One of my favorite memories from 2014 was when my daughter was home for a two week visit.  I signed us up for a hay ride and elk viewing in the backcountry of Highlands Ranch.  She, my husband Tim and I were among 10 people and two guides on this adventure.  We all met and listened to instructions about the ride and behaviors for when we arrived at the viewing site.  The ride out was beautiful.  It felt as though we were miles away from city life.  We were instructed to keep our voices down as we approached our stop and to walk in single file to our destination.  I did not realize that this included hiking up a steep hill without a cleared path.  With Tim pulling me up this hill, I was not realizing that my prosthetic leg was getting caught in the brush.  My daughter changed positions and walked behind me to clear my leg each time it became entangled.  The guides had all the necessary equipment to lure the elk closer.  Elk callers and sticks to beat the bushes (makes the elk think we’re an animal instead of human?).  Meanwhile the rest of us hid behind bushes not to be seen by the elk.  We were able to view one majestic looking elk across the valley and heard him calling to another elk a little further away.  Finally, the sun was setting and we trekked back in the dark with headlamps on totally pleased with what we saw and heard.  Me?  I was excited that I was able to climb the hill, walk across a large field, and back again with my leg in tact and me in one piece!  It was a great adventure.

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Learn more about Ilene here.