I Went For Cinnamon Rolls and Found Foxes
The first morning after I arrived in Estes Park, I drove down to the Glen Haven General Store for a cinnamon roll. Some friends had recommended them as the best cinnamon rolls ever, and honestly, they lived up to the hype.
I walked out of the store and noticed a photographer nearby with a long lens pointed up toward an old dilapidated house on the hill. I asked him what he was shooting, and he pointed out a family of foxes near the top. I love foxes, to me they're just like cats, except they live in the wild, which makes them a little more fascinating and a whole lot more elusive. And the baby kits? Always the most adorable.
I almost panicked thinking I'd left my camera back at the house thinking "hey, I'm just going for a cinnamon roll". But then I remembered I'd left it in the car overnight. I grabbed it, walked over, and just watched those kits play like nobody was watching. I don't remember if I left first or if they eventually slipped back under the house. Either way, I knew I'd be back.
My second encounter happened during a hike to Emerald Lake a which is little over three miles round trip up to this stunning little alpine lake with jaw-dropping views.
I made it to the top, took a seat on a big boulder, and was chatting with another photographer when he looked out across the frozen pond and said, "What is that?"
Sure enough it was a fox. Making its way around the lake, straight toward us. He climbed up the rocks to our right, looped around behind us, and perched himself on the boulders to our left. And just... stayed there. Like we weren't even there. We watched him move effortlessly across the icy lake and over those boulders, completely unbothered, completely graceful. We were just awestruck.
I did go back to Glen Haven one more time hoping to catch the kits playing again. They weren't as active as that first morning, but a couple of other photographers and I watched what I believed was the mama fox roaming the area, almost like she was checking things out, making sure it was safe before letting the kits come out.
And then she looked over at us.
She started down the hill and walked across the street, and out of all of us standing there, she walked directly in front of me and stopped. And stared at me. She took a few more steps closer. Stopped. And stared some more. I crouched down to eye level, and she just stood there and looked at me. I didn't know what to think. I almost wanted to reach my hand out and pet her, but I didn't. I just said, "I'm sorry, momma. I don't have any food for you."
She stood there looking at me for what felt like an eternity before she finally turned and walked away. I wish I knew what was going on in her mind. It felt like she was communicating something, on some level I couldn't quite name.
She made her way back up to the house, and we did get to see two of her kits come out briefly before the show was over. For me, that was also the end of the trip. I had to head home.
I've always loved foxes. Their color blends so naturally into whatever is behind them, like they belong exactly where they are. What surprised me most on this trip was how close they'd let us get. It was like our presence was no big deal. Except for that mama who walked right up and stood within arm's length.
I keep thinking about that moment. What was she thinking? What did she see when she looked at me? Was she upset we were there or just wanted some food?
You can't plan for moments like that. You just have to be present and still enough to receive it.
For a full gallery of fox photos you can head over to the Colorado Fox Encounters Gallery.
