Passing Through

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Sometimes it is really easy to forget that we work at a nature preserve. Six elk grazing in the deep snow on the far end of Hallam Lake can remind you that there are plenty of animals passing through. My coworker Lindsay Gurley spotted these Elk from about 250 yards away with her keen vision. After work I went home to grab my camera and headed right back to Hallam Lake in the fading light. I headed along the Roaring Fork River and tried my best to silently walk through three feet of snow. After stepping into a foot of swamp mud I made it to an observation deck that hasn’t been shoveled since November. From the platform I could see the elk through a thicket of willows about 100 yards to my left. The elk were grazing and suddenly started to move, I can only assume that the elk caught my scent. The amount of noise I was making most likely gave them a hint as well. They rounded the corner about 60 yards in front of me and came into the viewfinder of my camera. As the elk passed they gave a quick glance and continued on to the back of the preserve. This is where we parted ways; I didn’t want to be a thorn in their side anymore. It is a nature preserve after all.

Rounding the Corner

The name wapiti is from the Shawnee and Cree language and, means “white rump”

Jumping the creek, saying goodbye

 

~Howie Kuhn