"If your dog is fat," the old saying goes, "you aren't getting enough exercise." But walking the dog need not be just about a little exercise. Here are 10 cool things you can see around Colorado Springs while out walking the dog.
AERIAL MANEUVERS
The New Santa Fe Trail runs more than
five miles through the United States Air Force Academy and with
your eyes skyward you can see parachutists and gliders practicing
from the trail. From the Thunderbird Overlook you can observe
cadets maneuvering all sorts of aircraft from sail planes to military
jets.
ATTRACTIVE RODENTS
Abert's squirrel is easily recognized
by its tufted ears and dapper white paws. Abert's squirrels rely
almost totally on the Ponderosa pine for its existence. They nibble
the inner bark and gobble buds, seeds and flowers from the tree.
Up in the branches they build nests of twigs. Active during the
day, a good place to spot the Abert's squirrel is along the Black
Forest trails where two of every three squirrels in the woods
is an Abert's.
BALD EAGLES AND PEREGRINE FALCONS
Scan the tops of dead trees as you
make your way along the multi-use trail north from Fountain Creek
Regional Park. Here, along the creek two bald eagles make their
home, feasting on the rich variety of wildlife that are attracted
to this rich diversity of this park.
BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS
A dozen species of orchids grow naturally
in Colorado and the largest, the yellow lady's slipper, is found
in this area. Also known as the moccasin flower, the plant is
recognized by pointed emerald green leaves and shoe-shaped yellow
flowers. Look for it growing alone in aspen glades in moist conditions.
Go find one on the Lovell Gulch Trail out of Woodland Park.
COLORADO'S STATE ANIMAL
There are more Bighorn Sheep in Colorado
than anywhere in America and it is the state animal. Grayish-brown
in color with a white rump patch, the showy coiled horns can make
up 10% of the sheep's 200-250 pounds of body weight. A herd on
Pikes Peak numbers around 300 animals and look for them when hiking
near the timberline feeding in meadows, woodlands and alpine tundra.
Bighorns are not fussy eaters - any of 100 different species of
plant will make a fine meal.
COOL WATERFALLS
Catamount Falls on the Catamount Trail
is a delight in every season and is near the start of the trail
making it accessible for any level of canine hiker. In winter
the frozen surface hides the racing water under a thick coat of
ice. True aficionados of plunging water will want to visit Helen
Hunt Falls and make the hike to St. Marys Falls in North Cheyenne
Canon Park. No survey of El Paso County waterfalls would be complete
without an easy ramble to the Waterfall Spur on the Paul Intemann
Trail in Bear Creek Regional Park.
GREAT ROCKS
When hiking around Colorado Springs
often you are hiking on the floor of an ancient ocean. Left behind
when the waters receded are rock formations carved by water and
wind that often defy description. The Garden of Gods are the trails
everyone goes to for its famous red rocks; for white sandstone
formations try hiking the Mount Herman Trail.
INGENIOUS PLANTS
Many plants rely solely on the whims
of feeding birds to spread their seeds and expand their range.
Not so the popping mistletoe. A slight jostle to this parasitic
plant while hiking the trail detonates a silent botanical explosion
that propells a seed as far as 40 feet. The mistletoe is part
of the rich understory of groundcover in Fox Run Regional Park.
SPORTS HALL OF FAME
After working your way up Pikes Peak
on the Barr Trail - the longest trail to a fourteener summit in
Colorado - you can study the names of the members of the United
States Olympic Hall of Fame, engraved on a plaque overlooking
America. After many decades of international sporting success
the United States began lagging behind other countries in the
1970s. To that point athletes trained on their own with no government
support. Colorado Springs was selected as the site for the new
Olympic Training Center in 1977 in part for the opportunity to
have athletes train at high altitude in the foothills.
UNUSUAL BUILDINGS
The Starsmore Discovery Center in North
Cheyenne Canon Park is a 1920s stone house originally on Nevada
and Cheyenne roads. The 250-ton rock building was moved to the
mouth of Cheyenne Canyon to serve as an education center. Your
dog can't visit but you can see the historic Rock Ledge Ranch
when hiking in the Garden of the Gods.