Me and the Moose or the story about how I learned to love nature

Female Moose - Photo Credit - Wikipedia

Between my freshman and sophomore years in college, I took a summer job with the National Park Concessions who ran the hotel and restaurant on Isle Royale. It was a summer of firsts for me: my first time away from home and my first long-term experience in nature. Being 18 at the time, I was too immature to truly appreciate the opportunity that this summer job offered. I had sought out the job but wasn’t prepared for the isolation that living on an island brings. Having experienced the party life and friendships that college life delivers, I found the time on the island boring and the guests annoying.

But the three months there wasn’t a total loss. With my new co-workers, I did some hiking and canoeing around the eastern end of the island.  But my most vivid memories were my encounters with the island’s largest animal, the moose.

My first encounter came on July 1^st, Canada Day. A friend and I decided to go to Lookout Louise, a spot that required a canoe trip down Tobin Harbor and a hike up to the lookout. From that vantage point, we could watch the fireworks in Thunder Bay.  When the celebration ended, we began our hike back down the hillside. The trail twisted back and forth and because it was dark, we chose our steps gingerly. Partially down the trail, we could hear rustling and we pointed our flashlights upwards. Looking down at us was a moose that was following us down the trail. We picked up our pace and soon we were back in our canoe, paddling back to home.

The second encounter came at the end of my stay on the island. My concession co-workers and I were invited to an end-of-the season party hosted by the island’s park service staff. I decided to leave the party early to return to my room. The distance from the NPS house to my building was less than a five minute walk so I set off alone. As I walked along the sidewalk, I looked up and in front of me was an adult moose no more than 10 feet from me. For a brief moment, we stared at each other. I stood there stunned, uncertain what to do next. Fortunately, the moose had more composure than I did, turned around and walked into the woods.

It was many years before I returned to Isle Royale. I had agreed to make the trip largely to relive my memories about the island stay, and to accompany my husband who had developed an interest in seeing the park. We stayed at the Rock Harbor Lodge and took day trips. The following year, we purchased backpacking equipment and returned to hike the eastern trails. We saw a female moose and her calf at Moskey Basin keeping our distance but close enough to watch.

That backpacking trip changed everything for me. I discovered that I loved sleeping in a tent, walking the trails carrying my possessions on my back. At that slower pace, I discovered wildflowers and lichen edging the trails, ate wild blueberries and appreciated the silence that comes from a place devoid of cars. Hikers are a friendly group of people.  We often shared campsites with total strangers where we exchanged stories of our adventures on the trail.

In many ways, I have to thank those two moose who at the time scared the living daylights out of me. My experiences with them taught me to appreciate and respect the wilderness. I learned to be observant, both visually and audibly. And I found an inner strength that comes when you challenge yourself and succeed. 

What defines your life?

BC - My Big, Beautiful, Boy Cat otherwise known as Butch Cassidy

I’m struggling to put my thoughts in order this morning. My mind is unfocused, jumping from one idea to another. I would like to think that these moments are opportunities to birth a new idea, but more often than not, it is simply a cluttered mind crying for relief.  My body in concert with my mind, demands to move so I find myself wandering aimlessly around the house.

Being an introvert, I thrive best when the environment around me is calm. Manmade noises jar my senses to the point that even the buzz of florescent lights irritates me. After two weeks of home time, I walked joyfully into my client’s office Wednesday morning. I dove into my work: paying bills, handling payroll questions, meeting with staff to discuss projects. In my typical efficient manner, I had completed my tasks handily. But by day’s end, my head and ears were throbbing; I couldn’t get out the office fast enough. After dinner, I took a couple of aspirin and went to bed.

Today, I am in my home office, doing research and writing. Here the pace is slower.  I decide when to start my day and what projects I choose to work on. I am not as efficient or knowledgeable about this work, but I am certainly more passionate about it. It requires me to process information more deliberately, a task difficult to do when your mind is racing.

Giving in to my inner turmoil, I decided to sit by the window. With binoculars in hand, I study the squirrels hovering around the ground feeder. I watched as the dominant squirrels chase away the intruders who retaliate by sneaking around the feeder to enter from another direction.  As the day progresses, more squirrels wander down the hillside, leaping across the tree branches to avoid the deep powdery snow. There is plenty of food in the feeder, enough so that everyone can have their fill.

Sitting on the rocker with elbows resting on the window ledge, my body has created a v-shape shelter. Butch soon spots it and leaps onto my lap. Cat and human merge into one, keeping each other warm. It didn’t take long for my body to relax, my mind now focused on the activity outside.

Doing the same work for so many years brings a depth of knowledge that cannot be gained through pure book learning. I have become an expert at “doing my job”, but in the process frequently lose that sense of wonder that comes from sitting and observing in silence. Unlike most people, I have the luxury to combine my career with work that ignites my passions. But the onus is on me to not allow the pursuit of money to interfere with that which fills me with so much abundance.  A life without wonder and passion is empty and not worthy of this gift of life that is given to me.

Isn't He Beautiful?

Occasionally an animal passes by my window that catches me by surprise. That was the case of an adult skunk who decided to vacation under my storage building several summers ago. I wasn’t totally surprised by his appearance for there are many mornings where the not-so-sweet aroma of skunk waifs across the neighborhood. And one incident many years ago had my black and white cat, Tristan foolishly think that the skunk on the patio was a relative and tried to be friends. The skunk vehemently objected and promptly sprayed the back of the house and my poor old cat. Quick thinking rid Tristan of the pungent smell, but the house shingles retained the faint stink of skunk musk for the rest of the summer.

Many years had passed when the little fellow in the above photograph decided to visit. Skunks typically come out at dusk and after dark, so the sighting of him during the day was unusual. Aware that skunks are categorized as rabies-vector animals and to avoid a repeat of Tristan’s episode, I sent the cats into the house and closed the screen door.

Sitting quietly with camera in hand, I watched the skunk waddle across the patio. He appeared oblivious to my presence; focused on the cats’ dish of water I had left outside. The skunk took his drink and quietly returned to his summer lodging under the storage building. Throughout the rest of the summer, I periodically saw him come and go, quietly and without incident. Finally I saw him no more.

Despite its smelly reputation, skunks are mild-mannered creatures. Skunks are omnivorous in eating habits, consuming a wide array of foods from fruit and nuts to insects, eggs and meat. This varied diet allows the skunk to inhabit a diverse area; as long as there is a water source, the skunk can make his home in any agricultural, woodlot or neighborhood environment. Skunks often will commandeer underground dens built by woodchucks, fox and badgers. Leading a solitary existence, male skunks avoid other skunks except during mating season; female skunks, however, are amiable to sharing winter shelters with other female skunks, woodchucks and raccoon.

I was curious about the scent glands and read that even baby skunks as young as eight days old are capable of emitting the musky smell.  By four weeks old the baby skunk has learned the adult defensive position of raising his tail and spraying. Adult skunks can accurately spray its adversaries to a distance of ten feet but will do so after giving you ample opportunity to escape. Should you encounter a skunk who is stomping his feet, and making a quick short charge at you, get out of the way and fast.

As for my summer guest, there was no reason to run and hide. He was well-behaved, keeping to himself and not a bother to me, my cats or the other wildlife that frequented the yard. I would welcome him back anytime.