Cougar and wolf

 – Sundance Lodge is at the end of the Brewster creek groomed ski trail –

A cougar was spotted today on Healy creek by Doug Connery. I had met Doug descending the Brewster creek trail as I was going up.

Doug Connery spotted a cougar on Healy creek today

Upon arriving back at the Healy creek junction, Doug skied east to Sundance canyon, turned around and was returning to his car which was at the Healy creek trailhead when a cougar walked across the trail in front of him.

I later talked to a skier(unaware of the cougar sighting) who found evidence of a fresh kill, a legbone still covered with hair and blood near the Healy creek trail(his dog uncovered it and brought it back to him). If I remember correctly, Doug’s sighting was about 1K from the end of Healy creek(1k from the Sundance junction). Doug said the cougar did not show any sign of aggressiveness, and just walked away.  Both of them were just as surprised(Update: Doug has given us a Trip Report about the incident).

Jim and Dinnie read about Brewster creek on this blog and decided to give it a try

The conditions on Healy and Brewster creeks are wonderful. Chuck has given an excellent Trip Report with photos, so I don’t have to do much, thanks Chuck. Chuck’s photos

Yesterday, when chatting with Don and Joan on Goat creek, they related a tale of a wolf sighting on Brewster creek last week. Joan was skiing well ahead of Don, came around a corner(of which there are many on Brewster creek), and 20 metres in front of her, a beautiful black wolf was standing on the trail. How lucky can one woman be, seeing a wild wolf AND being married to Don Gardner.

Wonderful conditions on Brewster creek

Parking for cross-country skiers is a bit of a gong show at Healy creek. The downhillers from Sunshine are using it, and taking the bus up to the ski hill. On Chuck’s trip report, he’s described an alternative means to access Healy creek and Brewster creek. The best conditions I’ve seen in years on these trails, yet they’re almost impossible to access easily.

We’ve set a record with 140 trip reports this month, thanks everyone. I’ve added four new photo entries in the Emerald Lake Lodge contest. Entries close on Dec 30.

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