A Moose Rant

So, a few weeks ago while reading Bill Bryson’s comical book A Walk In the Woods, I came across a few lines in the book which seemed somewhat out of place from what I’ve learned and experienced out in the wilderness in Alaska. Let me sum it up for you. If you can't tell by the title of this entry, it has something to do with moose.

            Bryson first says that “hunters will tell you that a moose is a wily and ferocious forest creature” and then proceeds to call this accusation by the hunters “nonsense”. I get the ferocious part as being nonsense because when I think of ferocious things I think of crocodiles or things with fur and warts that gnash their teeth and live under the bed. But, on the other hand, I do understand where the hunters are coming from. For instance, early in September 2010, a toddler was trampled while playing on a beach with her brother in Denver Colorado. I don’t know if you can actually call this encounter with a moose as being “ferocious”, but you can for sure call it terrifying.

            Bryson makes another inference that I find interesting when talking about moose and highways.  Bryson says “if you are driving down a highway and a moose steps from the woods ahead of you, he will stare at you for a long minute...then abruptly try and run away from you, legs flailing in eight directions at once”. Here’s the thing about moose and any other animal, domesticated or wild, for that matter. Their actions are totally unpredictable.  For example in July of this year, a man died after hitting a moose on the highway with his Jetta. This moose didn't run away. In fact, you could say that the moose actually ran into the man's vehicle. Another accident that I am familiar with happened in 2005 when I was in Alaska. A woman was driving down the highway when a moose ran out of the forest in front of her. Not able to stop in time, the women hit the moose totaling her car. Fortunately for the moose, he walked away with a minor scratch on his hip.

            After telling you all these horror stories about the moose and giving them somewhat of a bad rap, I feel as though I should also tell you how amazing of an animal a moose really is. Here are 10 Interesting facts that I have compiled for you about moose.

1.     Moose are a deer.

2.     Moose live in Europe, North America, and Asia

3.     Unlike most species, Moose gangs or herds are lead by a dominant female, NOT male.

4.     Moose are vegan meaning they only eat plants

5.     Moose hair is hollow helping them to float

6.     A moose can swim up to 6 mph

7.     An adult male moose eats about 9.770 calories a day to maintain a healthy body weight

8.     Moose only have teeth on the bottom of their mouths

9.     A moose calf can weigh anywhere from 25 lbs to 35 lbs when they are born

10.   A moose call is called a bark or bugle

(For more facts visit http://users.rcn.com/jpebble/moose/funfacts.html or http://users.rcn.com/jpebble/moose/funfacts.html)

To finish, I would like to say that moose are some of the most incredible animals that I have ever come encounter with in the wilderness. To say that I didn't enjoy seeing one when I was in Alaska would be lying. But I would also be lying if I said I wasn't a little hesitant to move when I came across a mom and her calf on a trail when I was hiking in Alaska. It was awesome, but I would have much rather been viewing this moose from the comforts of my conversion van. 

A Day of Firsts

Today is a day of firsts. First of all, it is the 21^st of September. It is also the first day of fall. As I sat down to think about what I could write for my first blog, I came to one conclusion. I felt that it would be fitting on this day of firsts to write about my first trip to the “The Last Frontier”: Alaska.

            Back in 2005, I was in the eighth grade at Marshall Middle School. During that time, I was the typical eighth grader. I was on the morning announcement crew, was a bassoon player in the band, and was on the honor roll. But, of all of these things that I participated in during the eighth grade, the most important was the opportunity to be involved with the 2005 Alaska Great Lakes Project.

            My eighth grade science teacher, Dale Rosene (aka Ishtar), and another teacher (Gary Holsen) from Palmer, Alaska, started the Alaska Great Lakes Project (AGLP) back in 1989 in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. The first trip took students from Marshall Middle School to Tatitlek, Alaska, to do comparative beach studies between the beaches of the Great Lakes and the beaches around Prince William Sound.  For three summers, this same trip took place and the investigations continued. In 1993, Ishtar went to Alaska to try to come up with a way to continue the trip but was interested in adding leadership opportunities while keeping an environmental focus. Thanks to Ishtar’s travels back to Alaska, the trip evolved into what it is today. The trip is still focused on the environment but at the same time allows students a growing experience where many learn who they are and become stronger leaders.

(For more information on the trips beginnings and to see pictures of this past summers trip please visit http://aglp.com/2010/index.html )

            So, on June 8, 2005, I left for my first trip to Alaska.   Now this was the beginning of a long list of “firsts” that would occur over the course of the three weeks that I was in AK. To begin my list, this trip marked the first time that I had ever been anywhere without my parents. To say the least, it was a little nerve racking. For the first time in my entire life, I was experiencing what it was like to be out in the world by myself without my mom and dad two steps behind guiding my every move. But, to say the least, it made me mature very quickly.

            During the trip I saw my first moose, whale, caribou, ground squirrel, sea otter, and porpoise. I hiked my first glacier and mountain. I attended my first midnight baseball game where they never turned the stadium lights and for the first time I went sledding in the middle of the summer. And for the first time in my life up to that point, I experienced the true beauty of nature.

            Up to that point I had never really known what nature held. But, being surrounded by the mountains and the pure majesty of the natural wilderness really opened my eyes to what true beauty is.

So, on the autumnal equinox 2010, I begin my journey in exploring the true beauty of the town I now call home…

Whale Flukes From my Trip to AK Summer 2005