Survivor

Deep snow lies across the mountainside like a cold white blanket of death.

Many of her herd have already fallen to the cold and predators throughout the long winter.

She is no stranger to the hardships of living in this high country; she was born in this very aspen grove nearly fifteen years ago.

Each year several of her kind succumb to the biting cold and the wolves that prowl these high slopes. With the wind in her face she is certain that no predators lie in that direction. She is drawn toward the southern facing slopes at this time of year, this early spring snowfall hides the green grasses and wildflower blooms beneath her feet. Soon this wild land will be transformed into a virtual paradise for her and her kind. As the days warm and the greenery emerges from the trees, bushes and earth, a new era will be born upon this land. Stirring deep inside her is a new beginning for the herd, a soon to be born calf. She will have to be forever vigilant once her offspring is born, every predator out here will be prowling through the forest searching for an easy meal. She has not lost a calf to a predator in all her years, not even to hunters or disease. While other cow elk herd up early in the fall she remains in the deep timber. When the deep snows fall she heads to these high aspen groves and remains solitary. It has worked thus far, as she chews on the dry winter grasses, she reflects on the long cold winter she has survived. Yes spring will come soon and with it a new life, a new beginning and she hopes for warmer times and greener grasses. ..Hawk a/ho