Adirondack Rangers Remind Hikers To Yield To Wildlife After Moose Allegedly Posts “Trail Closed For Thinking” Sign

Hand-lettered sign discovered near a summit reads: “Back soon, contemplating existence. — M.” Rangers call it “unhelpful but relatable.”

Adirondack Park — Hikers on a popular trail reported being briefly detoured by a hand-lettered sign taped to a spruce with biodegradable twine. The message, allegedly authored by a local bull moose, read: “Trail closed for thinking. Back soon. — M.” Park rangers removed the note and reminded visitors to yield to wildlife even when wildlife has calligraphy.

“We advise giving all animals space, including introspective ones,” a ranger said. “Also, please don’t add your own signs unless you are, in fact, a moose.” Several hikers claimed they later saw the animal near a bog, staring at distant mountains the way people stare at Zillow.

Meanwhile, a separate party in the Saranac area reported “a very tall hiker” wearing a wide-brim gardening hat, measuring shade at noon with a stick and a phone compass. The hiker allegedly left three pinecones, a tin of buttons, and a folded flannel on a trail register with a note: “Trade accepted.”

The DEC reiterated best practices: pack in, pack out, do not barter with beings taller than most trailhead kiosks, and please consider planting shade trees in the fall “when roots prefer cool heads.” The agency declined to elaborate on the flannel.