It was early on the morning of July 17, 2023, when we crawled out of our sleeping bags and were ready to head further into Alaska. We were on our Alaskan Trip Of A Lifetime. It had been amazing so far; we expected more of that to keep coming.
We arrived at Eagle Trail State Recreation Site the night before and had the entire campground to ourselves. It is almost uncomfortable to be in a campground all alone. It is surreal, spooky, and maybe dangerous. There are grizzlies here, and with no one else here, what would stop a curious bear from coming to see if we were a tasty midnight snack?
We survived the night and didn’t attract bears when we made breakfast. Getting up early was easy since we were so far north that much of the day was spent in sunlight. We set off on our adventure. Up to this point, we were so inspired by the sight of the mountains.
Where we live, we have a mountain. We locals call it Caledon Mountain, but it is nowhere near the proper definition of a mountain. It is a section of the Niagara Escarpment and is a road that drives down it. It is a lengthy ride that can take a few minutes to traverse. There are glacial moraines, which can also be called mountains if you stretch the word’s meaning.
Our first encounter with actual mountains was in Quebec. I had no idea there would be mountains in the area we were travelling to, and I was stunned by their beauty. We would enter New York and Pennsylvania and would see even larger mountains. These places are my favourite to drive simply because of the scenic value, and I was surprised by the fact that mountains are only a three-hour drive from our home. Our region has hilly areas but is flat in comparison.
Then, in the summer of 2023, we decided to go north and west. Our goal was a cruise in Alaska. On July 12, 2023, we first encountered the mountains of Western Canada. When this happened, we stopped to enjoy the scenery and were in danger of getting way behind schedule. I eventually decided to stop only for the extraordinary views so we could stay close to our itinerary.
We packed our belongings and loaded the car. Only minutes from the campsite, I saw a lake with a mountain in the background. I pulled over and parked the car on the shoulder. I was hoping to see the mountain reflected in the water, but instead, I got the fright of my life.
I was startled by a moose as I crossed the road to approach the water’s edge. I let out a loud and surprisingly feminine scream. Whenever we encountered a moose, we were safely tucked away in our car. This chance meeting with the ugliest of North American mammals, was unwelcomed. I was not prepared for this moment. I was standing on the road when I saw the beast. This is the only road connecting Anchorage with the rest of the world, so there is traffic. There is not a lot of traffic, but it is enough to be concerned about. Moose can be like bears. If it has a young one with it, watch out!
I was in a near state of panic.
Could a vehicle be racing toward my position at this very moment, and I am too focused on the possibility of the animal charging me? Could this creature start racing toward me? I instinctively took a few steps back. Then I noticed that it chose to stare at me. It did not move. I felt comfortable enough to return to the car and Charlene, who had no idea what was happening.
I returned to the safety of our car but realized I had enough time to take a moose’s picture. The pic better explains why I did not get the photo I sought. I then quickly snapped a picture of the scenic view that inspired me to get out of the car in the first place. It did not turn out as I hoped. I have the road in the foreground, and I could not get to the shore of the lake to attempt a reflection pic of the mountain. But I did capture my first, unprotected moose encounter ever.
This was a really cool moment during our trip. We had seen so many different animals and amazing views that encountering a moose enjoying breakfast at the side of a lake was not out of the ordinary. Our trip to Alaska and back was the best trip I ever devised, and I had a great person to share it with: my wife, Charlene.
We had another moose encounter less than an hour later!
- Read the sad story of our first-ever moose encounter.
- An Unexpected Encounter With A Moose can be found on All The Places We Have Been Map.
- Treat all wild animals with respect. The best thing to do is to give them lots of distance.
