I’ve lived in Grand County for six months now.  I had heard the stories of how Grand County, especially the Rocky Mountain National Park, was infested with moose, but I’ve only seen one moose.  I’ve even gone on “moose hunts” (hunting with my camera). I’ve purposely driven through the park.  I’ve gone on hikes where moose are known to be.  Where are they?

Today I went up to Monarch Lake.  People always see moose there.  Maybe I’d get lucky,  It’s late in the day – perfect moose sighting time of day.  Plus, if you were a moose, why would you want to be anywhere other than Monarch Lake?  But, I didn’t expect to see moose and I was in great need of a cardio workout since I often sit in front of my computer for days due to work.  I have walked part way around the lake before.  I usually go left around the lake, but have never done the full 4 mile loop. So, today I was going to go right around the lake just to see something different.  Maybe I would even have time to do the full loop.

As I’m driving into the parking lot, I see a grey fox off to the side.  He looks at me for a while.  I look back at him in amazement and talk to him.  I don’t think he understands what I’m saying. Then he runs off.  I’ve never seen a grey fox.  I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a grey fox.  I’ve only seen red fox.  One time in Evergreen, I saw a black fox.  That was one of the rarest and most special things I’ve ever seen.  But, here is a grey fox and it feels almost as rare and special as the black fox.  This is a good day.

I walked the short distance to the trailhead.  I turned right.  I was stopped instantly.  A mother and daughter were just standing there staring at two moose.  There was a mother and baby moose standing in the shallows of the lake eating.  They were only about 100 steps or so away from me.  Backing up back down the trail might have been the smarter thing to do, but I was rooted where I stood and couldn’t move.  So were the two people that had gotten there before me.  They were right next to the trail I had planned on taking.  There were a couple other people on the trail on the other side of the moose.  We all stood there for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes.  I guess I’m not hiking today.  This is just a wildlife watching trip.

Then the two people on the other side of the moose gave up on waiting and decided to walk by.  They must have come withing 4 feet of the moose.  I thought, oh jeeze, this isn’t only the day I get to see moose up close, this is the day I get to see a moose trample people.  A mother moose is a terrifying thing.  Am I ready for this?  They walked by and the moose paid no attention.  I watched them for about 45 minutes total and then decided to head home.

It was a 1 fox 2 moose day.  I think that’s a good day.