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

Morning Shadows

There's dew on the grass and leaves and the sun rises through the branches early Sunday morning. Sadie chases chipmunk after chipmunk up trees and over logs and she bounces to and from the trail, through bushes and streams and spider webs, looking back at me only to make sure I'm as happy as she is.

The mountain trail is my yellow brick road.

It's the sound of my feet falling against the ground with the same beat as my heart. It's the overgrown brush against my knees and thighs. It's the squint of my eyes after a switchback into the white sky. It's the smell of green.

The three mile detour is always worth the view. Northern Idaho is always worth the view.

Just keep running and running and running.

-Scott

Trails, Moose, and a Lost Camera

A camping trip swallowed my camera and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it back. Bummer.

Sadie and I spent months training for road ultras and since my return from Africa we've been spending a great deal of time pounding the dirt on some of Idaho's best trails. Need trails. Need trails bad.

If you look close enough at this photo taken by my camera phone (the weekend after I lost my good camera) you can see momma moose near the patch of sunlight on the edge of the ridge. Baby moose is just around the tree. Sadie was chasing a squirrel and had no idea about the moose.


We love the trails. Sadie loves trails the same way fish love water. And even though I'm not a marine biologist, I know that's a lot of love. I love trails about as much as Sadie loves macaroni and cheese. That's probably even more than I love chocolate chip cookies. I know, I'm blowing your mind right now.

The sun hasn't been setting until nearly 10pm, so nearly everyday I've had the opportunity to catch some trails after work -- if we haven't been going down to the Snake River. It's been great.

Near the top of Moscow Mountain

Saturday, on the trail, I think it was the fourth of July

Sadie gained a little weight while I was away for a few weeks.
We've run it off, though, and she's feeling much better.

I've found that with the warm weather and long days I've been spending very little time at home and on the computer. I love the summer. I love running.

Keep running!

Scott