Day 74

  7/10/01
  Mile 5191
  Moose Pass, AK

  I left Anchorage headed out across the Kenai Peninsula for Seward this 
  morning, following the old Seward highway south out of town along the 
  Turnagain Arm.  As is common in this area, I faced 20-30mph headwinds 
  and rain much of the time.  Captain Cook sailed through here once, 
  seeking the Northern Passage connecting the Pacific and Atlantic.  Later it 
  became a gold-rush spot, of which there are many in Alaska.  The Arm 
  experiences some of the highest tides in the world, causing treacherous 
  navigation, and turns into mud flats at low tide - and that mud is more 
  like quicksand, prompting the rescue of many unwary people over the 
  years.  There are plenty of Bald Eagles in this marshy area, all searching 
  for their next meal.

  Farther down past the Arm, the route heads across large grassy and 
  tree-covered hills, and crosses a couple of passes around a thousand feet 
  high.  It's rainy, or at least misty, about 75% of the time for me - a 
  bit like Ireland I suppose.  Wild game trails can be seen along the 
  hillsides, and it's tempting to go hike them.


  Tip of the day: AVOIDING MOOSE ATTACK
  -------------------------------------
  (Now, where else can you get such useful information?)

  Ears pointed straight up, generally silent:
  The moose just wants to see what you are, and does not feel threatened 
  by you (and why should it - it outweighs you five to one).  Chances are 
  it will ignore you if you don't do anything stupid.  It's finding the 
  plants it's feeding on much more interesting than you.

  Ears pulled back against neck, hair standing up, clicking mouth or 
  licking lips: 
  You've honked off a moose by getting too close, and it's about to make 
  you pay for the transgression by charging you.  Unless you think you 
  can stand up to a half ton of angry moose with sharp hooves that's used 
  to dealing with bears and wolves, you'd best exit the area.  Clint 
  Eastwood would say, "Feeling lucky, punk?"

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