sketch

Our last day of wild Yellowstone adventures. Oddly we were not bummed, but excited to cram what we could into the day. Almost identical to the bison encounter a couple days before, we came across a moose at (surprise!) Moose Ponds just off the Jenny Lake trail. We had hiked closed to 2 miles around the lake and to the ponds right as the sun was starting to set (my favorite time of day).

We quietly made our way around to the stunning overlook of the ponds. “Gruuuuuuuunt. Hmmmmmpf.” And a few splashing sounds percolated from a far. We continued the trail of the overlook while the brush below us muffled the sounds and the movements of pond’s edge. The sun’s reflections flickered on the pond through the trees. When we slowly and quietly made our way around the bend we caught a glimpse through an opening in the brush. 

We made eye contact as I slowly backed away with a few steps. He began to emerge from the pond to start sniffing around to forage off the land. He calmly and carefully marched right in front of us as he made his way to some greenery on the side of the hill. My heart raced as I quickly snapped shot after shot, careful not to forgo the experience itself. I captured his movement in my camera and then continued to step back as I simply took the experience in along with my son and wife.

With grace and great appreciation I take away these experiences shared with my family and other nearby animal observers. I am reminded that every being on this planet, no matter how big, nor small is deserving of appreciation.