Newborn

One of the advantages that comes with getting off the 14ers (14,000 foot peaks) and spending our time on 13ers and 12ers is the opportunity to see more wildlife.

aka: Wapiti Cervus canadensis nelsoni

The elk of the Colorado high country are both magnificent, inspiring and interesting creatures and over our years of climbing the less visited Colorado summits, we have enjoyed numerous occasions to view them and learn their habits. We have come to recognize their “bird-like” calls. From ridges high above them, we’ve watched them graze in the early morning, cool themselves in alpine lakes and have even watched a stampeding herd more than once. We’ve also learned that their trails are often reliable paths to follow through forested terrain. We’ve visited locations where their herds numbered in the hundreds. But perhaps the most remarkable sight has been to find a newborn calf. This is not something you can ever plan. Elk are reclusive creatures and we seldom ever manage to come closer than a quarter mile to any. That makes this sight all the more remarkable. This young elk calf was probably not more than a day old. We stumbled upon it purely by accident and only took time for one quick photo before we decided it would be best to put some distance between us and this calf so it’s mother would not abandon it. 

Photo taken near the summit of Hayden Peak, Ridgway, CO, June 2012.