The sun was barely up as we trudged through bogs and scrubby woods out at Roaches Line, 45 minutes west of St John’s, searching for moose. I followed my guide, Lori McCarthy, in silence – because moose have exceptional hearing – a few steps behind her bright orange hat, watching her long hair swing against the rifle slung across her shoulder. Every so often McCarthy would stop to listen, and I’d hold my breath. Or, she’d crouch to pick cranberries and juniper berries as we walked, or pass me handfuls of unidentified greenery to shove in my pockets “for later.” The plan was, should we find a moose, that McCarthy would shoot it, and we would dress the animal together and use the meat.
I was visiting with McCarthy to get a taste of the experiences she offers as part of her three-day program titled Cultural Food Preservation, Wild…