LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1263803
When I arrived early in the morning at Helldiver Pond, wheeling my kayak, I was greeted by 10 others on the sink- ing launch dock—all of them wondering why I was going to launch a boat and disturb their awesome moose sighting. I could feel their disbelief and disapproval as I tried to whisper assurances that the moose would not be intimidated by me on the water. The moose was directly across the pond in heavy fog, slow- ly walking and eating lily pads. After a clumsy entr y into my boat, with no help from the fellow moose lovers, I hugged the shore and paddled slowly. The moose stayed in the area approximately 30 minutes before exiting into the far woods. Using my camera as a mirror, I watched the viewers leave one after the other, wondering if they would flatten my tires in the parking lot. Honestly, that was an average stay for him on the pond. As the fog burned off, I paddled to the far cove in sun- shine, delighted that I was on the pond alone and had seen the moose. Cedar waxwings are often on Helldiver. I began to scan the treetops for a sighting. No wind, sunshine, and moose success made my heart full. Paddle resting in my lap, I drifted near the shore with thoughts of my blessings. Dropping my eyes to the beauty of the tangled stumps, brush, and ferns, the moose suddenly walked out of the woods not 100 feet from me. Stunned by his closeness and his size, I back paddled slowly but strongly. I had never seen him reappear in all my trips here. This was unreal! He was walking directly toward me, looking up occasional- ly, but seemingly ver y intent on water lilies. Pushing through a dead spruce without hesitation, pieces of the tree fell on this head and onto his antlers—a picture I will never forget. We had nearly 2 hours alone together. My father, a few years before his passing, was lamenting that there were few, if any, sightings of moose in the Adiron- dacks. He wished for a resurgence of these magnificent an- imals to the area. As I watched the moose eat I was "heart talking" to my Dad, Harold, telling him that I wished he was there with me, to see Harold, the moose of Helldiver Pond. I know now that he was. - Sue Kiesel