AndyF
New member
I did a hike Saturday up Moosilauke to watch the sunset and moonrise. We went up Asquam Ridge to Beaver Brook. Got some views on the way. I love how the light and shadow falls in this picture
It reminds me of a painting. We reached treeline to have the trail shaded in red sunlight
with views of the setting sun
and the rising moon
We hadn't seen anyone on the ascent so we were surprised to see a couple up there. The had no packs on but I suspect they were camping as they disappeared behind some bushes.
We spent a half hour on the summit before heading down around 9 PM by the Carriage Road. Eventually headlamps became neccessary. I was in the lead went I saw two lights coming up the trail but they were moving in sync. I then realized they were the eyes of a moose refelecting my headlamp and it was coming up the trail towards us. I alerted the others to the moose and had everyone get off the trail hoping it would walk on by.
Then I saw two headlights from hikers this time coming up behind the moose. This made me think of the Zealand Trail moose that got caught between two groups. The moose was coming up the trail to probably get away from the hikers below when it encountered us. Between the yelling of instructions between us and the headlamps I think it was afraid to go past us. There was no way I was turning off my headlamp though. If it was coming towards me I wanted to see it. It was parallel to me at one point about 15 feet away but then turned back down the trail. Without the reflection from its eyes I couldn't tell where it was. Eventually the couple below yelled that it went down the trail past them. We all came out of the woods. The couple was going up to camp and watch sunrise from south peak. This was between 9:30 and 10 PM and we didn't expect to see anyone coming up. The moose probably didn't expect any of us either.
Continuing down we heard the moose at one point or rather it heard us and scampered into the woods, allowing us to get by safely. This was only my third moose encounter on trail but the second in the last three months. I have to say I prefer my moose encounters in daylight.
I didn't get any pictures of the moose but here is a favorite picture
All of my pictures and video
Slideshow
It reminds me of a painting. We reached treeline to have the trail shaded in red sunlight
with views of the setting sun
and the rising moon
We hadn't seen anyone on the ascent so we were surprised to see a couple up there. The had no packs on but I suspect they were camping as they disappeared behind some bushes.
We spent a half hour on the summit before heading down around 9 PM by the Carriage Road. Eventually headlamps became neccessary. I was in the lead went I saw two lights coming up the trail but they were moving in sync. I then realized they were the eyes of a moose refelecting my headlamp and it was coming up the trail towards us. I alerted the others to the moose and had everyone get off the trail hoping it would walk on by.
Then I saw two headlights from hikers this time coming up behind the moose. This made me think of the Zealand Trail moose that got caught between two groups. The moose was coming up the trail to probably get away from the hikers below when it encountered us. Between the yelling of instructions between us and the headlamps I think it was afraid to go past us. There was no way I was turning off my headlamp though. If it was coming towards me I wanted to see it. It was parallel to me at one point about 15 feet away but then turned back down the trail. Without the reflection from its eyes I couldn't tell where it was. Eventually the couple below yelled that it went down the trail past them. We all came out of the woods. The couple was going up to camp and watch sunrise from south peak. This was between 9:30 and 10 PM and we didn't expect to see anyone coming up. The moose probably didn't expect any of us either.
Continuing down we heard the moose at one point or rather it heard us and scampered into the woods, allowing us to get by safely. This was only my third moose encounter on trail but the second in the last three months. I have to say I prefer my moose encounters in daylight.
I didn't get any pictures of the moose but here is a favorite picture
All of my pictures and video
Slideshow
