leaf peepin’ & moose spookin’
Wolverine Whisperer and I attempted to beat the rain for an early morning peak leaf color hike. While we didn’t accomplish staying dry, we did experience the brilliance of Fall colors and a few of the characters that add drama to the season.
A picture taken while hiding from moose (meese?)
The morning began with a rainbow. The first I’ve ever encountered during morning hours. The pink sailor’s warnin’ kinda mornin’ bleeding into dark clouds converging together at all the edges of the wide sky. Breathtaking. Ominous? Somehow holding a blessing and a warning.
Dodging four herds of deer within the single mile towards WW’s house, I knew the animals felt it too. What is brewing? I wondered. Or more accurately, how much snow this time around? Upon arrival, I rearranged my gear. Despite my decade of only rain to hike and trail run in within the upper left, I somehow don’t know what I want to wear to protect myself. I guess out there, in the PNW, it was always a mere drizzle. Where here, it could be a deluge or anything in between. So I had thrown every level of rain jacket in the truck as a last second measure to decide when we prepped at the trailhead.
Anyway, we headed out and laughed at the dark clouds building behind and in front of us. Along the miles of gravel road leading to the trailhead, I spooked a mama moose and her calf. Feeling guilty and apologizing aloud, I also mentioned the good luck, “That’s our sighting for the day. No need to be concerned along the trail.” Yet, I knew the truth. This early hour is what I sagaciously deem “Wildlife rush hour” and usually avoid unless hiking with others.
As we parked, a light drizzle appeared on the windshield. That forecast that claimed the rain would roll in about noon? Worthless. However, the fog and drizzle added to the ambiance of autumn vibes. I began to get excited at the prospect of cozying up to an afternoon of fall activities and asked Wolverine Whisperer which ones she would also indulge in: baking an apple crisp, if she could stay motivated.
Spooky Fall vibes includes calling out to warn bears of our presence on their trade routes
Along the way, we called out in case more animals lurked around corners. Bears are in hyperphagia during this season, meaning they are consuming calories frantically to store fat to survive the brutal winter to come. We, ever so diligently, remain hyper aware of the possibility of an encounter while hopeful one doesn’t occur. By the time we are almost to the large, open meadow where a sighting is most likely we run into a gentleman. The man, spooked by rocks falling below him as he sat on a boulder for a snack, turned around.
Undeterred, we simply shout more loudly as we continued on. WW pulled out her bear spray cannister to carry in her hand as we moved forward. I bravely marched behind her and attempted to vary the tones of my “Heyyyyy-oooo!” in case bears respond to different pitches of voices. Crunching through snow on a turn that leads to another meadow, I noticed moose prints. We made it past the turn off to Lake Mary and deemed ourselves in the clear for whatever that man thought he heard.
Movement to my left caught my eye. A moose standing up is a very intimidating sight and I pulled my bear cannister from the front of my pack ready to take off the safety cap. I won’t repeat my words in that moment because I’ll recount how quickly I daintily retreated while Wolverine Whisperer calmly turned back towards me. She walked slowly, noticed the moose she just missed spotting, and casually stated, “Yeah, I don’t know how I missed that. Did you already have your bear spray out?” chuckling. I couldn’t help but join in the laughter.
Mama watching calf?
No. No, I did not. I’m awfully proud of my quick draw though. To be fair, I only noticed the moose due to its movement, standing up to check out the intruders. I cannot imagine all the times passing by creatures and blissfully clueless to their presence. A few pictures and a quick decision, we turned around, wanting to leave the moose in peace rather than risk another pass-by if we were to continue further along Quinnebaugh Meadow. The drizzle began to quicken its pace and fall a bit heavier anyway.
From left to right: My hide-y hole behind a rock, moose directly after standing up upon sighting me, calf offering the Wolverine Whisperer a side eye.
Turning around caused our focus to shift onto capturing the experience. Our pace slowed to a meander and WW even climbed on rocks to take pics of the magnificent swaths of oranges and yellows painting the granite hillsides. Unsurprisingly, the clouds lifted, the rain stopped, and sunlight streaked the distant evergreen coated hills. Sigh. We definitely would have at least hiked up to Lake Mary had we known the sun and blue sky would mock us.
Worth every raindrop, bad decision, and detour. We may not have gotten to all those Fall activities during our afternoons that we imagined snuggling up to, instead opting to relish the summer quality of the sunshine, but we did catch the peak coloring of the canyon that morning. For that, I’m deeply grateful.
Happy gratitude season, y’all! I hope you receive the abundance you deserve (minus moose mishaps, of course!). 🍂
*WW = Wolverine Whisperer. In case you don’t recall the nickname, check out the event regaled in the no bears. no moose. just views. post from the summer of 2025.