Home»All Photographs»2014 Hikes»Three Lakes Valley 10-04-14

Today I witnessed something that was indeed special. As Clayton and I approached the trailhead on the gravel Smith-Dorrien road, we came around a corner to see two bull moose fighting! They appeared to be of similar size and heft. They pushed and shoved from one side of the road to the other, then down into the ditch, and back up onto the road. At one point, one moose lost his balance and the other managed to get underneath him and flip him over! Water and mud splashed, and gravel flew as they continued to jostle for about 12 minutes. About half way through the fight, two other cars pulled up and watched as well. Their antlers clattered loudly in the morning air. They would fight for about 30 seconds, then take a breather of about the same time and so the process would repeat. During the rest periods, I could see their ribs heaving from exhaution. I was also intrigued at how quickly they could turn (see video #2) and how quickly they could go from rest to fighting (video #1). This was a rare occurence to see - my first moose battle in eight years of super-saturdays. The best part of the day happened before we even laced up our boots!
The rest of the day saw us hike up Three Lakes Valley, beyond the Elephant Rocks near Chester Lake. As we ascended up the valley, the conditions became more bleak and wintery. Once past the third lake, we continued for a short distance and then returned out of the dead-end valley the way we came.