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November 5, 2006
Do These Things Work?
I watched the local herd of elk for a bit today, because the scene was rather entertaining.
The elk rut is officially over; the cows have gone out of heat and, in turn, the bulls have calmed their violent, testosterone-driven tendencies. Though peace has returned to the herd, the elk seem to wander in undirected stupor. For months, their sole life purpose was procreation and all of the related nuances surrounding this process. Without such purpose, it is as if the elk don't know how to occupy their time.
I'm inclined to smack the herd upside their heads and tell them to graze. The elk I watched today seemed unconcerned about the impending season change. More like, they don't seem concerned about anything at all. However, now is their last chance to pack on a few more calories on in the hope of surviving the starvation months of winter. It is impossible for elk to graze enough calories each day in the winter to meet their energy-expenditure requirements. Grass and bushes are buried deep below the snow, and the elk are left to chew upon leafless saplings and low-lying branches on larger trees. The winter goings are tough, so elk must enter the winter season with a good reserve of stored energy. Those that have enough in their tanks will survive; those that don't will die. Resultingly, elk mortality rates in winter are huge.
Among the wandering, unfocused herd were several juvenile male elk. These boys, really elk teenagers, are probably 1 1/2 years old. They each have stubby antlers that split into the tiniest of two points at their ends. Through the rut, these guys tried to remain invisible. They are not yet mature, so they are uninterested in mating. However, the large, testosterone-infused bull elk don't care where they unleash their physical frustrations. If these teenagers arrive in the wrong place at the wrong time, they are very much subjected to the violent wrath of a bull elk. During the rut, I watched these teenagers hanging in groups off the edge of the herd. When things got violent or volatile among the big bulls and their cows, these teenagers would literally duck behind trees and bushes, trying to stay out of the way.
Though they avoided the real action, these teenagers must have been observing with interest elk rutting behavior and storing that knowledge away for when they reach sexual maturity. I was most entertained today by two teenagers practicing their sparring skills. The big bull elk sparring during the rut is quite intense, loud, and violent. Two bulls will repeatedly ram each other with their large racks, stamp their feet on the ground, and make pained grunting noises. This afternoon, the two teenagers were quietly and simply clicking their antlers together, as if testing to see if they really work. Such as they say, practice makes perfect; perhaps someday, these two teenagers might fight each other in earnest during a rut.
I also ran today, barely fitting it in around my observations of the natural world and all. It was a tough day for on-foot recreation as there were literal gale-force winds occurring out there. I climbed 4 miles uphill via an exposed dirt road almost exclusively into the wind, which also carried with it a fine mix of sleet and snow that stung as it hit bare skin, namely my cheeks. It was one of those times when you just shut off your brain and run, because if you get to thinking about what you're doing, it seems ludicrous. On the plus side, I returned downhill, with the wind, via the same 4 miles. Resultingly, the pace was, as my high school cross country runners would say, sick. They might also call it gnarly. Both of these words translate into describing the pace as pretty freaking fast.
This road runs just below the edge of a thick pine forest that leads all the way up to the top of a 9000 foot "hill." Somewhere above the road as I ran, some giant tree snapped and fell in the wind, bringing with it a big load of other trees at the same time. It sounded like an automatic weapon was being discharged for about 7 seconds. This comepletely wigged out my sensitive border collie, and she took off like a bullet. Perhaps the speedy return pace was also attributed to trying to keep up with the dog.
The One-Week Post Race Assessment: Recovery is going well. However, I need to continue to recover. I have a few body aches and pains that need to simmer down. I got a massage this week, one of those uncomfortable, intense, deep tissue massages. I told the therapist that she could work on me as long as it took to get things worked out. The massage went on, and on, and on. Afterwards, I was exhausted, and she told me that my body was trashed. Yes, that's the actual word she used. She said the following body parts are trashed: my upper back between my shoulder blades, the left side of my butt, my left quad, and my right foot. Funny, that's where I feel trashed as well. Nothing is truly obscene, just, you know, trashed. Recover onward.
Posted by Meghan at November 5, 2006 6:24 PM
Comments
... a most enlightening way, to get started for the day... onward we go...
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at November 6, 2006 2:27 AM
Wow very interesting, that must have been an amazing experience to observe nature up close! A massage sounds nice, enjoy your recovery!
Posted by: Ryan at November 6, 2006 1:43 PM
great writing, once again! Love the elk stories. And, oh yeah, the running too :)
Posted by: anne at November 6, 2006 6:28 PM