We arrived during the wee hours while the sunlight was still peaking just above the horizon. My significant other and myself picked our campsite and sat down our gear, then readied for our first morning safari. A chill stung in the air, so I riffled through my rucksack and pulled my Avedon & Colby field shirt and vest out and dressed quickly. The moleskin field shirt took away the bite in the air immediately. I packed my daypack and filled my vest with survival items like a compass, a folding blade and some other oddities. Mere minutes had passed but the sun had already began to rise and fill the forest with warm, golden light. We started off with our daypacks slung around our shoulders, binoculars and a bottle of water in either hand.
A twenty minute hike behind our dispersed campsite revealed the forest opening to a high grassy meadow. There were no signs of other campers, no cabins, no hunters, and no sounds of humans to be heard. I figured it to be the perfect spot for sightseeing. I lead, trampling through tall grass and in between a patch of thick bush until we reached the other side, where the meadow peaked upon a hill, providing us with the perfect vantage point. I sat cross-legged then I began to search with my binoculars pressed around my eyes. I scanned slowly from one end of the long, thin meadow to the other. Only hawks were soaring, silent and majestic.
I began to meditate, by slowing my breathing, and concentrating on that single steady breath until I began to fade. My body relaxed and my reeling mind became patient and thoughtful, and for a time, I simply breathed. Soon, I sat still and observant, watching the distant line of trees for any sign of movement. And then after what seemed like an hour, a female elk came trotting out from between two large pine and out in the open of the meadow. We both watched, wide eyed as we looked through our binos, as she grazed upon the tall green grass. She stood powerful and strong and tall, no more than a hundred feet from us. She moved slow and steady as she ate, moving our way. We held our breath and watched for a time, until she heard the call of the songbirds warn of our presence. She changed directions and took off into the forest from where we came.
I began to meditate, by slowing my breathing, and concentrating on that single steady breath until I began to fade. My body relaxed and my reeling mind became patient and thoughtful, and for a time, I simply breathed. Soon, I sat still and observant, watching the distant line of trees for any sign of movement. And then after what seemed like an hour, a female elk came trotting out from between two large pine and out in the open of the meadow. We both watched, wide eyed as we looked through our binos, as she grazed upon the tall green grass. She stood powerful and strong and tall, no more than a hundred feet from us. She moved slow and steady as she ate, moving our way. We held our breath and watched for a time, until she heard the call of the songbirds warn of our presence. She changed directions and took off into the forest from where we came.
We stayed put for another hour, and saw little, so we decided to head back and try again the next morning. The rest of the day, we took it easy after setting up camp. We roasted dogs and brats over the fire, and enjoyed a relaxed night beneath the stars.
The next morning, I awoke much too early, as the rocks beneath my back made it impossible to sleep well. I pulled on my field shirt and vest and crept out from the tent, quietly enough to not awaken my fiancé. I walked to the backcountry road and sat in my car to keep warm. Bleary-eyed, I stared mind numbingly out over the campsite and the woods for about ten minutes until it finally happened. A moose.
The next morning, I awoke much too early, as the rocks beneath my back made it impossible to sleep well. I pulled on my field shirt and vest and crept out from the tent, quietly enough to not awaken my fiancé. I walked to the backcountry road and sat in my car to keep warm. Bleary-eyed, I stared mind numbingly out over the campsite and the woods for about ten minutes until it finally happened. A moose.
A moose, standing seven or eight feet tall, gracefully trotted out from my right side and crossed in front of the tent, no more than eight or ten feet from where I sat in the car. He slowed and cocked his head toward me. I froze and held my breath, though I knew he couldn’t tell if I breathed or not, but I figured that any sudden movements would alarm him. He watched me, no doubt mauling over a question similar to, “what the heck is that thing?” He sniffed the grass, then rose his big beautiful head up high and sniffed the air. He gave me a long five second stare, before deciding there was no danger. This was the first time I had seen a wild moose this close up, and not from afar in a car, so when he made his way toward the tent, stopping two or three feet from where my significant other slept, I became worried and readied the horn to scare him away. But just as gracefully as he came, he left, obviously finally knowing of our presence. And just like that, he was gone, but not before I took this grainy photo.
Avedon & Colby are a renowned brand in the world of travel and safari, because they produce perhaps THE best field shirt for wilderness travelers, animal and bird watchers, and safari goers. The No. 016 Moleskin Field Shirt is famous because they are such high quality, long-lasting, and loaded with features. The field shirt is made of heavy duty cotton, and is fitted with an airy mesh on the shoulder and upper back region, which can be quite a blessing in hot weather, and a layered elbow pad which tremendously helps with the longevity of such a fine travel shirt. On both, the left and right chest, a deep zippered pocket and a buttoned pocket provide you with enough space to carry a map, IDs and passport, a flint and steel kit, as well as a blade or multi-tool. I found the Field Shirt to be perhaps the most comfortable travel shirt I’ve had the pleasure of wearing, and I couldn’t be more impressed.
Avedon & Colby are also known for their Safari Travel Vest, because it is similar to a traditional African safari vest. Similar to the Field Shirt, the Safari Vest has the same pocket structure on the chest, but has two additional deep buttoned pockets lower on the abdomen. Their safari vest is made with a more rugged and starched fabric than the soft fabric of the former shirt. I found Avedon & Colby’s Safari Travel Vest to be a must have for wilderness treks, because it is versatile and comfortable, and in some small, deep-seeded way, I felt more like a true explorer of places unseen and previously unknown than I have prior.
If you would like to know more about the renowned Avedon & Colby, click here.
Story written & Photos by Brandon Scott / Eye & Pen – Product image © Avedon & Colby.
Avedon & Colby are also known for their Safari Travel Vest, because it is similar to a traditional African safari vest. Similar to the Field Shirt, the Safari Vest has the same pocket structure on the chest, but has two additional deep buttoned pockets lower on the abdomen. Their safari vest is made with a more rugged and starched fabric than the soft fabric of the former shirt. I found Avedon & Colby’s Safari Travel Vest to be a must have for wilderness treks, because it is versatile and comfortable, and in some small, deep-seeded way, I felt more like a true explorer of places unseen and previously unknown than I have prior.
If you would like to know more about the renowned Avedon & Colby, click here.
Story written & Photos by Brandon Scott / Eye & Pen – Product image © Avedon & Colby.
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