GIRL vs. ELK

A memorable encounter with the wildlife of the Canadian Rockies

- Carla Ciccone

I WAS A CITY KID, a child of Toronto. I can prove this because there is a picture of me in a park as a toddler chasing a raccoon. My family moved to Calgary when I was seven, for new opportunities and cleaner air, and I wouldn't see another raccoon for years. I was still a city kid, but in Alberta-a province with a dedicated rat control program.

Wilderness bumped up against us in different ways. There were cougar sightings in parking lots and deer munching on Mom's spring flowers. But no rats! In my imagination, I was an animal whisperer akin to a forest-dwelling Disney princess, but those initial Calgary years would remind me that I was actually a kid who had asthma attacks on trail rides.