Squirrels on the Trail

I took a nice hike at Roxborough State Park this morning.  The hike was notable for the the presence of friendly squirrels along the trail.  They seemed to have no fear of me at all, although they would scurry off if any other hikers approached.  Perhaps they lacked fear of me because I am so slow moving.  Or perhaps they could sense that I was a kindred spirit, a sort of Tarzan of the Squirrels.

At any rate, here is a plump brown squirrel (with auburn highlights), who stopped digging a burrow and posed for me.  Its tail was luxuriant.

I judged that the squirrel was about 15% fatter than normal, presumably in preparation for winter.  Coincidentally, I am currently 15% fatter than normal with respect to the Body Mass Index (BMI) chart.  Therefore, I should take a lesson from the squirrel.  If I sleep away the coming cold months, I will emerge in the spring time frisky and slim.

I continued along the trail to the top of Carpenter Peak, where I saw two chipmunks.  They were content to frolic around my feet, but got shy when other hikers approached.  Consequently, the following pictures had to be taken from a distance.