At the end of February the weather warmed quite a bit and the snow and ice cleared off of the lower hills in the valleys.    There was no frozen ground, so there was very little mud, except in a few low spots, but they were easy to skirt.     The open sagebrush grasslands trails in Valleyview Nature Park were fine for hiking on a partly sunny morning.

I hiked three loop routes, starting with the Rim Trail for an hour on the trails.

The hills above still have snow, ice, and mud so we wait a while before hiking at higher elevations.    There are lots of excellent hiking routes lower in the valley.    This route is a favorite, one I will return to do again.

A solo morning hike, an everyday routine.   DAS