COAL CREEK -- On the morning of June 24, 2025, I looked out of my bedroom window and saw movement through gaps among the branches of pine trees. The movement, coming from the road outside my house, appeared at first like a neighbor walking their dog. I couldn’t help but think that their combined gait looked strange… and then I realized it wasn’t a neighbor and their dog.

The form continued walking, becoming clearer through the gaps. It was a single organism, not two. It was a moose. I called my parents to come see the moose as it kept walking down the road, soon turning into our driveway.

My parents and I watched the moose walk down our driveway, turn into our lawn, and walk to the back of our house, where it settled down amongst a patch of bearberries. This is the second time a moose has lain in that spot in the last year, but the first time my parents and I saw it arrive.

The previous morning, I started my first day of an outpatient group, focusing on coping mechanisms and emotional awareness while hiking Boulder’s beautiful trails. Stopping at a small bridge on Marshall-Mesa, our group talked about moose and their more frequent prevalence in mountain environments.

During that train of thought, I remembered the previous time my parents and I saw a moose lying in that exact spot. I remembered a moment when I saw a moose full-on running down the road, realizing after a few moments it was not, in fact, a massive unleashed dog. I wondered when the next time I would see a moose could be. It turned out that the answer was the next day.

Clients who join the program attend three times a week for eight weeks, and as of this article, I have just finished my fifth week. Through these hikes, my love and passion for the wilderness have been completely reignited. For me, that’s been the most healing aspect of all.

I suppose it’s fitting that the midway point of this personal journey also happens to be amid Wild about Wildlife Month, which I had never even heard of until this year. The International Fund for Animal Welfare first designated July as Wild about Wildlife Month in 1984, creating a month of awareness for the threats to our planet’s ecosystems.

I’ve always stressed the importance of awareness of our natural world, no matter the time of the year. However, until this past month, I forgot how all-encompassing nature can be. I forgot how grounding it can be, and I forgot how the beauty of our planet can bring so much individual and collective joy.

From the age of five, I attended day camps hosted by Nederland’s own Wild Bear Nature Center. Starting with day camps in Chatauqua, I saw the center evolve from its location in a science room in the town’s elementary school into its own dedicated building in the Caribou Village Shopping Center.

As a camper, I’ve hiked dozens of times through trails across the Peak to Peak area, waded knee-deep through the waters of Mud Lake to catch larvae and crayfish, and spent mornings and early afternoons fly-fishing for trout.

As a volunteer, I’ve shared knowledge of the center and its in-house animals as a docent, and I’ve guided families through enchanted forests as a tour guide. Watching the center continue to grow and build an even more expansive nature center on its own stretch of property has been nothing short of rewarding.

More than anything else, though, that center served as a primary fuel for my passion for animals. I’ve always loved animals, watching educational programs from a young age, constantly carrying around wildlife fact books, and touting myself as an “animal expert.” Heading out on the trails with groups in Wild Bear to experience nature directly only fueled my passion for it.

As I absorbed myself more into the arts, as my life got busier, and as the COVID-19 pandemic shut everyday routines down, I found myself distanced from my passion for nature and wildlife. It never completely disappeared, but it most certainly faded.

Recently, I’ve found myself able to absorb nature more. I’ve taken more time to sit and stare out into the night sky, and I’ve allowed myself to focus more on the immediate image of nature surrounding me instead of swirling thoughts in my head.

As a part of this hiking program, I’ve finally found the motivation to get out in nature and appreciate the natural world again. My passion for animals has been jump-started. So many memories associated with wildlife, facts I learned or sightings I’ve made, have been unlocked as I observe new things on each trail. I’m once again making the effort to notice what’s around me instead of staying stuck in my own thoughts.

More than ever, I’ve realized how truly revitalizing it is to step outside and embrace your environment. With our world feeling so uncertain nowadays, it’s increasingly important to immerse ourselves in surroundings separated from civilization.

Take time to go outside and appreciate the planet we live on. Appreciate the scenery. Appreciate the fresh air. Of course, most of all, always appreciate the incredible wildlife.

Living in such an expansive mountain landscape, you never know what fauna might show up. Always keep your eyes open, and who knows? When you least expect it, you might even see a moose lying in your yard, enjoying the natural beauty of the mountains as much as you are.