Hike from Home
Genesee, Colorado
Adventure #1: Miner’s Mile Trail, Genesee Open Space, CO
Intention: observe, understand.
This adventure took place on stolen Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) and Cheyenne land.
Today’s adventure took me through the Miners Mile trail in the front range town of Genesee, Colorado. As of last summer, I am able to call this tucked-back-in-the woods sanctuary my home. Growing up on the east side of Denver made outdoor adventuring a much less accessible pastime. As a kid, I often was unable to grasp the beauty of Colorado and how lucky I was to have active parents trying to show us the mountains. All I could think about was how much warmer my bed was than the ski slopes.
Now, having moved from my childhood home, my parents settled west, right at the foot of the Rockies. A mere, but significant move of 50 miles. I never thought I would live within walking distance of trails or wake up will 100 elk grazing in the yard, but here we are. These past 6 weeks of holiday break, I have made the unfamiliar trails my daily rambles. With the help of my dad’s superb navigation skills and my excitement for such easily accessed outdoor activities, I quickly chose my favourite trails for quality time to share with family, old friends and occasionally on my own.
Today marks my first official adventure of the year (for class credit), however I am grateful to say that I haven’t missed an opportunity the last 6 weeks to break in my boots on the trail. These miles hiked have been the first steps towards my goal of embracing wintertime outdoors. I will say, Colorado’s 300 days of sunshine and expected sunny warmth after blizzards, has made this goal of mine easier to attain than I thought. However, I am also greatly enjoying the continuous wintertime challenges of adapting to wind and ice. These were especially present today on one of my favorite trails, the Miner’s Mile. This 3.5-mile loop starts from my home and cuts through the landscape with incredible views of the front range Rockies and plenty of challenging patches to navigate (mostly due to ice buildup). To ease my experience on the ice, I was introduced to MicroSpikes, a mini-crampon like attachment for hiking boots that mold perfectly to the shoes and allow me breeze through ice patches. I used these on the north facing parts of the trail. While the sun was strong as always, it was windy enough that I could barely hear my own thoughts.
GPS Tracking Courtesy of All Trials.
The Wildlife Whisperer Challenge
As I walked, I became well aware of the creatures that surrounded me. I wasn’t sure if I would partake in the fauna Identification challenge for our class today, but as I hiked past some deer grazing in the trees, I realized it was a perfect time to take on this challenge.
Here are some of the beautiful Native species, or evidence of them, in Colorado’s front range:
White-tailed Deer (O. virginianus)
Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) Scat
Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) from another hike in the area.
Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia Sabine) Tough to photograph but beautiful to watch.
Dead Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) … More on this below.
Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Seeing the dead fox was not a lovely experience, but each of these reminders helps me stay aware of the greater forces of nature at work and our twisted perception that we get to control the health of this planet. This past month, I have reconnected with nature and grounded myself in my values to preserve it in any way possible. I am sure I will experience some of the most beautiful ecosystems on our planet this month, but I also know that with this comes great responsibility to remember how to take action for the survival of these places.
I feel incredibly lucky to call Colorado home, and I depart bittersweetly with the snow covered forest and the crackling wood burning stove. I am grateful for being here and for this contemplative hike in solitude that gave me time to soak up all this goodness. Each of these moments in Colorado have prepared me and excited me for a lifelong commitment to understanding the natural world around me, even in its harshest conditions.
