Jack-o’-lanterns light the night at Mueller State Park

Colorado’s Mueller State Park hosted its third annual Pumpkin Hike last week, drawing visitors for an evening of pumpkin-lined trails and nocturnal wildlife education.

The event featured two hikes: a half mile out-and-back nocturnal animal hike, and the Pumpkin Hike, a half mile loop (or a quicker quarter mile out-and-back hike) that featured nearly two dozen jack-o’-lanterns created by park staff, volunteers, and community members.

A park volunteer led the nocturnal animal hike along a portion of the Rock Pond Trail, and during the short hike, participants learned about the silent wings of owls, the echolocation of bats, and about the many types of nocturnal animals that call Mueller home. The pumpkin hike, meanwhile, was a self-guided stroll along the pumpkin-lined Wapiti Nature Trail and provided occasional rustling noises in the surrounding forests, the perfect enhancement for a good spooky season mood.

At the visitors center, hikers were able to meet some owls from Nature’s Educators, like Thistle, an Eastern screech owl (pictured below). The visitors center also served as the polling place for hikers to cast a vote for their favorite pumpkin.

This year’s winner was created by Brandie Hansen-Kretzschmar, who carved — appropriately enough — an owl. She and her husband were camping at Mueller the weekend of the event, and when she learned about the carving contest, she felt it was worth a shot to enter.

“I honestly thought the Viking pumpkin was going to win; it had so much detail,” she told me. “Then, while walking the trail, we saw two little girls lying on the ground staring at my pumpkin, saying it was their favorite one, and I knew I might have a chance.”

Hansen-Kretzschmar said that her creation was ultimately inspired by the owls at the visitor center.

“My husband does wildlife photography, so I was originally planning to use one of his photos for inspiration,” she said. “Then I read that Nature’s Educators would have live owls.”

The annual event was put together by Anna Urban, the education, volunteer, and outreach coordinator for Mueller State Park.

“The inspiration was simply my love of the spooky season and wanting to create an event that the community could not just participate in, but be a part of,” Urban told me. “It has been a delight to see it grow each year.”

She said this year’s event came together with the help of four staff members and twelve volunteers, and Macaroni KID of Teller County provided prizes and goodie bags to participants.

Walking a trail lined with jack-o’-lanterns made for a very enjoyable night and was the perfect entry point into autumn and Halloween. This event will, without a doubt, become an October tradition for my wife and me, and thankfully, Urban said the hike will return on October 15 next year.

But as much as I enjoyed the pumpkins, my favorite thing about the night had to be the sunset views. I’ve hiked at Mueller countless times over the years, and while I have done a sunrise hike there, for some reason I’ve never done an evening hike. The combination of fall colors, the sun setting behind the Sangre de Cristos, and the crisp fall air made for one of the best hikes I’ve ever taken. So, while you’ll have to wait until next October to do a pumpkin hike at Mueller, I highly recommend visiting the park for a night hike sometime soon.

Urban told me that the park also has some turkey themed events planned for November, along with a biweekly story time for kids at the visitors center. The Mueller State Park Facebook page is a great way to get updates on all the events at the park, and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website has a searchable database for events at parks across the state.

Ryan Lowery

Our Common Ground Editor

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