As we pulled up to park, my husband looked up the trail we were about to hike on, and this who we saw.
We were under observation!
Quietly we returned her gaze, and just watched. We were about 300 yards from her.
I was so happy that I had my camera with its telephoto lens with me. I was able to zoom in and out and take these pictures easily, even though she quite a distance from us.
I was amazed at how still she was as she watched us for a good five minutes or more, as we had this staring contest. We stayed close to the truck in case she changed her mind about us. I began to video her at this point:
And as soon as I turned the video on, you can see the other moose come out of the brush. Apparently she wanted her moment of fame too, lol! We were very surprised to see the second moose, and at the distance we were from them, at first it was hard to tell whether it was a calf or another moose. We settled on the idea that they probably were both yearlings, as the first one was not a very big moose either.
After a while, the first moose we originally saw broke her gaze from us, and wandered into the bushes and then just continued watching us.
Finally, she gave us one last look as she turned to walk into the brush, as if to reassure herself that we were no threat, or perhaps to sternly remind us not to follow her! And of course, we were just so happy to keep our distance, and let them go on. Our hike for the day had suddenly been cancelled due to a moos-t lovely encounter, and we were very thankful to have saw her and the second moose who joined her while we stood by our truck, rather than out there on the trail! God's provision is always perfect!
I never tire of the glorious shades of blue and purple of the mountains.
We looked down below us, and all around to see if we could spot the moose as they moved on, but we never saw them again.
Soon the evening shadows were falling, and it was time to get back down the mountain before the darkness settled in.
What a blessing it is to have these encounters with the wildlife that abounds around us. And how thankful we were that we didn't meet them out on the trail! We were able to fully enjoy our 10 minutes with the moose as we watched each other. And you can guarantee that if we go to hike that trail again, we will be moos-t careful about who may be lurking in the bushes!
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Beautiful country...I wonder what the moose was thinking? Maybe she was thinking "who's going to run away first?" I enjoyed all the pictures and the video!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was quite the stare-down contest, I'm glad she didn't try to investigate us further! Moose are very curious creatures, and you never know what they are going to do. It was a lovely thing to see them up that close though. :)
DeleteGreat photos and video. A wonderful chance encounter!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it was a chance encounter, because even though moose are plentiful here, you still don't often see them. :)
DeleteWhat a lovely hike you had! I'm so glad you were able to enjoy the moose from afar and still get such great pictures and video of her and her yearling. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I was so thankful for that opportunity, because moose are so unpredictable, and you never can be too careful around them. Hugs to you today!
DeleteSo pretty! My favorite photo is the one of the road winding in the distance. Wow, the view is just incredible, isn't it? You must want to take pictures all the time! To think that the very God we serve is the One Who made such splendor for us to look at and enjoy! How Great He is! Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos and this amazing adventure with the moose. God bless you, sweet friend. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Cheryl, such praise and honor we give to the Lord to be able to experience such amazing encounters of His creation. I love the picture of the road winding down the mountain too, you never know what the next turn may hold! Blessings and hugs to you today!
DeleteWow! Those are great photos of the moose and I'm glad you were at a safe distance and near your truck just in case they decided to charge you. The views from the mountain are beautiful. And I see no snow there yet! Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Pam
Moose are so unpredictable, they are probably the most fearsome animal in our area. We were so thankful to be able to observe them safely from a distance! And nope, no snow yet! We have not had one significant snow fall yet this winter. Amazing. Yet, they tell us snow is coming tomorrow, we shall see, lol! Hugs to you today :)
DeleteWow, that is truly so neat! We don't have moose in my area, so that is something special, for sure!
ReplyDeleteIt was exciting for us to see, and moose are quite plentiful here, but the encounters rather rare. We were glad to observe from a distance too :) Appreciate your visit!
DeleteTruly Amazing, God has place you in a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, we are so blessed! Hugs to you today :)
DeleteHi Marilyn! I'm glad you could enjoy God's nature without too close an encounter! Those moose are such powerful creatures, aren't they? You got some really good photos, and I'm glad you had your special lens with you too.
ReplyDeleteYou and your husband really take advantage of your surroundings. That's a wonderful praise to the Creator, who wants you to enjoy it all.
Blessings,
Ceil
Moose are the most fearsome creatures in our area, more dangerous than bear really. They are so curious and unpredictable. We were so thankful to be able to watch them from a safe distance! I was very glad I had my telephoto lens! We do try to get out and enjoy the beauty of the Lord's creation as much as we can :) Hugs to you today Ceil!
DeleteOh that was so lovely! Thank you for sharing those moose moments with us! When we lived in NH and Maine we would go moose "hunting"...to see if we could see any moose...and sometimes we were blessed to see them, and most times not. In NH they have signs on every road, "Brake for Moose, it could save your life"....and that is a very good reminder. That was wonderful...thank you for the lovely scenery of the mountains as well. I miss that kind of country, living in Florida now. No mountains or moose, be we do have bears quite frequently. So we have to be careful when we go for a hike as well. So exciting!!
ReplyDeleteMoose are quite plentiful here, yet they are rarely seen, and especially under the circumstances, we were SO grateful that we could observe them safely from a distance. Moose have probably hurt and killed more people than bears in our area. Braking for them is very important! I'm sure you must miss NH for sure, but Florida has its own set of blessings too :) How exciting that you do get to see bears as well. Hugs to you today!
DeleteGorgeous photos!! I always thought I might run into a moose in our travels up north but so far, nope. There was a rumor that a moose was seen on Main Street in our little village some years ago, but I'm not sure I'm buying it!
ReplyDeleteLOL... we have plenty of moose here, but rarely see them. They are curious and dangerous creatures, best to keep your distance from them. We were thankful to see them from a distance, for sure! Hope you get to have a moose encounter... from a distance! Hugs to you today :)
DeleteI love Moose! We first saw them on a camping trip we took the summer after we moved here; until that time, I never understood peoples fascination with them-now I do. They are coming over the divide into Estes Park and I hope to eventually see them there. Your mountains are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, have a blessed week.
Hugs, Noreen
They are huge, that is part of the fascination, and also they are curious but dangerous, very unpredictable. You just never know what they are going to do. We have seen them a few times, always from a distance, and I hope to keep it that way! Hope you get to see them in Estes Park, that would be awesome, from a distance of course, lol!
DeleteBeautiful photos and I enjoyed the video. I have always wanted to see an elk and a moose in the wild. Elk have now started to survive again here in Northern Wisconsin. So maybe someday soon on the elk sighting. I might have to travel for the moose.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing,
Carla
We have elk here too, I saw a couple while walking a month or so ago, quite far off from me. We prefer to keep the moose at a distance when seeing them, as they are quite dangerous, so curious and unpredictable. I have heard more than enough stories of people being stomped by a moose, to know that I like to keep our distance! Hope you get to see a moose in your travels, safely at a distance, of course, lol!
DeleteBeautiful photos and nice video, Marilyn. You were so smart to be cautious with the moose. I've known people who have acted foolishly around these very large animals and nearly got hurt. xo
ReplyDeleteOh yes, it was so nice to see them from a distance, and to keep our distance! Moose are by far the most dangerous wild animal in these parts. Many, many stories we have heard of people being stomped by a curious moose turned angry. It was so nice to watch from a distance, and glad that she didn't feel we were a threat. It was a beautiful thing to experience. You can never be too safe with a moose, simply because of their size and unpredictable nature.
DeleteSo glad to see you blogging again! Hugs to you today :)
Glorious! These are the sights, the experiences that somehow stay with us.
ReplyDeleteFabulous ...
Oh ... thank you so much for sharing your lovely video and the photos of the moose with us. It is so wonderful. How lucky you are to live so near to such beautiful countryside and mountains. Thank you again for a splendid few moments visiting you here.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and yours.
Thank you for visiting my blog today and your kind words. Come back any time. God bless.
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely photo's of the moose and also your countryside ... simply amazing, what glorious sights
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
What a gorgeous setting for a hike; too bad the moose were laying claim to the trail first.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a real moose. I imagine that to be a great experience. Beautiful scenery you have there.
ReplyDeleteit is lovely to hike in a peaceful winter after noon till evening .
ReplyDeleteyour way of description made me feel as i was there to see the moose .
her last look is CUTE!
thank you for sharing such gorgeous sights as we live in plain area and i miss mountains of my native village so much .
have a safe blessed days ahead dear.
Never saw a Moose in all my years in Utah but did see one bigger than an SUV in Maine!
ReplyDeleteWonderful that you got to see that.
Sorry your hike was interrupted, yet not sorry at all because you were able to enjoy watching not just one but two moose. Your photos of the mountains are also so very lovely.
ReplyDeleteI never tire at looking at your glorious landscapes. How wonderful you encountered those moose in the flesh. I wonder what will pop out of those woods of yours next??
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I would be in awe to see a moose right there, Marilyn, and then to enjoy all that glorious view!! You're so blessed to have all that. My late beloved and I used to love hiking together, and I have wonderful memories of us doing that.
ReplyDeleteYour mom's apple pie sounds delicious! I'll have to try that method the next time I make one. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for your visit to my blog.
Such beautiful pictures! The nature and wildlife that surround you are majestic!! Thanks for sharing ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool post...and what glorious creatures that you had the awesome pleasure of gazing upon! You live a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteWOW! Beautiful pictures. You are truly blessed. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteWonderful views and that moose video is awesome.. We have so many of them here and I am always on the lookout for them at night when we travel to and from the cottage and such.. They are a such huge animals that they cause many deaths here in Eastern Canada.. Take care, my friend.. xo
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