A man from Westerly, Rhode Island was out on a family hike in Colorado a couple of weeks ago when he, his wife and his son came face-to-face with a momma moose and her baby.
Dean and Rosemary Felicetti were in Colorado visiting their son Gabriel when they decided to go on a hike, reports WJAR. They visited a lake and had their feet in the water before heading back.
View across a shallow alpine lake toward the jagged granite peaks of the Gore Range in Eagle County, Colo., north of Vail. Dense stands of spruce and fir climb the lower slopes while aspen and tall grass line the near shoreline on a cloudy summer day. The high country sits along the edge of the Eagles Nest Wilderness, a popular area for hiking and backcountry access in the Colorado Rockies. (Getty Images)
As they were making their way down the trail so they could go out for Rosemary’s birthday dinner, the couple’s son alerted them to the moose ahead.
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“He’s like, ‘Just don’t turn your back. Don’t run,'” Dean said. “And so we just started backing up, and a baby moose comes off the switchback towards us.”
That’s when the family hike became the scariest moment of their lives. Right behind the baby moose was momma moose, and she wasn’t there to play around with the family. She charged at them immediately.
A mother and baby moose eat close together in Colorado. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
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Rosemary scrambled up the hillside while Dean and Gabriel tried to fend off the moose. Dean had his trekking pole and Gabriel was throwing rocks and yelling at it.
While Dean tried to poke at the animal with his trekking pole, it reared up and kicked him in the back. The moose then moved on and left the family with minor injuries.
Bull moose in summer, Quebec, Canada. In spring and summer, antler is covered with skin that gives a velvet texture. This requires intense grazing on a highly nutritious diet. (Getty Images)
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Dean took a trip to the emergency room and had survived the ordeal with only cuts, bruises and a hoof print on his shirt. The couple doesn’t blame the moose for kicking their butts.
“We 100% are supportive of the moose’s decision as the mom to protect,” Dean said. Rosemary added, “She was doing her job.”
Who could blame the moose? You’re stepping out on its turf and waving around trekking poles. A kick in the back is nothing.