Hiking: Moose, bear, mosquitoes, oh my!

We decided to hike The Roost in Evan's Notch on the Maine side of the White Mountains National Forest. While driving to the Notch we spotted a moose crossing the Saco River. This was the cause of much excitement for all in our car. Shannon, driving her car on this adventure, pulled over to the side of the road and we all jumped out and ran to the river. The moose had already lumbered across the river by the time we got to the shore so G. was only able to get a far-away photo of the moose. But still, we were jazzed we spotted her on the bridge and it was a testament to our excitement when we returned to the road and the car was still running.

 (You can barely see moose but she's there between the trees.)

As we were driving through Evan's Notch we watched a black bear run across the road about 30 feet in front of us. We all paused for a moment - pretty much in shock - because none of us had every seen a black bear in the wild. Of course I thought the moose would be the highlight and did not have my camera handy for a photo of the bear. You'll just have to take my word for this particular sighting.

As I have talked about in previous posts and print columns, we rarely see any interesting creatures because we talk and laugh and generally create a ruckus in the woods that would scare off even the most bold of creatures. So this is why it was such a remarkable day for us.

We do tend to find a lot of signs of wildlife while hiking. This trip was no different. We found many piles of moose droppings. At the top of The Roost we had a bit of fun pretending to golf with a walking stick.

It was a fun day on the trail.

There was one thing that we encountered that we really could have done without – mosquitoes.

And we forgot something in our packs that I am embarrassed to even admit.

Bug spray!

This photo sort of sums up our experience on the trail.

But that shouldn't reflect badly on our final destination. It was a fairly easy hike to a really nice view of the notch.

The Roost In Evan's Notch