Sadie and the Moose

Came around the corner fast, Sadie just ahead of me, and Momma Moose and Baby Moose were standing no more than 20 ft off the trail in a clearing. 20 ft is very close in wild moose proximity terms. Some moose don't like runners (read Karl Meltzer's moose encounter) and Momma Moose generally doesn't like runners when Baby Moose is around.

So after a mild heartbeat skip and a fast sprint by I got far enough away to feel comfortable to take a photo. Sadie's curiosity got the best of her and she went toward Momma Moose (Baby Moose had climbed up well behind her) and got to about 10 yards away before Momma Moose let out a deep growl/puff that sent Sadie scurrying back to me.

Momma Moose (zoom lens)

I've heard some bad Moose attack stories and it's always in the back of my mind when I'm running around blind corners or switchbacks. This was my closest encounter yet, and I feel lucky that Momma Moose wasn't in an ill mood.

Sadie blew off the encounter and when we reached the top of our run she reasserted her dominance over the mountain with a majestic pose:

Keep running!

-Scott

Sadie says, "Hi."

Have Trails - Will Run

Keep running!

-Scott

Family Half-Marathon - Columbia, South Carolina

My sister, Lisa, was getting married on Saturday (congratulations, Lisa!), so she wanted to run a half-marathon on Friday. It was supposed to be a bit bigger crowd than this, but my brother, Adam, and his wife, Jen, were in a bad car accident a few weeks ago that kept her in the hospital for too long and kept them from making the trip. Get well, Jen! We missed you both.

Me, Melanie, Lisa, Dad (7 months after his quadruple-bypass)

The humidity woke up before our 5:30 a.m. start. The air bath reminded me of all those good years growing up in Houston. There was some construction on part of the river trail, so instead of a single out-and-back we had to do a couple shorter out-and-backs to make up the distance.

It was great to see my dad pounding pavement so soon after his heart operation. He feels much better now, though he still has some lingering chest pain doing certain things - lifting, etc. He's so motivated to run and he's an inspiration to all of us. He's already looking for a fall 50 k or trail marathon.

It was great running with Melanie and Lisa for the first time, too. Lisa recently completed her first two marathons and Melanie is training for her first.

We had a great, sweaty time.

Morning blurs

Dad running through the rising sun

3 (of the seven!) Amigos

Keep running!

Scott