Nose to the Ground As a kid, Marty Colón spent his days studying
tracks in the tacky sands of Lake Michigan’s shore. He would
find a track, identify the animal that made it, then follow its
path up and down the beach. That’s a pretty great childhood.
Essentially, Marty is still following the tracks of his
childhood. Now, however, he’s tracking mammals big and small and
teaching others the rewards of observing the signs, scats, and
tracks beneath their feet. There are stories imprinted in the
soil. While you’re sleeping, when you’re not around, when you’re
at work in the city, animals are roaming the woods, riverbanks,
and alpine tundra. If you never see these animals, it doesn’t
mean they don’t exist—or that you can’t unravel the mystery of
their behavior. Tracking offers an extension to what we see.
With a bit of patience, an investigative method, and dirt on
your knees, you can figure out what animal it was that went down
the trail before you. Marty has been teaching tracking skills
for 30 years. He’s honed