Torrey and I were in the tent on the second evening of our Rocky Mountain National Park Adventure, waiting out the rain and hoping for dinner before dark. Torrey was dozing, I was writing, and all of a sudden I heard branches crack. I froze, listening, and heard them crack again. I quietly woke Torrey up, and she froze when she heard it too. We grabbed the bear spray and I put on a show of bravery that I did not feel at the moment, unzipping the tent and popping out to find myself facing a large female elk less than ten feet away. We stared at each other for a few seconds, then she put her head down to graze and I whispered to Torrey that it was an elk. We got out of of the tent and watched her for a while before Torrey noticed a herd of elk in the meadow across from our camp. We headed that way to see them, but I was too fixated on her and missed the herd. The female grazed around our camp for thirty minutes or so, forcing us to stay away and give her space until she moved on. At one point, only my four foot wide tent separated her from me. I had elk slobber on my tent where she bent her head down to check it out and nibble on the fly zipper. I was afraid she was going to eat my tent, or trample it at least! I was so thankful we had gotten out when we first heard her; if we were inside with her that close I would have been freaking out. What a cool experience!
Leave me a comment below and tell me about a close wildlife encounter you've had! I want to hear your close-call stories!
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