September 9, 2010

Moose On the Loose

Bear Trap Fork is another hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon, in the Wasatch Range. 
Since we had the Munchkin with us, some arranging was necessary to get the little darling settled just right:
Much of the hike was in a canyon protected from the wind, and largely shaded by aspen and spruce. 
The trail was steep, but beautiful enough to take our breath away even when we weren't  climbing. A variety of flowers were still in bloom the last week of August:
Here's the view from the pass, looking down into Desolation Lake in Mill Creek Canyon:
On the way down, Steve and I were marching merrily ahead when Tess and Tim hollered, "Stop!" "Back!"  "Look out!" 
We stopped.  A moose was in the woods, only about 30 feet away from us.  We backed up slowly.  Sure enough, it was a mama moose with a calf, the very situation that can be dangerous.  Here's mama, looking displeased:
We took the photo from a distance, and made a big loop to avoid upsetting her any more.  The calf had moved off into the brush.
Disaster averted, we congratulated ourselves on yet another "successful" (i.e., everyone survived) hike.

17 comments:

  1. What a great, fun hike! Love your photos -- the little Munchkin is adorable! The view of Desolation Lake is absolutely breathtaking! What an incredible place! And, of course, I love Mama Moose! Glad everyone survived -- that's always a plus!! Have a great weekend, Janie!

    Sylvia

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  2. The Munchkin looks absolutely delighted with this arrangement. I would be too on such a beautiful hike. The moose sighting is really awesome especially as you didn't get charged. Soon the Little Darling will be on horseback.

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  3. The Munchkin rides in style - lucky little girl :-) Lovely safe shot of the moose.
    Desolation Lake is a wonderful name.

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  4. Hi Janie,
    I've been thinking I'm going to run into a moose all summer but you beat me to it! There are several ranging over Peaks 8,9, and 10 - in fact we saw 2 in early Jan 2010 at the ski area! There are still so many wildflowers to enjoy where you were hiking. Was this hike near Salt Lake? Great photo of the littlest hiker!

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  5. Such beautiful views and a beautiful (if stressed) Mama Moose.
    Glad your hike was successful!

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  6. Fun story, and all's well that ends well. I definitely wouldn't want to run into that bull moose in a dark alley at night ...

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  7. The munchkin is cute!

    My Mom always told me about Moose being dangerous.

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  8. Action, adventure, scenery, a show-stealing cute kid and a wild animal, all presented in a format of written word and motion pictures thanks to the scroll bar ... Guess I don't have to wait for the book or movie to come out, we have both right here in your blog! :-)

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  9. What fun especially with the Munchkin on board! :-)

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  10. Gorgeous! That's my 'home' mountain range but I've never been up that high. Kinda sad to know that beauty is near me and I haven't taken the opportunity to see it. Munchkin has seen more of it than I have! LOL!

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  11. congratulations on a successful hike. I've only seen a moose in the wild on two occasions. How exciting for you.

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  12. I'm glad you were able to get back without upsetting Mama Moose too much. Until you encountered her it looks like an absolutely beautiful hike.

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  13. wow, very cool! I didn't realize there were moose in that area.
    - The Equestrian Vagabond

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  14. Hi Janie,
    Your sweet little munchkin smiles with her eyes and waves Hi, right on cue, to the camera.
    Desolation Lake and the surrounding mountainside is gorgeous.
    Nice shot of Mother Moose.. all Gods creatures will protect their young, right Grandmom.

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  15. Lovely images! The pic of the Muchkin is one to treasure :)

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  16. Lovely images! The pic of the Muchkin is one to treasure :)

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  17. great hike...Muchkin is adorable...love the wildflowers...

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