Elk Shed

Day 345: Stumping along in the deep, dark forest, you never know what you may find. I had taken a detour in order to explore a small shelf of moss-rich ground which looked like it might be chanterelle country, but finding only lobsters (which I do not eat), I began climbing back up from the terrace via a different route. Why waste energy in retracing my steps? I already knew there weren't any mushrooms along the descent. Unless I came to a dead end in an impossible tangle of downed limbs and trees, exploring new territory might bring a bit more for the dinner table or subject matter for a natural-history post. I had just rounded a rather large tree to avoid a steeper slope when something caught my eye. "That's not a branch," I said aloud. "That's an elk antler." One tip was broken, but the critter who wore it must have been an impressive beast. I moved his shed crown into a sun-fleck for the photo, and then replaced it where I had found it, hoping that it may lichenize in time and give me more material for discussion. I seriously doubt anyone else will follow this route, although a similar and somewhat larger antler I found in the same area a few years ago has disappeared.