A Moose and His Girl

The "Survive" department in the March/April issue of Sierra is "Moose Romance," the tale of trail-runner Sallie Shatz's frightening encounter with a pair of amorous moose in Utah's Wasatch range. Our expert commentary was from Matt Heid of the Appalachian Mountain Club, author of Best Backpacking Trips in New England, who knows from moose. "If a moose approaches you, it's generally trying to drive you off because it sees you as a threat," he says. "In most situations, retreat immediately."

Fresh from her encounter with Bullwinkle, Shatz forwards the following clip from the movie Alaskan Moose: A Journey With Giants, "the greatest ode-to-moose movie ever made," according to the Anchorage Daily News. The clip was shot by moose biologist Vic VanBallenberghe, who warns viewers not to try this at home: The woman here raised the moose from a calf, something you also would not want to try at home. Nevertheless, it is quite touching:

 

PAUL RAUBER is a senior editor at Sierra. He is the author, with Carl Pope, of the happily outdated Strategic Ignorance: Why the Bush Administration Is Recklessly Destroying a Century of Environmental Progress. Otherwise he is a cyclist, cook, and father of two. Follow him on Twitter @paulrauber.

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