Backstory III-Moose of Maine

By the summer of 2002 my little crush had permeated the inner friendship circle. I started receiving moose-themed toys, Christmas ornaments, stationery, puzzles, t-shirts...even a new nickname. Having always secretly feared what I'll call the "knick-knack association", a phenomenon of accumulating one kind of thing that results in a dusty shelf of themed collectibles, I laid-off the moose accolades at home and got myself a summer job in a place where the moose truly do run loose, Maine.

Tanglewood is an idyllic environmental camp for kids and families near Penobscot Bay on the central coast of Maine. I was hired to lead backpacking trips and spent a blissful 2 months exploring the hills and waterways of this incredible state. No moose sightings, however, not a one. http://www.umaine.edu/umext/Tanglewood4H/

During one of our rare days off, a group of us drove up to check out Acadia NP. While browsing the shops of Bar Harbor, I saw my first Maine Moose. He was throwing up a peace sign and had a goofy grin. I fell in love all over again.

http://www.coolasamoose.com/


http://thoreau.eserver.org/memap.html

By the end of my time in Maine, I actually did get to see a couple live moose. But I had to pay for it. I took a trip to Moosehead Lake, located in the state's northeastern corner. While there I, along with 3 other fools, hired a "guide" who took us out on a sightseeing adventure. It was cold, but the canoe was fun and the moose were beautiful. It was neat to see places Thoreau had written of. I also learned a lot during those few days on how and why humans call moose in close, how easy it is for people to hunt them while perched high atop look-out chairs secured in the beds of pickup trucks (where's the sport in that??), and when the opening day is of moose hunting season (from a story I read in the local paper that coincided with an all-too graphic photograph). It was time to come home.