Wild Walk!

Sunset over the sea with Rowan.

Last night we took a walk in Kincaid Park with Uncle Blake (Chris's brother). This was our first opportunity to hang out together this year & what an adventure it turned out to be! The park was chock full of creatures, mainly moose. Here's the count: 1 squirrel, 1 ptarmigan, 2 yearling moose, 2 single cows, 2 sets of mama/baby moose pairs & a bull/cow combo, making a total of 10 moose! We actually found ourselves sandwiched between the a mother/baby pair & the bull/cow pair on the trail so we had to exercise a certain amount of patience since the mama moose on the downhill end was ticked off & no one wanted to test the bull's mood further up the hill. Some people just took to the brush & bushwhacked their way out, but that wasn't really practical w/infant, stroller, kiddo, etc. So, we took the time to drink in the beauty & awesomeness of one of Alaska's signature species. (As always, click on any photo to see larger.)

Typical trailside moment in AK.

Pretty little yellow cup fungi. (Just had to include them, hehe)

Lord & Lady.

Spectacular, he was.

Ptarmigan. Forgive the fuzz, had to act fast in the dim light.

I was so into the tree I forgot to zoom in for this shot.

Sun over the sea.

A seaside bench along the Coastal Trail.

Blake & Baby.

Daddy & Baby. Heading home.

Perfect way to end the day.

Sun setting as we wait for the moose to clear.

I also took a couple of videos; one of the yearlings & one as we attempted to pass mama moose & baby. We were with a bunch of people, some with dogs (as you will sort of see), all trapped between the mama/baby pair & the cow/bull pair. We all began walking enmasse, mama got pissed off & we all quickly turned back, lol. It was pretty funny, but also a bit of an adrenaline boost. The point at which everything gets all willy-nilly & you see a random dog, arms & legs is when mama made aggressive gestures, turning us all back to our safe zone. Ultimately, we came home with two cups of cranberries & some great memories. Ah, recreation in Alaska... not your average walk in the park.

 Oh yes... & thanks to Chris for throwing off the best shot. :P