Coyote — Trickster and Teacher

Very few animals are as complex and controversial as the coyote

When my kids were little, I took them to a nature hike at Effie Yeaw Nature Center, or what I call my slice of Paradise.

The naturalist, a gifted storyteller, whose stories rolled out like marbles, delighted us with a few cute animal stories. Yet, we loved the story about the trickster coyote the most for his cunning, clever, and tricky ways.

The coyote — sly and resourceful, a teacher of wisdom, has been credited with bringing the gift of fire to mankind.

The good and evil, the sacred and the profane — in the shape of my favorite animal that I am fortunate to see during my runs through parks and on the American River Parkway.