In search of... the White Deer!

We went on a hike in the foothills by our house on M.L.K.jr. Day. Joe had seen an albino deer a few months back on his way home from work, and we've heard that they have been in this area.

The trails were muddy, but we managed to only get our feet dirty, for the most part.

We searched and searched, and the cold winter wind picked up a bit.

Every time we went over a ridge or around a bend, we were very, very quiet...

We stopped and had some lunch and then got back on the trail called "Doe Ridge Trail".

And then, Joe spotted one! We ran to the top of the ridge and that frightened the deer off, but I snapped a couple of photos. You'll have to click on them to see the white deer.

Apparently, all animals have the possibility of being albino. Both parents need to be a carrier of the recessive gene for albinism. It is extremely rare, however. Obviously, being an albino deer has its down sides as it makes it more vulnerable to predators. We felt really lucky to see one!

Here's Henry holding on to his hat in the wind. You can see the snow at the tops of the hills in the background. We went home and had massive amounts of hot chocolate! It was one of our longest hikes ever, at about 3 miles.