Just One?

Along the high foothills trail

Our morning hike was pretty uneventful until we were climbing the single-track trail back into the high foothills; that's when we kicked up a Mule Deer doe, who immediately bounded up the mountain.  Camera at ready I could not get a good shot of her until we got to the road leading to the mountaintop.  That's where we saw our friend, Jimmy, who was coming down from the crest and had spotted the deer.  He pointed her out to me above us on the cliffs.  I was able to get a few halfway-decent photos while she stood watching us.  Both Jimmy and I were surprised to see a solitary deer; usually they travel in small herds.  It's possible that there were others who had preceded her up the rocky west face of Tortugas Mountain, but we didn't see any.

An illusory flat desert expanse

Becca and I kicked up this Mule Deer doe as we came back up the mountain

She looks skinny

A look back before climbing higher

A safe, assured distance from which to observe us

Here the doe is watching Becca, who is ahead of the pack to our left

A beautiful creature