Looking For Moose Tracks in the Warm January Air

It was surprisingly warm today. The last time I checked, the temperature was at 49 degrees. Not bad for January 11th. I think tomorrow is supposed to be fairly warm as well. The forecast is telling me it’s going to be around 42. Of course, it’s supposed to drop back down to -3 on Friday, but that’s par for the course. Having the temperature fall 36 degrees in one day isn’t anything new.

A few days ago, Laura and I went for a walk up our road. It’s been a while since we’ve gone very far outside because of the cold weather. We braved it this time though and had a good time.

When we made it to the end of the road, we happened to bump into our buddy up there who was putting out some food for the deer. He and his wife apparently have a herd that passes through daily. They like to put out some feed they either get from the local hardware store or from Tractor Supply in an effort to supply a bit of entertainment during the evening hours. Their house is perched up on top of a hill and they can clearly watch the deer chow down on the food they leave for them. I think it’s nice they do this, especially during the winter.

Anyway, our friend happened to mention that our neighbor caught a photo of a huge moose on his secret trail camera. Our property sits right next to his, so there’s a good chance the moose walked across our land. Our friend told us that he saw the picture and he said that the moose had some very large antlers. This frustrated me a bit because I’ve been living in Maine for three years now and haven’t seen a moose yet. I keep asking people if they’ve ever seen one and they laugh. “Of course we have!,” they reply. And then they call me a flatlander. That’s a term of endearment I think. I’ll take it as that anyway.

Since today was so warm, Laura and I thought it would be fun to put on our gigantic boots and trudge through the deep snow to the back of the property. Our goal was to locate some moose tracks. We knew the camera was back there somewhere, so there had to be some accompanying tracks. We’ve gone back there in the past looking for similar things with no luck. Today, we had a feeling luck would be on our side.

First of all, the snow is still crazy deep back there. Poor Laura almost got swallowed up. I had to walk in front of her to blaze a path. She followed, putting each of her steps in the ones I left behind.

Second, there’s a bit of storm damage back there too. In the winds, the tops of the pines like to fall off. That, and some white pines fell over from the roots. Nothing big or anything, but there’s a difference that would require a chainsaw to clear out.

Third, we found the ever elusive moose tracks. A moose walked right across the back of our property. It came from the field next to us, crossed the small stream, crossed our property and then went on his way. That’s probably when he got his picture taken.

The footprints were big. Laura took a lot of pictures of them, but I think this was the best.

These tracks took one path and then merged with another. My thinking is that either the same moose came back and took a different route to the field or there was another moose. Perhaps a lover. I’m not sure.

After the excitement wore off, we continued on to the small brook that runs across the back of the property. I knew it was frozen over, but I wanted to see if there was any water running on top of the ice because of the melting that was going on. Sure enough, that was the case.

Every time I go back there, I have these visions of cleaning up the entire area come spring. Then spring comes and I get busy with planting the garden and all that. I’ve come to realize that, as humans, we basically concern ourselves with our immediate circles. It’s rare that we give much attention to what’s outside of them. I think that can be a good thing because it promotes focus. If I went nuts with cleaning up the back of the property, a place I only visit about four times a year, I’d surely waste a lot of time. Nothing much else would get done and I’d suffer in different ways. Ah, the challenges we face.

Whenever we come back from the woods and approach the house again, I just love the view. It looks like we live in a forest. Today, I decided to take a picture of what I’m referring to, so you can get a better idea of the layout.

I’ll tell you one thing, it’s damn cozy up here. I never thought it would be so cozy. Also, today I realized that in just two short month’s time, I’ll be getting ready to tap the maples for syrup. I can’t believe the time has come so fast. This year, I’m upgrading my operation. I’m going to buy a huge pot to boil faster and would love to get my hands on another wood stove. One I can keep outside so I don’t heat myself out of the house like I have for the past two years.

Over and out. Thanks for reading!