A Near, Near Death Experience

Funny, she doesn't look all that big here

Coming up the trail tonight from an early walk with the dog, we had a bit of a close call when a mama and baby moose were on their way down. Luckily I saw them coming down at a curve in the path before we met head on. They were next to a small cluster of trees where the owners have parked their boats about 20 f off the path in a clearing for the winter. I called the dog to me and she thankfully minded beautifully. We quickly crossed the clearing to put the boats between ourselves and the moose. There they stood, behind the trees. There we stood behind the boats, watching each other for what felt like an eternity. In an effort to show good faith I began to move up and away from them. First loosing the cover of the more substantial boat and then the second. I realized the next big pile of snow was actually a small car but did not feel comforted when comparing it's size to the moose. So, we kept moving, this time behind another small cluster of trees. There we stood for another eternity while I cursed myself for leaving the cover of the boat and watched Mama's ears closely. "Ears forward is a curious moose, ears back is a pissed of moose" is what I've been told. She watched us intently and was not to be deterred but her ears stayed forward. I couldn't stand there all night so we took a chance and broke from the trees for the full exposure of the path. Once there we were fully committed and trudged through the snow at a quick trot, hoping she would loose interest. Made it home alive with only wet pants to the knees from standing in the snow and a crappy picture to show for a near, near death experience. Now I'm off the have a drink and calm my nerves. Jetty gets extra treats tonight for being a good girl and not getting us stomped. The End.