Curious Mountain Goat Kids

I hid myself behind an enormous rock to recover from the altitude sickness. At thirty feet away, a mountain goat kid caught my eye. He didn’t run and neither did I. We faced one another, calm, curious, and respectful of space. The kid’s obvious desire to explore more led him out of his comfort zone. Extending his neck, the kid tilted his head and examined me from head to toe. Then, he started to call out: “Meh, meh!” The entire group of mountain goats responded to the call and quickly appeared in front of me. I switched to my shorter lens and slowly sat up. The mountain goat inched forward, practically kissing the lens with the tip of his nose. This image captures the kids’ playful and curious nature.

Mountain Goat, Mount Evans, Colorado, 2013

Canon 1DX, Canon 24-105mm F/4, f/16, 1/400s, ISO 1600, handheld