A Moose Trio Joins our Photoshoot

As we rolled out the door this morning, I reminded myself repeatedly to watch for moose because I'd somehow overlooked two moose yesterday, riding right past them. We rode up to the high area where we watch the sunrise, and there were no moose anywhere in sight!

So, I left my bike by the side of the trail, and we started our usual routine - a combination of playing, training, and photographs. The sunrise light was rich.

I played with the light some, facing to the east so that Shyla was like a golden ghost.

Then, when we were deep back in a pocket of the forest, Shyla's eyes got very wide, and she fixated on something behind me.

It's not easy for me to "look over my shoulder" due to my surgically fused spine. However, her wide eyes convinced me to turn my whole body around to see what was behind me. I expected to see a hiker or a runner but I saw no one.

So, I went back to training. I had Shyla in a "stay" (and note that she still didn't look at me but looked behind me).

And I called her to come to me.

She almost bowled me over, running straight into me with wide eyes.

That convinced me to look behind me again. And guess what I saw...

Not just one moose, but THREE. From left to right, it was "Lefty" (the yearling calf), this year's calf (the light colored one), and Mama Moose. They seemed utterly oblivious to us or else not interested in us. These photos were not taken with a long lens. The moose were very close to us.

What you can't see is that they were very close to my bike, which actually was a major consideration in this situation (yup, I'm completely crazy about my Meriwether).

I stopped taking photos, and I told Shyla to heel. We went to the south of the moose trio, behind a series of boulders, so that Shyla would be invisible and wouldn't anger Mama Moose. I kept talking in a conversational voice so that Mama Moose wouldn't think I was trying to ambush her calf.

We made it out to the trail and walked away from the moose trio. But my bike was still near them. I really didn't want it to be trampled. So, I had Shyla scale a tall boulder, and I had her do a "down-stay" on top of it. My logic was that she was safe from the moose up there, and I had tremendous faith that she wouldn't break a stay, especially not with moose around.

Then, I walked meekly back in the direction of the moose, trying to figure out what to do. I just stood still, pondering the problem of my bike being next to three moose. Well, my problem was solved for me.

Something spooked them. It wasn't me - because they paid no attention to me. They cantered, so powerful and huge, into the forest enclave where Shyla and I had been when we first saw them. I quickly walked over and took my bike. I rode to Shyla and released her from her "stay". Needless to say, we got the heck out of there.

Some of my friends have started calling me a "moose magnet". They might be right.

I thank my lucky stars that we got out of that sticky spot without even being charged. I have to wonder what made the moose come so close to us. When they arrived, I was talking loudly to Shyla, calling out cues like "SHYLA COME". I think the moose must have known that we were there, yet they chose to forage within 25 yards of us.

Let's hope next week involves no moose encounters! Happy Friday!