A massive moose was caught on dramatic video strolling into a Colorado lake, passing just feet from stunned swimmers enjoying the mountain water.
Carleigh Smith, a Florida native visiting Denver last month for a concert with friends, had set out on her first mountain hike to St. Mary’s Glacier near Idaho Springs when the unforgettable wildlife encounter unfolded, KDVR reported.
During the picturesque Colorado hike, Smith and her group were suddenly approached from behind by a man who warned them that a moose was up ahead, according to the station.
“All of the sudden, a guy comes up behind us, and he’s very calmly, nonchalantly saying there’s a moose in front of you guys, you might want to move,” Smith told the outlet.
“My friend Grace was like, ‘if you hold your thumb up and the thumb covers the whole moose, you’re a good safe distance.’ When I held my thumb up, I was covering about its toe, so it was really close.”
As Smith and her friends hurried to give the animal space, they watched the antlered giant wander straight into the lake for a swim — just a few feet from a group of girls seated on a rock.
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Smith’s video shows two girls carefully stepping off the rock and into the water, moving slowly to avoid startling the enormous moose, an animal that can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
“So then the moose decides to, like, get in the water and take a dip. Which, we’re on its land so by all means,” Smith said, adding that the girls were ultimately able to get out of the way safely.
Smith, who is from St. Petersburg, described the shock moose sighting as akin to seeing a gator in the Sunshine State.
“It was just very nerve-wracking, very nail-biting,” she recalled.
But despite the scare, Smith said the unbelievable sighting made for a memorable hike.
“It was so majestic and very calm,” she said.
“Really take it in, however, remember that you are the visitor.”
