In the Beginning

The gods too are fond of a joke.

                                           Aristotle

 

 Long ago, before the place was called Crested Butte, there lived a small band of hearty Ute Indians. During the long, dark winter months that gripped the valley in icy stillness, the tiny tribe sat huddled together beneath the snow in their cozy Elk hide huts. It was during these months of solitude that the wisdom of the ages was passed down from generation to generation. For back then the children learned first hand from the ones that had learned first hand...their elders. And so consequently, way back then, the children learned the truth.

It was on such a night, still and cold as a corpse, that young Trembling Trout, looked longingly across the fire, at his grandfathers finely worn features. The old mans wise comfortable eyes, glittering in the firelight, seemed hold the secrets of the universe.

"Grandpa?" Asked the little boy. "Why does the Aspen tree lose it's leaves?"

 "It's good that you would ask such a thoughtful thing." said his Grand father, "It is good that you notice the world around you." "And it is good because the story of the Aspen's leaves is one of the best lessons in life."

The wrinkled old chief pulled a burning twig from the fire, lit his pipe, leaned back on his bear skin & stared dreamily at the flames.

 "In the Beginning," he began, the Great Creator made the water, the great seas to be exact. The shimmering water so intrigued him, he next made land so the waters good dance across it....."

 "The rivers!!!" said Trout.

 "Exactly!" Said Grandpa. But the land needed something more, something to shade the sun, & break the wind, something to provide shelter for his animals & peoples...which were still strictly in the planning stage at that time. So the Great Creator thought up trees...it was a very good thought."

"He created two trees, for even back then he knew the value of variety. One was the stately Fir, the other the beautiful Aspen. In fact in those first Summer months under that brand new shiny Sun, that Aspen tree was just about the most beautiful thing on this Earth.....and that tree knew it. It was also during those first, fresh summer months that the new Aspen would not shut up about itself.

"QUICK QUICK!!" Look at me, Mister Fir, see how my leaves shimmer in the wind, see how I sway like I'm dancing. It is such a shame that your leaves resemble needles...& that pointed head..!!"

"The Fir was very 'Noble' however couldn't help but feel 'Blue', but he 'Spruced' himself up, stood tall & said...

"Your right Aspen, you are very beautiful."

"And through out that first summer the Aspen continued to rave about itself. "And see mister fir how the animals & birds squat & soil your branches, & see how they race & scream amongst your boughs....gad how unnerving.....and see how that new thing called 'man' gathers your needles for tea, & your limbs to sleep on!!  Gad, how barbaric, I'm glad their all not bothering me!"

"You are so right Aspen." said the Fir.

"Tell me again how beautiful I am!" demanded the Aspen.

"Oh you are very beautiful." said the fir...and he really meant it.

"Now the great Creator was watching all this, and started to realize that perhaps he had created something too beautiful, for because of it's beauty the Aspen had conjured up an ugly thing called 'arrogance'.

The creator consulted the bones, & the bones suggested the Aspen needed one thing to balance the arrogance....a good dose of humility.

"And so it was after a summer of boasting the good creator was flat fed up with the arrogant tree. He returned to earth, & in a voice that is now the thunder told the cocky tree how it was gonna be."

"You, Mister Aspen, who has done nothing to help your fellow creature, you, who has done nothing but boast, will now learn the lesson of humility. For from now on when the wind turns chill & winter creeps into the peaks you will start to lose your leaves. And in the middle of those frozen months when the birds, animals & people huddle within the welcoming boughs of the Fir, YOU!! my dear friend, will stand naked & bare before the world."

The Aspen, so embarrassed at the thought of it's nakedness, slowly started to turn red. From Yellow to Gold to Orange, to finally a bright red. And the thought of the those freezing months ahead, the Aspen started to shake. Soon it's red leaves fluttered into the wind from the quivering branches.

And that, my son is why to this day, we call the Aspen trees "Quakies".

And that, my son is the lesson, that arrogance never pays."