I went up to Blue Lake again today, and was hoping to see the mountain goat that I spotted from a distance yesterday. I explored a lot of terrain, but never caught a glimpse of him or the bull moose from the prior day.
I took my time on the way back in hopes of seeing something notable and just as I approached Mitchell Lake – I bumped into the same pair of moose from two days ago. I thought that I'd name them if I saw them again, and with her tall physique I found it fitting to go with Giselle. Brady seemed like a fitting name for her young son and here I was again in very close proximity to them. I had passed just a few feet away from the calf, but didn't notice him in the thick forest. I saw mom in the creek and was shocked that I was only about 12 feet away. It wasn't my intention to get so close, but that's just how close I was when we made first eye contact. Perhaps she remembered me from the other day, but it was clear (for the time being) she didn't care one bit about me. I snapped photos for 20 or so minutes until they started walking away and down the trail.
They were right in the middle of the trail so I just waited, but then I saw someone approaching that had NO idea that the moose were just a few feet away. I called out loudly "MOOSE" … but he kept walking closer and I called out again "MOOSE!". Giselle all of a sudden got spooked and felt caught between a steep slope, a hiker coming up and then me behind her (90 or so feet away). My loud exclamation annoyed her it seemed and she glared at me while dropping her ears in an aggressive way. I couldn't blame her, but I was surprised she was focused on me even though the other hiker was closer. The hiker quickly turned around and was out of sight. I decided to leave them alone and hiked well around them to avoid any more stress.
All in all it was a great day and another great encounter.