Book Preview Cozy As A Fox

As some of you may know I am currently writing a book about the experiences I have had in and with Nature. The book is comprised of stories such as the one below (first draft) and chapters that give useful information on being in Nature from my own experiences. The book will be filled with the photographs that are part of the stories. Some have called me "Dr. Dolittle" or " Grizzly Adams" because of the connection and closeness I experience with wildlife. It the not too distant future you will have a chance to help me publish the book but more on that another time.

There are times in life when you just feel like you have struck gold or won the lottery. This story is one of those times when that was the case an still today I have the same feeling. It is a rare thing to come across a person or an animal that you know just was meant to be in your life and that no matter the time apart that the next time you see each other it will be just as wonderful as the last and that it will seem as time has not past at all. A truly blessed feeling you treasure forever.

I was traveling with my friend Naomi the first time I met the pair of foxes in Crawford Notch on the start of Crawford Path. The male was not shy as he was out in plain sight to be seen. I immediately started talking to him and he was extremely curious. It was pretty clear he had found that hikers have food and that he was cute enough to get some if he just looked cute and he did that very well. I didn't have anything but my camera so I was just talking and taking pictures and he was sniffing the air to try and get a whiff of something delicious that I could offer. You tell there was some disappointment that he couldn't smell anything. He turned and walked towards a tree and decided to settle down beside it. I was being given the puppy eyes and was quickly falling in love.

I felt bad and then out of the corner of my eyes I saw her and knew that she was something truly special. She was staying just out of direct sight but now that I had seen her I knew she was around and could find her soft gentle eyes upon me. I pointed her out to Naomi but she had seen her too and we both just stood there and enjoyed her playing peek-a-boo with us. I snapped a few pictures.

I believe these two are brother and sister and part of generations of a fox family that is known to live in that area of the mountains. There is plenty of food in the wild for them to eat but there is also a line of hikers traveling trails almost every day of the year so free food is available too. It isn't recommended to feed wild animals for many reasons but that is a point I will not debate one way or the other here. The simple fact is these fox have been fed for years by hikers and others.

We had been with them for probably a good half hour now and it was clear they were comfortable with us and we of course were enjoying them. I decided to pull out a few shelled peanuts and sit on the ground. As soon as I sat the male got up and came closer to me but not close enough to not be able to get away quickly. It was great to see they still had a fear of humans. The female came out of the forest but not any closer and she was not interested in getting any closer then she was at that point. About thirty yards away and never any closer.

I tossed a few shelled peanuts towards the male and he quickly grabbed them up. I look at the female and was talking to her but she was not interested in coming to get the food. She was weary of the whole thing a d that truly is a good thing. The male kept his distance but wanted more and was playful in trying to get my attention. A few more were tossed to him and then time just sitting and observing.

The female seemed to disappear but then popped out of the woods from behind the male and tapped at him as she sniffed the ground. I made a move to toss some for her but she bolted as soon as I moved. She was a timid one and that was fine but it also explained why she was smaller than the male. She was not aggressive in taking steps to get her free handouts. This was a good thing in that not every human will feed them, not every human feels comfortable with wildlife near them, and if they became dependent on humans for food then they could become a nuisance and have to be moved somewhere less populated. So many things play into this but in general on the hiking trails most would consider it a treat to see wildlife and have a fox come around.

In fact one of the main draws on a few trails is the Gray Jays that meet hikers at known rest areas to try to grab a bit to eat. They will eat from your hand! This behavior is now part of their life and is passed down generation to generation just like I believe has happened with the fox that live near the trails around the Crawford Notch Highland Center. And over the years though things have changed in the area as humans have built more and more homes to go with ski areas and such that Natures backyard and humans have become the same. So the fox that once was only near trails is now near homes and the dynamic has changed into one that is a lot less safe for the fox to look for handouts. I will go over that a little more later in the story.

I finally got up and went to the area I had seen the female the most and set some nuts on the large rock there. Then I went back towards the male who had stood up and watched me. I got his attention and tossed a few his way so she could get them without him taking them from her. Slowly she made her way out and climbed on top of the rock to grab her peanuts. I smiled as she looked at me the whole time she was eating. As soon as she consumed the nuts she jumped down and was off out of sight again.

That was it for giving them food. We just enjoyed watching them as they began to play chase and hide n seek it seemed. After they were done with that it was time for naps. The male was fairly close to us and the female was at a very safe distance and in a spot where she could quickly disappear but for now was in easy view of us.

The sun was setting and it was lighting the male fox in a perfect way that it looked like he was wearing a vest and one of my best selling shots was born at that moment. The "Vested
Fox" has been a best seller and this story of the time spent with him is a favorite of mine to tell. The female was also in some great light and shots of her were taken too but the male was just glowing.

Soon it was time to leave as it was getting dark out and the fox can see well at night but Naomi and I were not so lucky. So with some sadness we said goodbye and headed off with a truly wonderful experience to last a lifetime. A sure memory that would always bring a smile to our faces and a picture that would warm others hearts with the beauty of the fox. A great day that would not be forgotten.

Winter came and finally went after what seemed like forever. I took a drive as I often to do in search of wildlife and anything else beautiful in nature. I was not planning a hike on this day but still went to where the fox had been last fall. I hung around but saw nothing and then poked around a little more. Still there was nothing to be found and no immediate signs of recent activity either. I left smiling though as I was remembering the experience of the fall.

I continued my drive through the notch and stopped at various places taking pictures of rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and even a moose. It was time to head for the long drive home. I was passing near the fox spot and something inside me said to try again. I pulled over and went up into the area. I saw nothing and waited for about a half hour enjoying the birds fluttering and singing around me. Then I heard a noise in the trees off to the side. I stared at the Bristol and saw a head poke out. It was her; the female fox was still right there and poking her head out. I felt a wave of emotion come over me as I felt like I had just found a long lost friend. I said "hey girl" in an excited voice a few times and to my amazement she came out from her spot and hurried towards me. She stopped about ten yards away and sniffed the air. She stood there just looking at me and I decided to sit down at the base of a tree. She seemed to be studying me and trying to figure out what to do. I simply continued to talk to her.

In my hast to go check out the area I had left my camera behind and while I at first I felt a sense of disappointment of not being able to capture the moment. This did not last long though as I knew what I was experiencing was truly precious and that it was meant to be just for me. I know that everything is not meant to be captured and shared with the World via photography. Some of these moments are meant to be part of my heart and part of my life forever. The beauty of the moment is to be shared though the joy I have in telling the story.

She came a little closer and sat down. As I talked she turned head back and forth as if she was trying to understand me. It was truly one of the cutest things I had ever seen in my life. I asked were her brother was and how her winter was and basically had myself a one sided conversation. It may sound funny or odd but it truly did not feel like a one sided conversation. She was listening to me and it felt like she somehow understood that it was a special moment as she laid down and continued to watch me. Slowly though she was fading to sleep as cozy as a fox. I just sat there quietly as first one eye closed and then her second. She was sleeping and I was smiling. It felt so wonderful to be trusted and to just enjoy this time with her. No camera and no food to make her stay either. Just a fox and a man sitting in the woods equaled peace and tranquility.

Suddenly her eyes popped open and she stood. Her head turned towards the trail. I stained to hear what she was hearing but I simply could not even with my eyes closed. She looked back at me and then took off into the brush and trees hardly making a sound. Seconds later I began to hear the sounds of voices and stood up. A few hikers were coming down the trail after a day’s hike up to the summits. I walked back out to the car feeling like I had just had a piece of heaven on Earth.

I would return to this same spot several more times over the summer and fall but I never saw her again. I never saw her brother either and wondered what had become of them. I wondered if I would ever see them again or if I would be just left to wonder their fate. I had memories to treasure and ones that would last a lifetime.

Winter came again and eventually spring too. My trips would again pick up in number from the slower winter months. I went to the same spot a couple times and yelled, "hey girl", in hopes of seeing her again. She did not come and each time my heart felt a little sadness. Where had they gone and were they ok? On one of my trips I saw a Rangers vehicle in a lot near the trail so I pulled in and talked to him for a bit. He said he had heard of a fox recently hit by a car down near the Highland Center and inside my body rumbled with emotions. He had not heard anything about any other fox in the area but did know that this trail was one that was known for them being on it or around it looking for handouts. He agreed it was likely generations of them and the comfort with humans was handed down and not something new. Fox and other animals cross roads because we put them in their habitat and they will always have the chance of being victims of getting run over the same as all animals. We claim more and more land leaving them less and less which makes our run-ins with wildlife simply unavoidable. The talk with the Ranger was a pleasant one and if you ever get the chance to have a chat with one do so as they are extremely knowledgeable and do a terrific job.

I had a tough time the rest of the day concentrating on looking for other wildlife or truly seeing the beautiful scenery as I was caught up in wondering if it was one of the two foxes I knew that had been run over. I knew in my heart that it was likely that it was one of them.
I was driving back into Crawford Notch and had that feeling again that I needed to be awake and alert. Then I spotted her on the opposite side of the road lying in brown grass. I put on the brakes and backed up. I rolled down the window and she was up and heading towards the woods in a hurry. I yelled, "hey girl", and she stopped and looked back at me. I said it again and she turned around and came towards the road. I put up my hands and yelled "stop"! She seemed to understand and did not move any closer. I pulled the car around to her side of the road and got out. She was hiding behind a bush and looking up towards the sky as if she were praying. I remember wondering if she was thinking of her brother who must have been the one killed by the car. She had moved down the road quite a ways from where I had seen her the past two times. It was almost like she was moving on from the other place in a slow yearly journey. She looked skinny too and when I got out I grabbed some hikers snack and my camera. I snapped a few pictures as she looked at me and then sat down. I softly called to her and she came with her head down and I thought she must be really sad. I talked to her in the gentlest voice I could and she came closer. She looked up and our eyes met. I could see she was sad and yet I knew she was happy to see me. She sat about ten feet away and I did not offer her any food or anything but just continued to talk. In fact she didn't even sniff the air and I have no doubt she would be able to smell what I had with me. We just sat there with her seemingly content to be near me and me content to know I was near her.

After fifteen minutes or so she moved closer and then closer. She was close enough that I could reach out and touch her. I talked softly to her and she lay down beside me. I slowly extended my hand and set the food about a foot in front of her. She watched my hand but did not move and then I had both my hands on my lap as I sat with crossed legs. She was too close for a picture and it honestly did not seem like it was time for one. This moment wasn't for that anymore. This was a time just to be savored with her being close and relaxing. I just think maybe she didn't want to be alone right then. That even though I was a human and could not truly console her she knew that I was also not just another human but one that cared and one that could feel what she felt. I understood and I know she knew that. She finally moved forward enough to eat.

An SUV pulled over up the road and both of us looked at it for a moment but it did not move some went back to enjoying each other. In a couple of minutes the SUV began to move and as soon as it did she looked up at me and sprinted off into the woods. I watched her go and felt truly sad as she disappeared. She definitely knew this SUV and it was not something she wanted anything to do with. I looked up and saw that it wasn't just another SUV but it was a police officer.

He stepped out and walked to the edge of the road and waved me over. I got up and walked to him. He was not smiling and I was not exactly sure what was coming next. He asked if I was just sitting with a fox and I of course said yes. There was no doubt he already knew this but he gets to ask the questions. He asked if I had fed it and I said I had given it some of my snack. He told me that it wasn't a good idea to feed wildlife and that he could give me a ticket for doing so. I told him the story of the fox and I and he smiled when I was finished. He said he understood but I still should not feed the fox. He told me he would just give me a warning this time but not to let him see me doing it again. He said I can't tell you not to be close to the fox but I can tell you not to feed it. I agreed to not give the fox food anymore. He left and I sat back down.

I called to her for a few minutes and then just sat for a half hour but she did not return. He was obviously someone she feared. It was good to know she still feared humans but I wonder what he had done to make her so fearful of him. She was obviously moving and I truly felt like this would be the last time I would see her. I was happy and sad about that. A truly awesome thing to be able to be close to the same animal each year but for her being deeper in the woods away from all the development would be the best thing.

I went again this year but have not seen her. I did hear of a fox though that is in one of the developments and being fed by some of the people that live there. They feed it cat food and other human foods. In my gut I know it is her and I may try to find her but in some ways so don't want it to be her. I want her to be wild and free, safe from all the possible conflict that awaits her if she stays in the development.

As I said earlier the notch has changed over the years and is certainly different from when the fox’s ancestors first encountered hikers who offered up some of their snacks. The notch was still part of the wilderness then and the area still wild. Over time it has become developed and that development has taken away areas that used to below to nature and it's creatures. It is the animals that get blamed for encroaching on the developments or becoming habituated to humans and yet we are the ones who are in their backyards now and we offer them food. This is why it is not good to feed them. We want them to be as they should be, wild and free. They do not need to depend on us for food as that only leads to bad things for them from simply an unhealthy diet to possible death because someone fears the animal an shoots it. Every situation is different and I am no saint in this myself but please do not feed them.

I am truly blessed to have been able to share in her life for three straight years in such an intimate way that I treasure now and forever. The pictures and the story will be shared often. Her fate is something that is uncertain at best. If it is her in the development then I fear a sad ending for my beautiful friend. If she has gone into the wilderness then her fate shall be as it is supposed to be as part of a wild animal living in the wilderness and not a wild animal living In a fickle human World where she is precious and novel one moment and a nuisance and danger the next. Wherever you are my friend a piece of me forever roams with you.