For many Fort Collins residents, Horsetooth Rock is a beloved hiking spot where many family memories are built. But it also has an interesting story that could attract the attention of the History Channel's Ancient Aliens.

According to Native American legend, a sleeping giant looked over the lush "Valley of Contentment," where wildlife (a.k.a. food) freely roamed under his protection. One year a drought hit the area, and Native Americans became famished when deer, elk, and buffalo fled to the green pastures protected by the giant.

This was obviously not a gentle giant, otherwise the Native Americans would venture into the Valley of Contentment without hesitation. So the tribe conjured up a plan to defeat the giant to save their people.

It was believed the giant was weakest under a full moon, and even though a nighthawk guarded the giant as he slept, the Native Americans found a way to get around it. One brave soul decided to stake a rabbit nearby to distract the nighthawk and sure enough, it worked. As soon as the bird swooped in, a magic tomahawk appeared and the individual was able to slash the giant's large, throbbing heart twice, creating large gashes and turning the giant into stone.

As crazy as this legend might sound, what if it really did happen and was written in history in a way that could be more easily comprehended? To put it a little more bluntly, what if the giant and nighthawk were evil extraterrestrial lifeforms battling with a "god-like protector," the tomahawk?

Sounds crazy, I know. But Ancient Aliens is always talking about ancient astronaut theories regarding battles in the sky between gods (a.k.a. aliens) all around the world, so what if this was another one of those scenarios? It's a pretty interesting  theory that I'd love for the show to explore, even if they end up debunking it (which they probably would).

If you've never seen Ancient Aliens and don't understand the whole "gods" thing I'm referencing, look into this snippet from the show's "Chariots, Gods, and Beyond" episode below, which explains it well.

So, will Horsetooth Rock be featured on Ancient Aliens? I don't know, but it should be.

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