Moose on Franconia Ridge

[hikem'all]

I was hiking the Pemi loop on Sat. and I came across something very loud. I was at the Col. between Liberty and Little Haystack and moving fast when I scared or more like it scared me. Second time in New Hampshire so new with the territory and not knowing about the bear or moose dangers I waited 5 min. and off I went I could see rocks turned over on trail but no tracks. I kept going at the same pace as before and I could here it running up the trail. I stopped and waited again not knowing what I should do. I found mud and a track so now I knew it wasn't a bear. I could see a small track I thought deer but it was to loud then I found a big track and confirmed it was a moose so I kept going. Parts of the trail was rough so I was shocked that a large animal could climb like that and keep going up not stepping to the side. I was at the top now of Little Haystack but on sure if I should step out of the trees so I stood on a rock just high enough to look past the conifer's and a big female moose stare right back at me. It was like it wanted to come back down the trail. I took pic's waiting for it to do something. It finally stepped away from the trail opening and I then stepped out. To see it going to the side of the peak. I never seen a calf with it but tracks looked like there was one. Glad no one was coming down the trail and scaring it back to me. It added to the great day of hiking but slowed me down a bit. 13hrs to do all 13 peaks. Pemi loop was awesome.

 

[sdways01]

I have seen tracks on the trails on multiple 4Ks at elevations over 4000 feet. They do go up pretty high and can go through some pretty thick/messy stuff. They have even seen them cross over the summit of Washington. I've turned moose around while hiking up high, but never been lucky enough to see them like you did.

 

[IQuest]

They seem to like the ridge trails. I have seen backpack loads of poop along theKilkenny Ridge, Kinsman Ridge, & Howker Ridge Trails. Probably because in that area the hiking trails are the path of least resistance.

 

[Lefty E]

Saw Star the female moose on the Pine Link Trail, as I was descending Madison March 2013; also we ran into a young bull on Madison Gulf Trail Oct 2013 at a ladder where he could not climb it...so he "jumped" off the left side of the trail and crashed through blowdowns, amazing strength and he looked like he was not injured as he ran down a small brook...he could have decided to run us over...

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Carter-Moriah trail can be a minefield of moose poop as well, north of Zeta Pass especially.



Tim

 

[summitseeker]

They seem to like the ridge trails. I have seen backpack loads of poop along theKilkenny Ridge, Kinsman Ridge, & Howker Ridge Trails. Probably because in that area the hiking trails are the path of least resistance.

LOL. The Howker Poop Den we encountered was a gardener's dream come true, fertilizer for years. I have never seen a collection of manure like that before in the wild.

Howker Ridge Trail:
Trail Conditions: Wet rock, Dry Rock, Snow, Poop (Unavoidable).

I ran into my first Black Bear today on the ridge approaching the North Summit of Pawtuckaway. It was a juvenille judging by its size, thank fully not a cub with an angry momma. It is strange how every once in a while you have a close encounter in a seemingly unlikely place.

The first time I hiked Mt. Field I saw a massive print in the mud of a very large moose. I am thankful that we didn't come face to face on any of the sthe narrow areas of the trail.

Z
Be well,

Z

 

[VT_Wampa]

I see piles of Moose droppings on Mt. Mansfield all the time above 3,500-4,000ft. TONS of it along ridges when bushwhacking.

Someone told me they come up to higher elevation to poop, true???

 

[peakbagger]

One year during early spring, the path between North and South Twin was paved with moose poop. There was no option to go around it.

 

[Scubahhh]

Ran into one a couple years ago on The south peak of Moosialuke. The Ali's about a foot wide with dnse spruce on both sides. I was coming down; he was going up. Hmmm...

 

[Grey J]

I will just add my 2 cents to IQuest and summitseeker's comments about moose poop on Howker Ridge Trail. I was there last August and if memory serves me well, it was most plentiful on 2nd Howk. My one and only moose sighting on a NH trail was on a rainy Sunday in 2011 on the Mt Tecumseh Trail coming in from Tripoli Rd at the first saddle where the trail turns left. Big fella, not interested in me at all.

 

[Rudolph]

Camped at the Log Cabin on the side of Adams several years ago and a young moose came by around at dusk every night and checked us out. Pretty cool. Just walked by the porch and looked at us out of the corner of his eye and then turned around in the trees and stared at us for a few minutes.

And I agree with many of the comments. There is moose poop up higher than many people would think, well over 4000'.

 

[wardsgirl]

One year during early spring, the path between North and South Twin was paved with moose poop. There was no option to go around it.

1994... and it lasted up there for nearly a decade. I was the trail adopter

 

[woodstrider]

Sounds like an awesome experience. Had one or two myself with Moose on the trail up high and not expected. Always felt like s*******g myself. We always seemed to want to escape from each other and run for our lives. :-D

 

[peakbagger]

Hard to beat Chimney Pond or Russell Pond for moose encounters. After dark you are just as likely to meet a moose along a path as a person. There are usually resident moose that bed down in the campgrounds.

I don't know what someone would feed a baby moose but I have one come begging in front of my leanto in the past.

 

[surf88]

One theory is that they go to the ridge to eat the new growth on the spruce. Since the spruce are shorter on and near the windswept summits and alpine zones its easier for them to chow on the new growth.

Nice job on the 13 in 13 hours!

 

[Tom Rankin]

I doubt they go up there to poop, more likely they just like the cooler temps, breezes, just like us.