This is Elk Bugling time. This is the time of year when everything comes together in the mountains to make for perhaps the most glorious natural spectacle. The Aspens are a golden color unmatched in brilliance, contrasted against the deep green of the prevailing evergreens. The streams are clear and cold. The air is fresh and sweet and the breezes speak of moving seasons. At higher altitudes snow is already falling on some colder nights. The Bull Elk are calling to potential mates. I only wish I could describe the setting more closely to the reality of my what me senses are signaling to my heart.
Rocky Mountain National Park is so stupendous, it doesn’t need my monologue to add to the millions who have witnessed its glory. However, the surrounding area was a real surprise to me. There are many campgrounds, roads, National Forest areas that are attached to the park that are truly sublime. We set up shop in one that I figure is hard to beat. Pleasant Vally. Camp Dick is a Forest Service campground about 20 miles south of Estes Park and the National Park entrance. What an amazing place to camp! We found a beautiful spot nested in among the Aspen and mountains at the far end of Camp Dick. A mountain stream about 4 or 5 feet wide rushed right by our camp. There was an inspirational trail that carried up and through the mountain right behind our camp.
One morning I took a walk up the path to gather some firewood to make a breakfast fire for us. I had my arms loaded with dry fire wood and was walking the twisting path back to our camp. Now, the forest and the twisting nature of the hiking trail are such that you cannot see around most of the turns on the trail. As I approached our camp sight I came around one such tight turn. Squarely in front of me at 5 feet or so were two moose towering over me...A bull and his mate!
It’s impossible to tell who was more surprised and shocked...me or the moose. My first thought was “These can be dangerous. I need to make myself look bigger than I am and I need to find some trees to get behind.” I immediately dropped the wood, raised my arms over my head and started backing away. The moose, simultaneously, lifted themselves up on their hind legs a bit and raised their heads up high, then wheeled around quickly and sauntered off the opposite direction from me down the path. I was relieved though my heart was still pounding in my chest. My thought at that time was, “ There’s enough trees in here that I can get behind so they can’t nail me with those gigantic horns, I’ve got to get a picture. Sure enough, the moose had stopped to look around about 50 feet down the path. I was able to sneak up on them and get a picture and some videos of them leaving once they spotted me again. It was one of the greater moments of my hiking life.
Diane and I had several spectacular hikes in this area, one of which ended on a bluff overlooking a small but gorgeous waterfall on another creek in the area. One day, back at our camp. We were lazying about when a couple of Stellar Jays came by for a look see. We have been carrying peanuts with us ever since we found we could hand feed the Clark’s Nutcrackers back at Bueller State Park. Though we couldn’t quite get these jays to land on our hands, we got them to come very close. Throughout the day and the following days they must have carried off a hundred or more peanuts and stored them somewhere in the woods. It’s so different and life-refreshing to be able to actually have time to sit down and be with birds for half a day and not feel like you’ve wasted precious time. Indeed, this is the precious time we’ve been working for all our lives.