A New Friend

I live in a location that is far removed from the downtown city of Durango. Having only been here for roughly five years, I am still in wonder and awe by my surroundings – and all the wildlife that here. Through the mountains, the main road winds upward and eventually deposits a traveler into a land that looks very much like they have just been dropped off onto a movie set. It leaves most people speechless, and it is breathtaking to absorb the surroundings.

This location is in the San Juan Mountain range.

I both live and work in the San Juan Mountain region of the Rocky Mountains. Wildlife is my closest neighbor. From marmots and deer to elk and bears, and to the many, many birds that fly around; everywhere I look I see wildlife around me. Though we are neighbors and do well living together, I am just merely a visitor renting their land.

I arrive to work in the early morning hours of each day. I often see coyotes, foxes, deer, and marmots as I drive the short distance from my home to my office. I am typically the first to arrive, so I see the building, my office and all of nature unmoved and without being alerted to the potential presence of people.

The mornings are always more vibrate with wildlife movement than any other time of the day. The dewy grass glistens in the sun, the breeze light in the air, and nature is milling about finding their way for the day.

My office sits snuggled down in an area that lays much lower geographically than the main gathering and walking areas in use by people. The rear door of my office backs up to a very quiet, grassy knoll that hugs a rocky side. This area is within a main pathway frequently used by turkeys, deer and elk as they negotiate their way from place to place looking for food or a resting area.

The usual patrons of this path slowly work their way moving from south to north. This is always the same direction. They, for some reason, do not use this pathway to move north to south. It is very curious. Nor do they use this area to lay about for a rest. It is a moving highway only. A pathway of function. But the early part of the day is when I am sure to see a variety of movement and sometimes, observers.

This particular day my visitor was a curious doe. As noted, there are often many deer are outside my door traveling from one destination to the next, but they do not usually choose to stop and create more of an experience out of it. This particular morning, I found myself deep in thought only to look up to see a potential apprentice at my side. This was very unusual, so I took a few minutes to just watch and process the sight.

I continued to gaze on my new friend, and she on me. I did not want to move and create a situation of fright for my onlooker; however, I also wanted to ensure I could snap a picture of her. I decided the best way was to move as slowly as possible in whatever I did. I caught a quick glance of my phone, which lay close to my left hand. I moved with purpose and slow intention, and I fingered my phone while never losing sight of my onlooker. A quick snap of the picture, and my new friend bid her adieu to me. Until another day.