My Colorado

Wildlife Tales
                                                by Karleen Dewey

I stand still, awed by a handsome bull elk. The crisp snow glistens in contrast to the azure Colorado sky. The busyness of my life in the city is forgotten. I feel an inner thrill at the sight of a huge wild creature. For a quiet moment, this pristine scene takes me back to a land first enjoyed by Native Americans.

While many folks enjoy our state by skiing, climbing and bicycling, I have chosen a less energetic form of recreation that I share with my family. My joy is found in wildlife sightings. Past family wildlife sightings are the stories my children now share with their children around the dinner table.

Tales are told as if they happened yesterday. "Remember the time we saw a black bear run across the meadow?" "Remember the time we found a raccoon hanging by his toes in a trash can?" "How about the time we were startled by a mountain lion leaping out of a tree?" The eyes of my grandchildren widen with each story. Laughter follows as we tell of these serendipitous times.

Wildlife sightings connect me to a hidden Colorado far beyond tall buildings and freeways. In the fall, when the aspen twinkle with gold, I imagine a rendezvous of mountain men sitting around a warming campfire. Weathered men telling tales of close encounters in the wilderness. Their exciting stories are passed onto others and eventually become Colorado recorded history.

After living in Colorado for 45 years, I am still amazed by the wildlife and gigantic snow-covered peaks.

During a hike with my grandchildren in Rocky Mountain National Park, I keep a watchful eye. Suddenly I whisper, "Shhh, stand still. Look over there… by the edge of the trees…a doe with her twin fawns!"

Now a new generation will have a delightful tale to tell.

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