One thing I love about back packing is the people you meet along the way. They are always so interesting. At Lake Ellen Wilson we met a sweet family from Canada with their 8 year old daughter who had her own pack! (quite impressive) We met a park ranger who was hiking with a friend who had some serious health issues but was loving every minute of the journey. At Gunsight Lake we met a bunch of 20 somethings who had bought an RV and were traveling across the United States all summer, a member of a guided trip who has a food blog (http://theyearinfood.com) and a cookbook to be released in June, along with a husband and wife in their late 60's backpacking for a week in Glacier and then a week or more in Yellowstone. A very eclectic group of hikers.
After packing up camp that morning we said good-bye to Gunsight Lake. We had been on the trail for about an hour when a fellow hiker going into Gunsight told us there was a moose hanging out ahead. Many of you may not be aware but moose are actually more dangerous than grizzlies, especially if they have a baby around. In Alaska there are actually more moose attacks then grizzly. They are very protective of their young and with their huge feet they pretty much just stomp you. The other hikers said she was only about 20 yards off the trail and did not seem agitated or agressive, so we were excited to get a look at her. (Terry has had quite a few moose encounters since we've been here but I had only seen one, and that was from quite a ways away.) Due to her being in the brush I didn't get many great shots, plus we didn't want to worry her, so we didn't hang around for long. Seeing a large animal like that up close was pretty amazing though!
I wish there wouldn't have been so much brush in the way. (Although that probably made her feel very secure and unthreatened, which was good for us.) You can't tell in the picture but their heads are enormous!
Then she showed us her best side.
She kept looking behind her so we assumed she must have a baby bedded down somewhere, so we headed on our way.
It was just over 6 miles to hike out. It was a beautiful trail with lots of beautiful berries and views looking back at the mountains.
Now it's onto Yellowstone. . . .
