hands were getting cold, despite the electric handwarmers on the snowmachine being on full blast. My face was getting cold through my helmet - in fact the bridge of my nose was even beginning to hurt from the contact between it and my frozen facemask - which was INSIDE my helmet, completely shielded from the wind. Even my feet were feeling it through my Sorel boots, which had not yet happened...something was up. At our first stop to check two sets, Sarah and I both expressed our surprise at what we were feeling. It seemed COLD! We continued on, making it to the carcass pile "bait station" from a few posts ago, where I got the Cherry red Fox. There are four open 'trails' to the bait pile that I left when constructing the set. When building the wall of brush surrounding the bait pile, I left these intended routes open, except, of course, for the snare in each one. Upon approaching the scene, I noticed first whack that there was a snare hanging-wire that was bare, sticking out from the tree in the second path to the left that I had made into the pile. "That's strange", I thought. But upon looking closer, I saw that the snare cable was leading from its anchor tree down into the snow, which unfortunately is not deep enough to conceal any furbearers, except maybe a weasel. So I thought maybe the moose had been back and trampled my snares again. But then I saw that the next snare to the left was not hanging anymore either. This is all hitting me as I am walking closer....and closer. Finally, I spot the snare cable. it too leads down into the snow...but then I see where it comes back out of the snow, and is curled around the base of a group of willow trees...this clump of trees is about 2 feet from my boot. Suddenly, it occurs to me, that from under the dusting of snow we got a few days ago...there is something that looks a lot like a white paw sticking up...and then it hits me.. I have my first snared Lynx! She was severely frozen in place, and so there was not a great opportunity for pictures, and it involved some work just to get her off the ground and out of the trees without losing guard hairs, but here's a couple shots after I got the snow cleaned off of her:
So, after the fist pumping and shouts of joy, we got the kitty firmly attached to the top of a tote, and tried to decide what we wanted to do. We let Ada off the back of Sarah's snowmachine and tried to let her run (once well clear of the snares that is) but she didn't even go 30 yds, and she was lifting her feet like she was walking on hot coals, trying to run on three legs (or two) at a time....even SHE was too cold. If Ada isn't up for a run in the snow - you know something is dead wrong. We figured it was FREEZING but also thought that we could either sit at home and do nothing or we could sit in our tent, stoke the woodstove, and do nothing. So we forged on to our previously chosen campsite area. It was when we stopped to set up camp that we decided to turn back. It just didn't seem worth it. Here's a shot of Sarah and the Moo just after turning onto our back trail:
The temperature, according to Weather Underground, was a straight up -25, but with the windchill was 42 BELOW ZERO! Brrrr..... -42 is as cold as we have seen since we've been here, and let me tell you, it felt like it too...Oh well, maybe next weekend we can make a go of it...This week I am going out there to cut some firewood and get some sets out, so we'll see.
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