Although the fishing was lousy on Boya Lake, the kayaking was so fantastic that we decided to stay on a little longer. The camp hosts, Sue and Jack Chief, told us that there was a mother moose and her calf living on the islands across from where we camped. That was good enough reason to stick around. After driving for over a month, I had seen only one moose and hundreds of pictures of moose.
The water was as smooth as glass as we headed over to the islands. We paddled in and around the islands looking for signs of moose and listening for movement in the underbrush. It is amazing how many times I mistook dark trees or shadows for wildlife. My mind was playing tricks on me.
Finally we heard crashing sounds in the woods. We stopped and waited. Soon we saw shadows moving in the dense foliage and moments later a cow moose stepped out into the water with her calf close behind.
The mother and baby swam to the next island as David and I frantically took as many photographs as we could. Then we followed them along to the next island, catching glimpses of them as they browsed and occasionally looked up at us.
Moose are very dangerous animals and mothers are especially protective of their young. However, this moose did not seem frightened or defensive at all. Maybe she was not sure what we were, floating around in our yellow kayaks, or perhaps she just felt safe in these islands where she comes each Spring to have her calves.
That night we were still talking about our adventure. We couldn't wait to tell Sue and Jack Chief about the moose hunt. At 10:30 pm as the sun was setting, the snow on the mountains across the lake took on a pinkish color which was reflected in the mirror surface of the lake. The world was still. Mother Nature was tucking us in for the night.
For another look at Boya Lake, check out my husband's blog at:
No comments:
Post a Comment