Cougar Tracks?

Here in Utah our snow is melting pretty quickly. Laura and I headed out to snowshoe today with our furry boys :)
It wasn't the prettiest day. It was a bit hazy and there was a cool breeze but it was great just to be out excerising and chatting with a friend!

I always keep an eye out for moose. I've taken some pictures of moose over our years of living here but not any real great ones. I'd love to get some better ones! At a safe distance of course:)

I'm also aware that we could run into bear or cougar. Cougars are usually in the higher country and are known to avoid humans typically. So today seeing what we're almost certain were cougar tracks was a little unnerving. We were on Old Snowbasin Road adjacent to the Ice Box Canyon area. The first paw print we saw caused us to look at each other and say "What the heck is that?" It was BIG. It was way bigger than a dog print. They weren't fresh. Sadly there were bunny tracks alongside the cougar tracks for the next 1/2 mile or so. You could tell the cougar at times was walking and then you could see where he'd run. At some point we lost the trail as it merged in with the groomed road.

A good reminder to always be aware of your surroundings :)

Laura and her boy Fred

Me and my boys Koda and Max

Snow melt off and icy creations

Laura and I - the camera was sitting on a post

A bit concerning...............hey Mr. Cougar, I hope you're not still lurking about :)

A good 5" wide ( same paw print as above )

I found this picture of a cougar track online and I'd say it's a pretty good match.

Well, that was our big adventure for the day. The boys came home and have been semi passed out the rest of the day. They run hard up and down the hills and through the trees when we're out.

It's like a little slice of heaven for them and I pretty much agree :)