Today I had an amazing wildlife experience. One I had never experienced before. That would be spotting a moose in a field along a trail. Should I start from the beginning?? This summer I have had many friends tell me about spotting a moose on the trail. I have seen their photos and been jealous of their good luck. After hearing of all these sightings, I decided I would find a moose on a trail this summer! There have been many sightings up in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. There have also been sightings in the early morning on trails around Brainard Lake. I didn’t know which area to try, so I actually tried neither. I took a friend’s advice who told me about a beautiful trail with wildflowers on it near Peaceful Valley off Peak to Peak Highway. Well, the trail didn’t disappoint. It was a beautiful trail that followed a creek through pine forests and small meadows with wildflower patches. It was an easy upward grade as opposed to the many mountain trails that climb and climb. The smell of the pines was amazing and I kept taking deep breaths to take it all in. There were few people on the trail. Well, at least in the early morning when we started. A few more were on the trail on our way out. I’d say we hiked about 7-7.5 miles total. We eventually hit a flooded area of trail with no way around, so we decided to turn back. It was on our way back that I spotted moose mom sitting behind some bushes. However, this moose was not alone. She had two calves with her! We watched them for a little while in amazement at what we had stumbled upon. At first the mom was sitting with one calf up and one down. Then they all got up and the calves nursed! Mom decided she was hungry and moved to the bushes nearby. Not long after the babies followed mom’s lead. We left them to eat in peace at this point. Let’s just say I won’t forget this hike!
