Side Story: Moosies and Blackies and Brownies, Oh My!

With apologies to the 1961 American
musical romantic drama directed by
Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins

If you are willing, please tell us more about your camping at Eagle River. I camped there on my way to Denali, and not far from Eagle River had the wonderful encounter with a sow grizzly and cubs that I relate in Part 3 of my moose chronicle. —Paul Clark

Reply by Roger Owens

Moose: A Family Curse (Part 1 of a Story for My Son)

By Paul Clark (aka motomynd)

This is an excerpt from my autobiography Stories for My Son, so I will ask other readers to bear with me as I address my son directly. Son: Hopefully I am with you when you see your first moose, for they are truly magnificent animals and I would love to see another one. I would especially love to see one that was not trying to kill me. In case I am not with you, however, here is what you need to know: When you see your first moose, do not stand there in awe thinking “Wow! That is a really big deer!” Instead, devote those few calm seconds – before chaos descends – to looking for a tree small enough to climb, yet big enough that a moose can’t reach you or knock it down. Why? Because, when you see a moose nearby, you need the biggest head start you can manage: Moose are a family curse that traces back at least as far as your great-grandfather.