Welcome back to Wednesday Wanders, or my Postcard series, featuring one photo and a short description from my travels near and far.
If you are new here, you can find my old postcards here: Postcards
Today’s postcard comes to you from the North Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Just wanted to share this sunset photo Jeff took during one of our sunset hikes. While all sunsets are beautiful in the desert, when we have clouds in the sky, they become spectacular.
We always enjoy sunset hikes; it is the time we hear the coyotes, and sometimes we might see one or two. I love coyotes; they are so resilient, even as we villainize them and hunt them often for no reason.
The night Jeff took the photo, we set off later than usual. The moon would be almost full, so we weren’t worried about getting too dark even after sunset. Though it was a clear day in the desert, as the sun was setting, a few clouds rolled in, making the sunset colors much brighter.
I was expecting to hear coyotes singing at sunset, like I used to, years before in this preserve. I was wondering if they moved on, since I realized it’s been years since I last heard them in the area.
About twenty or so years ago, on an early morning, a pack of coyotes crossed the trail right in front of me. I can never forget the experience. The leader, the alpha male, stopped before crossing, and the whole pack stopped behind them. I stopped when I saw them, greeting them in my mind, trying to look friendly, but not moving at all. I was mesmerized, but oddly, not scared. At all. They were so beautiful! I felt I was communicating with the leader. “You are safe,” I told him without words. “I won’t move, so your pack can cross safely. You are beautiful.”
He tipped his head (or I just imagined it), and walked on, the pack following him, single file. Each coyote looked at me before crossing, and walked on. I imagined them greeting me, like I was greeting them in my mind. I counted eleven of them, which is a large pack.
I haven’t seen a pack of coyotes since. Only single coyotes, sometimes a pair, and only in the distance.
I was thinking of them the night of our sunset hike, wondering why we weren’t hearing them howl in the distance at least.
As I was walking in front of Jeff (sometimes he stops and lets me lead), as the trail bent, I came face to face with a beautiful coyote. I stopped, without even thinking, and held my hand up behind me to let Jeff know, without words, that he should stop, too.
The coyote and I stared at each other for a few seconds. Just like we did with the leader of the pack years ago. Then the coyote crossed the trail and walked off in the direction we were coming from, staying parallel with the trail for a while.
The encounter made my day (or night)! I did not take a photo; pulling out my phone was the last thing on my mind. Part of me wishes I did; he was so beautiful, and so close! But I will always remember the encounter, just like I always remember my first encounter with the pack.
Coyotes are not there to get us, or even to get our pets (although they will, if we are not careful, they have to eat, after all). They are survivors; they learn to adapt to their surroundings faster than most species. So, maybe they are not endangered. But they have just as much right to be here as we do. Maybe more. After all, they were here first. They may be dangerous in some cases, but my experiences prove otherwise. If you let them be and, with your body language, let them know you are not out there to get them, chances are, you might have similar encounters.
Finally, the linguist in me wants to tell you that the coyote’s name derives from Nahuatl. The Nahuatl (modern Aztec) word for the coyote is coyotl.
Hope you enjoyed this postcard and learning about coyotes. Remember, they need our understanding and protection. They are not villains, just another species that is trying to survive.
Stay safe, stay curious, and enjoy the outdoors!
Have a wonderful day!
Until next time,
Emese
Learn more fun facts about coyotes from the World Animal Protection site:
20 Fascinating Coyote Facts That Might Surprise You
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All beings are sacred, Coyote is sometimes the Heyoka, the magical trickster. What a beautiful story about your magical encounter. ✨️🌅
Great post! I'm envious of your coyote encounters... hopefully I can have the privilege of meeting one :P