Pictures of Nature Adventure or "Why Are Large Animals So Close To Me?"

Big Pile o' Rocks

The precarious-looking jumble of rocks seen here is Vedauwoo (say vee-da-voo), which is a stomping grounds I remember vividly from childhood. People climb those rocks, all the way to the top, and while a crippling fear of heights prevents me from doing that ever, I love bouldering. So today, I brought some of my school reading and decided to make a trip of it. The angle is deceiving; that rock formation stretches way way back, so even though it looks from here like that's all there is, there's even more precarious rocks further on. It's a little sad, since the bark beetles have clearly been doing a number on the surrounding area recently, and a little nostalgic too, because there are spots that I'm certain I remember hiking as a child, and so the whole thing is that sort of old/new mix, where my childhood mental images and the reality now get superimposed on each other.

I wanted a good spot to read, and that would mean finding a place out of the wind. Down in the aspens, it wasn't happening, so I decided to go up some of the rocks. This proved that I am out of shape, especially for the altitude, and that my previous squirrel-like scrambling abilities have lessened. Also, it proved that I am a moron when it comes to shoe choice (the sneakers that don't lace down tightly are a dumbass move, kids), and that I should really recognize the scrubby little raspberry bushes before I sit in them. Despite all this, I got myself up to a point out of the wind and with a little shade, and I read for a while. Okay, not near as long as I should have. But the reading in nature is often less comfy than idyllic descriptions of it would have you believe.

Then I got down, which for me always involves a little bit of very attractive scooting down on my rear, a little bit of gauging places I can sort of fling myself so that I don't slip, and the notion that for a klutz, this is maybe not the best solo activity. Then, because I had a taste for it again and in spite of myself, I went off to find a heap of rocks I could really get up on top of. So my heap wasn't that impressive, but in the interests of not killing myself, it was a good start. I can still find all the handholds and footholds, but my strength is... not so good. Things that would have been easy once upon a time required extra labor, or finding a new way entirely. But I got to the top of my rock heap, stood exultant at the highest point, and then... saw something moving through the trees. At first I thought it was a cow. Not an unreasonable assumption, given the territory. It was big, had dark fur, but it was way too thin for a cow. So it must be a horse. Odd, I thought, but I've seen horses wandering around all sorts of places.

This is class-action lurking.

But something wasn't quite right. It was behind the trees and I couldn't get a good look. My brain, scrambling to identify, jumped to deer (not the right color) or elk (also not the right color) or alien creature (okay, see, this is the problem with my brain). Then I got a glimpse of that particular hunchy backed look that defines the silhouette of the only creature that fit the bill.

It was a freaking moose.

It was a female, so there had been no antlers to clue me in earlier, and we had never seen moose there ever in all the years we lived here before. But there it was. And it was big. A big old wild animal right there. Normally, I would take a photo if I could and back respectfully away. But when I started my little climb, I had set my book bag down at the base of my rock heap. On the

side where the moose was standing awfully close. I waited. Moose and I watched one another. I was getting hot up there in the sun. Moose wasn't moving. So I decided to get down. I crept down back the other way, and I was making my way carefully around towards my bag, when I heard this funny little plaintive noise somewhere behind me. I turned, and there's a slightly smaller moose emerging from the trees. "Oh boy, a mama moose with a young one to protect, and here I am about to be right between them!" was what went through my head, and so I hunkered down by my rocks some more and just waited. At least the young moose was moving.

Oh crap, it sees me.

I went around the other side. I crept forward and got my bag as the adolescent joined its mother. Then, they started moving off, and I made my way back around to get away from the wild animals. Then I heard that funny little noise again. Yup. Another smaller moose. All three came from different directions, too. Holy crap, I thought. They had me surrounded and I didn't even know it. I could have been the victim of a moose stealth attack. Okay, probably not, but still.

So... I guess what I'm saying is that wild animals are unnerving, especially when they creep up on you in places where you didn't ever expect to see those particular wild animals.

I got back to my car unmolested by any other forms of nature, and I called it a win.