I woke to gray skies and in a dark mood. I was depressed about not making it to
Rattle Snake in the heart of the elk country, and I still felt weak. As I sat drinking my
tea, the skies began to clear. I loaded my pack, realizing that this was an area to
explore in healthier and wetter times.
On the way in the day before, I had not taken the time to take a good look at a
landmark I had passed by, the High Country Scenic Overlook - better known as a fire
tower. When I arrived at the tower, the weather was clear and the visibility was good. I
have no idea how tall the tower is, but it is high. From the top you can take in the
whole of the Pigeon River Valley. It is for this reason that the tower was initially
placed on this, the highest point in the area. Now with aircraft taking over the job of
scouting for fires, the tower remains for those of us willing to spend the effort to take
in a fantastic view.
After a lunch break, I grabbed my pack and headed down the trail still with high
hopes of seeing an elk or two. My next stop was planned, as al-ways, after an hour of
walking and I plodded along taking in the sights. Just before my hour break, I saw
movement off to the right. Walking out of the woods directly toward the trail was a bull
elk.
If you have never seen an elk up close in the wild, you do not truly realize how large
they are until you watch one walk onto the trail with his thick rack towering above him.
Within a few steps he caught sight of me, stopped and stared, trying to under-stand
what this strange creature was before him.
He stood all of 60-feet ahead of me and presented a perfect photo for the camera I
had raised before he had noticed me, but there was only one problem. When I was
on the tower I was shooting with a wide-angle lens: my zoom was in my pack. Unless
the animal came closer, there would be no great photo.
To my amazement he began to move toward me. It appeared that he had decided
that the thing on the trail posed no threat, and he began walking down the path
toward me. So there I stood, waiting, 30 more feet and the elk would be an elk in the
photo and not just some sort of brown smudge in the woods.
Well, the god of the forest must have believed I had seen enough, because out of
nowhere a doe came running by at full speed - past the elk and within a few feet of
me. When I looked to see what was chasing the doe, the elk was looking too. He had
an expression on his face as if to say, “Gee what’s her problem?” and then he trotted
away, never offering me a chance at a photo. But I saw what I came for, an elk in his
world and on his terms. I spent the night at Round Lake Campground, another
wonderful drive-in camp, where two weeks later I would be sitting with my wife and
sons. As I walked out the next morning, I had the added treat of seeing a black bear
scurry off into the bushes.
All in all, it was a pretty good trip, and though I have been wandering the trails for a
few decades, as always I learned a few things. If I had continued, I would have never
seen the elk or the campground. The regal beast offered memories for that day, and
the campground has provided a place where my family and I have created memories
that will last me a lifetime.
So sometimes taking it easy is the thing to do, after all that’s what the elk did when he
saw the deer. And if I have a choice, I would rather be known to be like an elk.
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