Ed'n Lauky
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- Feb 15, 2007
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As I started out yesterday the trail was in such great condition I was thinking that there really wasn’t much one could say about the hike. That was to change very quickly.
About 45 minutes into the hike I heard a crashing of brush and a snorting noise. Suddenly Duffy, who had been out of sight, came charging down the trail with a female moose in hot pursuit. I want to tell you he can really move when he has a moose snorting up his rear end. Before they reached me the moose stopped and went back to her calf.
I approached a bit and carefully took out my camera to take a picture. I had spent most of last summer doing bushwhacks in the northern Maine woods. I saw a moose on every trip but always from the car. In fact on all my hikes since moving to New England I had never seen a moose in the woods. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of photographing this very unusual encounter.
I no sooner took the picture than the moose charged again. This time she came after me. Out of the woods and down the trail she came. She was barely six feet behind me when I grabbed a pine tree with my left hand and swung into the woods. I was planning on zigzagging through the trees and brush when she suddenly stopped. Whew! That was close. I should add that I was really proud of Duffy because in that crisis situation he obeyed every order that I barked at him.
She stood guard over the trail for a few minutes. It was obvious that for the moment we were going nowhere. Eventually she and her calf crossed over the trail and disappeared into the woods.
That was for sure one of those moments “that take your breath.” I continued on up the trail not realizing that when I had swung into the brush my camera which I had very hastily shoved into the pouch as I ran from the moose had flown out and lay hidden in the brush.
As I reached the ledges some 2000’ above the point of my encounter with the moose I reached for my camera to get some pictures of King Ravine and discovered it was missing. It was obvious I had lost it back where I had seen the moose and there was no choice. I went back to look for the camera.
Normally it might not have been that easy to find the spot of the encounter but because I had studied the area so carefully looking at possible bushwhacking routes, I thought I could find the place. When I got there I looked around and didn’t see the camera and thought perhaps I had the wrong place. I continued on down the trail another ten minutes, but the more I thought about it the more I was sure I had looked in the right place so I headed back and this time I looked more carefully in the brush. There it lay, hidden in the weeds, not a scratch on it. No doubt it would have lain hidden there forever if I had not found it. I don’t think anyone else would ever have found it. With joy in my heart both at being alive and finding the camera I felt energized enough to head back up the trail.
The trip above the treeline was spectacular—breath taking. It was a magnificent day. The sky was clear. The visibility was unlimited and it was cool without being too cold. You couldn’t ask for more.
My original intention was to do both Adams and Madison, but my detour had forced a change. After summiting Adams, I headed down to the Madison hut. It was 4:00 pm when I reached the hut and I was well over two hours behind schedule. Duffy and I split a sack of Doritos and talked with the folks there then headed down the Valley Way. An hour and a half later we were back at the car. I already had a message on the phone—hey where are you?
All in all it was a great day. With the detour, the 4500’ elevation gain had gone to 6500’. I won’t say we weren’t a bit tired but we made it still marveling at all that had happened and that we had seen that day.
Pictures may be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Boondeck/MtAdams
About 45 minutes into the hike I heard a crashing of brush and a snorting noise. Suddenly Duffy, who had been out of sight, came charging down the trail with a female moose in hot pursuit. I want to tell you he can really move when he has a moose snorting up his rear end. Before they reached me the moose stopped and went back to her calf.
I approached a bit and carefully took out my camera to take a picture. I had spent most of last summer doing bushwhacks in the northern Maine woods. I saw a moose on every trip but always from the car. In fact on all my hikes since moving to New England I had never seen a moose in the woods. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of photographing this very unusual encounter.
I no sooner took the picture than the moose charged again. This time she came after me. Out of the woods and down the trail she came. She was barely six feet behind me when I grabbed a pine tree with my left hand and swung into the woods. I was planning on zigzagging through the trees and brush when she suddenly stopped. Whew! That was close. I should add that I was really proud of Duffy because in that crisis situation he obeyed every order that I barked at him.
She stood guard over the trail for a few minutes. It was obvious that for the moment we were going nowhere. Eventually she and her calf crossed over the trail and disappeared into the woods.
That was for sure one of those moments “that take your breath.” I continued on up the trail not realizing that when I had swung into the brush my camera which I had very hastily shoved into the pouch as I ran from the moose had flown out and lay hidden in the brush.
As I reached the ledges some 2000’ above the point of my encounter with the moose I reached for my camera to get some pictures of King Ravine and discovered it was missing. It was obvious I had lost it back where I had seen the moose and there was no choice. I went back to look for the camera.
Normally it might not have been that easy to find the spot of the encounter but because I had studied the area so carefully looking at possible bushwhacking routes, I thought I could find the place. When I got there I looked around and didn’t see the camera and thought perhaps I had the wrong place. I continued on down the trail another ten minutes, but the more I thought about it the more I was sure I had looked in the right place so I headed back and this time I looked more carefully in the brush. There it lay, hidden in the weeds, not a scratch on it. No doubt it would have lain hidden there forever if I had not found it. I don’t think anyone else would ever have found it. With joy in my heart both at being alive and finding the camera I felt energized enough to head back up the trail.
The trip above the treeline was spectacular—breath taking. It was a magnificent day. The sky was clear. The visibility was unlimited and it was cool without being too cold. You couldn’t ask for more.
My original intention was to do both Adams and Madison, but my detour had forced a change. After summiting Adams, I headed down to the Madison hut. It was 4:00 pm when I reached the hut and I was well over two hours behind schedule. Duffy and I split a sack of Doritos and talked with the folks there then headed down the Valley Way. An hour and a half later we were back at the car. I already had a message on the phone—hey where are you?
All in all it was a great day. With the detour, the 4500’ elevation gain had gone to 6500’. I won’t say we weren’t a bit tired but we made it still marveling at all that had happened and that we had seen that day.
Pictures may be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Boondeck/MtAdams
