Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day on Mount Sopris at the northeast end of the Rocky Mountain Range. Mount Sopris, at an elevation of 12,953 feet, towered over the skyline of the town of Carbondale, Colorado, in the lower Roaring Fork Valley. The sun peeked out across the mountaintops, highlighting the vastness and beauty of the mountains.

Mountain goats are the only animals able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle and survive the climate and conditions of the mountaintops. They navigate life at freezing temperatures and travel the ledges of the mountains with ease in their daily lives. The mountain goat’s life is a journey of precision—scaling the edges of mountains while claiming the mountaintops.

Off in the distance, Peter Crane Mountain Goat was comfortably snuggled up against his nanny, Sarah Crane Mountain Goat. At an elevation of at least 12,000 feet, the brisk morning breeze awakened the mountain goats. Pressing his body against his mother, Peter reveled in the sunlight and soaked in the aliveness of nature and its various sounds and smells. Nestled comfortably together, they both stared out at adjacent mountain peaks as they basked in the rays of the morning sun. Across the way, on the hillside, dewdrops dripped on blades of grass that glistened under the rising sun. Sarah glanced over at the grass and considered grazing. A short distance away, the movement of small rocks shifting created a domino effect, and larger rocks began tumbling down.

Peter instantly sprang up and ran off. Alarmed, Sarah ran as well. Within seconds, Sarah called out to Peter. He turned and saw Sarah moving in the opposite direction. Peter, now running toward the rubble, stopped instantly. Mountain goats are born to climb. They have an instinct that prevents them from being buried in rubble.

At one month old, Peter was uncertain of the world, and the call from Sarah alerted him of danger. Peter turned around swiftly and followed the direction of Sarah’s voice. He moved through the cloud of dust in front of him as small rocks shifted under his hooves, piercing them sharply. With blurred vision, Peter heard his nanny and moved in her direction as she moved toward him.

Now at his side, Sarah nudged Peter’s body with her head and pushed him onto an isolated ledge. Peter’s body quivered with fear. Feeling the intensity of his thumping heartbeat, he pressed into Sarah’s body for protection. Sensing his fear, Sarah lay down on her side and urged Peter to come closer. Sarah rubbed her head on his body and soothed him. He drew in closer against her, feeling his kid coat against the woolly white coat of her belly. Slowly, Peter looked back, afraid. The sight of fallen rubble and stones made him shake again.

He looked over to the area where the rocks landed, and his sharp mountain goat instincts told him this was his first experience of surviving the harsh mountain. This was his first lesson about life as a mountain goat. In that moment, Peter realized he had a better chance of survival if he ran away from the sound of moving rocks instead of advancing toward the rocks. He glanced up at his nanny, Sarah, and rubbed his head under her chin, thankful he’d made it back to her.

Sarah created a space for Peter to get closer. He rested his head under her chin while she closed in her rear hooves, drawing him closer to her body. They both relaxed as Sarah extended her hooves to protect Peter. Peter looked over at his hooves and noticed blood spots glistening from his sharp dewclaws that had helped him avoid slipping when climbing. Immediately, Peter became aware that his dewclaws helped slow him down and prevent him from tumbling down the slope.

The next day, Peter was up before the crack of dawn, and he started climbing the small hills. Sarah looked on from a distance as Peter attempted to climb the steeper hills. Although it is not unusual for a mountain goat to climb within the first month of life, it was quite ambitious to do what Peter did next. He placed one hoof in front of the other and climbed slowly, testing each step for grip. He glimpsed over at Sarah out of the corner of his eyes and noticed she was smiling.

Peter climbed to the top of the small slope. He yelled out, “Yahoo!” turned around, and carefully stepped one hoof in front of the other on his descent. Rocks shifted slightly with each movement. Peter’s grip became firmer, and out of nowhere, all the rocks were moving beneath him, causing him to slide down the small slope. His knees were on the rocks as he landed in a cloud of dust. Immediately, he stood up. Shaking, he ignored the bruises on his knees, spun around, and then started climbing the slope again. He climbed that little slope all day long until falling in the rubble made him giddy with laughter.

Every day, Peter was up at the crack of dawn, and he practiced all day. He was determined to master his climbing skills. Peter knew his fear had vanished. Sarah encouraged him by explaining that mountain goats are resilient rulers of the high country.

In the coming weeks, Peter challenged himself to climb a slightly steeper slope. At first, he hesitantly stepped forward, checking to see if Sarah was visible to him. He made it up to the steeper parts of the slope, and on his return, he slid down. Peter felt victorious. The first six months of Peter’s existence ended with great pride and confidence. Innately, he was discovering and understanding his capabilities as a mountain goat. His sharpened dewclaws prevented him from slipping. The bottoms of his hooves became scuffed up like a two-year-old mountain goat. Peter became so excited about his abilities that he felt himself only wanting to climb. He started his seventh month climbing while all the other kids were with their nannies feeding.

On that day, Peter ventured to the other side of the mountain, where he met Lilly. “Hi, I am Peter Crane Mountain Goat,” he called out to her. “Hi there, I’m Lilly Dixon Mountain Goat,” she replied.

“You want to climb that slope?” Peter inquired.

“We are not supposed to go over there. It is dangerous!” Lilly exclaimed.

“Sarah says we mountain goats are rulers of the mountains. Come with me; I can show you how I climb a hill.”

Lilly followed Peter curiously. They both climbed a small slope and wandered away from their kidding area. Peter and Lilly ventured up an even steeper slope. The cool breeze brushed against their faces and raised their white coats. The smell of wildflowers filled the air. As they rolled on the grass, the cool earth pressed against their bodies. They called out, “Baa.”

They continued exploring the path and grazed on grass whenever they wanted to. They explored all they had never seen. Peter saw a lookout in the distance. They both ran toward it, stretching over to catch the view. The vastness of the mountain range seemed never-ending.

“We’ve come a long way, Peter. It’s time to turn back,” Lilly urged Peter.

“Yes, I agree,” he replied.

They turned around, and Lilly yelled fearfully at the sight of a mountain lion making its way down the slope. Peter turned swiftly at the sound of Lilly’s voice. At that moment, he and the mountain lion made eye contact. “Follow me. Run … run … run!” Peter shouted.

They moved down the mountain quickly. The uneven path shifted under their hooves, kicking up dust. They ran faster, breathing in the cloud of dust they kicked up in the air. As fast as they could, they ran. Their hearts thumped through their chests. Consumed with fear, they ran faster than they thought they could. Barely able to catch their breath, they arrived at the bottom of the cliff, looked back, and saw the mountain lion at the top of the slope. He had given up.

“I told you this was dangerous!” Lilly screamed at Peter. Peter sighed and looked away.

As they approached their kidding area, a voice called out, “Lilly, Lilly, Liiiiiiiilly!”

Lilly recognized her nanny’s voice. She looked at Peter and smiled. “I had fun with you, Peter.” Lilly rubbed against Peter’s back.

“Me too. Will we play again tomorrow?” Peter questioned.

“Sure.” Lilly’s voice trailed off as Peter headed toward Sarah.

That night, Peter innocently asked Sarah about the enormous animal that had chased them down the mountain. Nanny Sarah warned Peter about mountain lions, who preyed on mountain goats. She mentioned that, in recent years there had been more sightings of mountain lions that preyed on mountain goat kids for food.

Sarah told the story of a herd of mountain goats surrounded by mountain lions when three kids were killed in one week. Mountain lions took the herd by surprise and attacked from a distance above where the herd lived. The lions cunningly maneuvered at high elevations, making it easy to prey on kid mountain goats. Mountain goats were always on high alert for these dangerous predators.

Peter listened attentively as Sarah explained that nannies normally only gave birth to one kid on average in the spring. A herd typically comprised up to thirty nannies. Losing three kids was detrimental to the survival of mountain goats.

Sarah expressed to Peter, “I know there is something different about you. I knew it the moment you were born. You are fearless and free-spirited, with fierce determination. My son, it is especially important that you learn the secrets of being a mountain goat. I will show you everything I know when you are two years old and your horns have grown in.”

Overjoyed by the news, Peter practiced climbing and played with the other kids over the next year and five months.