I was fortunate enough to get to spend a few days up in the mountains this past week. We barely got the car unpacked when my dog let me know he was ready for a walk on one of our favorite trails. We got our stuff and headed out. I’ve done this trail so many times that I almost missed the new sign that was posted. The sign was bright yellow with the word CAUTION written in bold with a bright red background. Definitely the kind of sign one should stop and read. Below the picture of the moose were the words warning me of defensive moose in the area. It even said I should consider an alternative trail. I did pause and consider, but I decided to continue with caution since I could see others up ahead. I knew we weren’t going far since my dog would want his dinner on time. We did a nice little twenty minutes to stretch our legs and then headed back for dinner. While we were relaxing after dinner I kept thinking about that sign. After some internet searching I discovered a mama moose with her two youngsters had attacked some people twice last week. Using the map app on my phone I tracked down where these attacks happened, and more importantly, how close that was to where I was at. I could see both attacks were in the same area a few miles away. While the sun was setting and there was still light, I felt safe and ready for our longer walk the next day. But then 2:30 a.m. came around. And it was dark. And I started thinking about that mama moose and how a few miles wasn’t that far. Especially for an animal with long legs. I almost packed up the car right then, but finally, I fell back asleep. When morning, and sunlight, greeted us again, my backbone seemed to be working. That and a very persistent dog who was ready for his walk. I stalled for a couple of hours to give the wildlife a chance to get some food and water before slinking off behind the trees. Once again we gathered our stuff and headed out. With my owl head pivoting all around watching and my feet moving quickly, we charged down the trail. When we reached the half-way point without seeing any wild animals, my heart finally slowed back to normal. I did not stop watching or slow down on the way back, but was able to enjoy the scenery more. When we got back and I checked my watch for our distance, I noticed that was one of our fastest paces yet. So I guess if you want to improve your pace, you just need a moose on the loose.
6/10
calm waters in front
blanket of clouds overhead
content heart within
6/11
tries to push away
light doesn’t want to give up
stretches out the day
6/12
sitting on mom’s feet
keeping her safe from danger
like birds flying by
6/14
possibilities
stretch endlessly across sky
wishes for good day
6/15
rush of melted snow
crashes down the rocky hill
delighting parched earth
Tiffany Painter 