The Free Radical

(Only German speakers will understand the joke in the title.)

It began a few days ago, down by the river at first. There were paw prints in the snow that were just a bit too big, running alongside the dog tracks from the previous days. The dogs themselves were intermittently curious about a new smell along the trail.

And then we found this curious spot just off the riverside trail. It looked as though a medium-sized animal had hunkered down in the underbrush to polish off a little snack– most likely a hare. A patch of snow was melted from its body heat, and small splashes of blood hinted at its activity.

I was already thinking cat because the paw prints which were intermingled with the dogs’ were rounder and slightly larger. Dog prints are more diamond-shaped, whereas cats tend to deposit more circular or oval prints.

During the ensuing days, we began to notice the very same prints all along our route, even well up above the river valley. Someone was keeping an eye on our activities in the forest.

This is the best track I could find in the fresh and very fluffy snow. Notice how its overall shape is nearly a perfect depiction of this textbook lynx print.

The other reason I settled upon lynx as opposed to bobcat is because, over the years, people in the area have reported seeing a lynx along the river which has been verified many times by the accompanying paw prints. A lynx is light grey, nearly white, in colour. When you see it, it is very distinctive.

The representation of Lynx as a totem animal is all about its ability to see through deception and obfuscation in order to effortlessly reveal what seemed to be so well hidden. Like Superman, Lynx has x-ray vision!

Secrets are tumbling out everywhere we care to look these days. Lynx energy assures us that this will continue until the very last secret is revealed.

We welcome Lynx on this sacred journey together!