a tryst with a moose

What do you do when your husband is out of town several days a week?

I take off for the mountains with a rendezvous with my favorite bull moose! just kidding. As much as I love wildlife, I don't like to get too "up close and personal" with them. I am perfectly content giving wild animals their space!

However Wednesday I hiked (ALONE) from Little Cottonwood Canyon to Big Cottonwood Canyon and back. I was only about 1 1/2 miles into a hike when I rounded a huge boulder. I heard a snort and turned to see a bull and a cow moose only about 5 feet from me! Whoa! I calmly and quietly sidled further down the trail keeping one eye on the moose and one eye on the trail. When I got a safe distance away, I slowly pulled my camera out of my backpack all the while giving the moose a pep talk that I was NOT going to hurt them, I was grabbing a camera and not a gun, and that they didn't need to attack me.

Then I continued on the trail. I walked about 10 minutes and I heard some moose calls and then some crashing and the bull moose joined me on the trail. He followed me a bit. I have to admit I'm not up on the protocol for these situations. Do I continue on my merry way or does the moose have the right of way?


Since the moose was bigger, I decided to let him pass so as soon as the trail widened, I pulled off to the side as far as I could and let him pass. Again, the bull was WAY too close for comfort. I followed him down the trail for a half mile or so. He stopped periodically and turned around to check me out. He would stare at me and I would stare back. After several eternities (at least it felt like it), the moose would turn back and continue on down the trail. This happened about 3 times before the moose finally left me a nice, fresh deposit and then ambled down off the trail and onto rougher terrain.

Lest you fear I got too lonely, I should tell you that the moose was still waiting for me on my return trip.

We've got to stop meeting like this!