Appreciate Nature

"But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~John Muir

Mala and Tessie

Last weekend, we went on three hikes over three days. On Friday, we couldn’t wait to leave the house after being cooped up for most of the week. We ran and frolicked off-leash as we walked from our backyard, across the neighbor’s property, and into Cub Creek. Cub Creek was once part of a Denver Mountain Park, but the parking area closed years ago due to overuse. The people living adjacent to the park can still access the trails. Sometimes, others park on the side of the road and walk in, but mostly, we see only our neighbors on the trails. Often, we don’t encounter anyone else while hiking there. We always have a blast running around, jumping on the rocks, and drinking from the creek. Mom enjoyed capturing pictures of the pink flowers sprouting from the cacti as we hiked.

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to go for a longer hike in Reynolds Park. We had to be on a leash for that one, but it was still a blast. Tessie charged up the trail despite its steepness, pulling Mom along. Mom has a watch that tracks her heart rate and monitors her active minutes throughout the week. Last week, she wanted to achieve twice her intensity minute goal, and Tessie helped her get there. While the climb up was more about the exercise, at the top, we enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains, including snow-kissed Pikes Peak.

Driving to Mount Falcon on Sunday, we had a rare sighting of a silver fox running down the road with its breakfast. When the fox finally jumped up onto the hill beside the road, we got a good look at its silvery back and long, fluffy black tail. Its face and ears were also black. It was thrilling to see such a unique fox.

We decided to set a more leisurely pace on our hike along Parmalee Gulch and around the meadow. There was still a chill in the air as we started down the steep section of Parmalee Gulch, but the sun warmed us up when we reached the more open area on the hillside. Wildflowers had blossomed in the sunny spots, mostly purple and white, with a few yellow ones scattered here and there. We paused several times to appreciate the signs of spring around us and to feel the warmth of the morning sun.

We’re lucky to live in a place with abundant opportunities to spend time in nature. Being outside among the flora and fauna is exciting and serves as a good reminder of the many wonderful things in the world. Mom strongly advocates for protecting our public lands and often contacts Colorado’s representatives, urging them to keep our natural spaces safe from development. As dogs, we appreciate having the chance to experience the natural world. It’s far more enjoyable to walk on trails than on pavement, and we relish the tranquility of being surrounded by trees. We hope that humans will make every effort to protect the environment so future generations can also experience nature. Mom recommends connecting with your local Sierra Club to find ways to get involved.