Paying attention to where I place my snowshoes as I trudged through the deep powder, I almost forgot to look up. Hemlock twigs are raining down and scat is everywhere on the snow surface. It's one of the colder days this winter and above me is the round body of a foraging porcupine, trying to fuel up and warm up! As I continue to blaze a trail, another porcupine scurries along a rock ridge to find its way to the warm den on the other side. These creatures are out here trying to keep eating and moving on this cold day so they can make it through to the long-anticipated spring thaw.