loanshark
Active member
It had been a while since Liz and I hiked the Wildcats and James needed them for his 48, so Sunday was the day. With the recent rain we thought the climb up E Peak from Pinkham might be slippery, so we opted for the ski trails. We also thought the ski trails would have some nice foliage. Only two cars in the lot when we arrived and we didn't encounter another hiker until having lunch on Wildcat A. The climb up the polecat trail is pretty nice.It winds it's way up the mountain with alternating moderatley steep and flat sections.
The views over to the ravines are always good. And today they were exceptional. The trails were lined with some real nice fall colors, but I am guessing last weeks rain and wind took a toll on the foliage.
On this hike we decided to take my sons Lab Dooley. Dooley loves to hike. When he sees us getting our packs in order he goes nuts. The day was going nicely. We were taking in everything the New Hampshire fall season had to offer. As we gained some elevation I began to notice some moose tracks. I thought it would be fun to see a moose, then I wasn't sure how Dooley would react. While on the upper section of the Middle Polecat, I noticed something on the side of the trail mostly in the woods. It seemed out of place. My thoughts were it could be a moose. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so I sort of dissmissed the thought. Not a second later James said, is that a moose up ahead? We stopped for a moment and sure enough a really large moose stepped out onto the trail. It was a good 150 yards out. Because of it's size I thought for sure it was a bull. But it turned out to be a very large cow. The cameras came out and Liz and James were trying their best to get some clear shots. I forgot for a moment about the dog. Then I thought it wise to put him on the leash before he spotted the Moose. No such luck. Dooley saw the Moose and in a flash was running straight ahead. Dooley is not an aggressive dog. He's your typical big slob of a family dog. Not on this day. He ran right up to the big moose barking, growling, with all his hair up. The moose turned towards the dog, put her head down and charged back at the same time trying to stomp on him with her hooves. I ran as fast as I could towards the fracas and temporarily distracted Dooley. The moose backed off and began to trot away across the trail. When the dog saw her trying to escape he ran after her again. The moose was starting to stress a bit and she lost her bowels. She then charged the dog and attempted stomping him when I finally was able to call him back. With the leash on him the moose retreated to the edge of the woods, gave us one last look and vanished. It really was not a pleasant experience. I'm glad my dog didn't get injured, but I really felt sorry for the moose. I've never seen Dooley react to anything like that. It was if some dormant prey, preditor instinct kicked in. I hope I never see it again. Except for more obedience training I don't know what can be done to ensure it doesn't happen agian. Has anyone else ever had their dog react in such a fashion?
The rest of the hike was sort of anti-climatic. The trail had some mud and slippery roots. Considering the recent weather we all thought the trail was in pretty good shape. The views were real strong. In no time we were enjoying lunch at the A Peak viewpoint. Thankfully the hike out was uneventfull. I've included some photos of the day.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/578711166tHmuCj?vhost=outdoors
The views over to the ravines are always good. And today they were exceptional. The trails were lined with some real nice fall colors, but I am guessing last weeks rain and wind took a toll on the foliage.
On this hike we decided to take my sons Lab Dooley. Dooley loves to hike. When he sees us getting our packs in order he goes nuts. The day was going nicely. We were taking in everything the New Hampshire fall season had to offer. As we gained some elevation I began to notice some moose tracks. I thought it would be fun to see a moose, then I wasn't sure how Dooley would react. While on the upper section of the Middle Polecat, I noticed something on the side of the trail mostly in the woods. It seemed out of place. My thoughts were it could be a moose. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so I sort of dissmissed the thought. Not a second later James said, is that a moose up ahead? We stopped for a moment and sure enough a really large moose stepped out onto the trail. It was a good 150 yards out. Because of it's size I thought for sure it was a bull. But it turned out to be a very large cow. The cameras came out and Liz and James were trying their best to get some clear shots. I forgot for a moment about the dog. Then I thought it wise to put him on the leash before he spotted the Moose. No such luck. Dooley saw the Moose and in a flash was running straight ahead. Dooley is not an aggressive dog. He's your typical big slob of a family dog. Not on this day. He ran right up to the big moose barking, growling, with all his hair up. The moose turned towards the dog, put her head down and charged back at the same time trying to stomp on him with her hooves. I ran as fast as I could towards the fracas and temporarily distracted Dooley. The moose backed off and began to trot away across the trail. When the dog saw her trying to escape he ran after her again. The moose was starting to stress a bit and she lost her bowels. She then charged the dog and attempted stomping him when I finally was able to call him back. With the leash on him the moose retreated to the edge of the woods, gave us one last look and vanished. It really was not a pleasant experience. I'm glad my dog didn't get injured, but I really felt sorry for the moose. I've never seen Dooley react to anything like that. It was if some dormant prey, preditor instinct kicked in. I hope I never see it again. Except for more obedience training I don't know what can be done to ensure it doesn't happen agian. Has anyone else ever had their dog react in such a fashion?
The rest of the hike was sort of anti-climatic. The trail had some mud and slippery roots. Considering the recent weather we all thought the trail was in pretty good shape. The views were real strong. In no time we were enjoying lunch at the A Peak viewpoint. Thankfully the hike out was uneventfull. I've included some photos of the day.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/578711166tHmuCj?vhost=outdoors
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