A Most Memorable Moose Moment
It was fifteen years ago. I was a mere three years old but filled to the brim with adventure. I was with my dad. The mountains were gigantic and the trees went on as far as the eye could see. I did not realize it then but I was in the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness for a hiking adventure.
I was small and clumsy so I could only conquer the easy parts of the trail. My dad carried me piggy-back style over the treacherous parts of the trail. I was gleaming with joy. I had never ventured out further than my yard. My young self questioned if I was witnessing a heaven on
Earth because my surroundings were breath taking.
What happened next still remains a crystal clear memory in my mind. I heard a noise off the trail to the left. It was a little frightening, but I ignored it because I was too overwhelmed with the hike. I heard it again – a crackling, twig breaking, monstrous kind of noise. I tugged on
my dad’s shirt. “Daddy did you hear that?”
“I did,” he replied, “hold still.” Hold still? How could I? There was something behind all those trees! To my three year old self it seemed like only a monster could make such a noise. My dad kneeled down next to me and pointed to where the noise was occurring. “Look”, he whispered, “but stay quiet.”
I turned my head towards where my dad was pointing. I could not believe my eyes! It was a huge brown animal with enormous antlers coming out of its head. Its nose was bigger than me and its eyes were at least the size of my hand. “It’s a moose,” my dad said. A moose. What a brilliant creature. It was magnificent, unlike anything I had ever seen.
Having lived in Montana for eighteen years, I have seen many a moose since, but I will never forget that magical day when I first discovered what a moose was. Its memorable moments like this that make living in Montana, a place full of wilderness, amazing. Its memorable moments like this that one can hold and cherish for a lifetime. Its memorable moments like this that make life truly worth living.
