tangle with nature

[Lesley]

So, the early warning system post got me thinking.... what wild animal related stories are out there? Everyone has at least one; let's hear em. Here's mine...

When I was in college I went car camping one summer weekend with some friends. We brought a tiny pup tent for the cooler, food, stove etc.. because the car was just too far away to be convenient.  (alcohol played into that decision) It worked pretty well; we'd leave camp, pack stuff up in the mini tent...at night the dying fire kept away most critters and we never had any problems. One night we packed up and proceeded to unwind around the fire, drinking, b.s.-ing each other, and playing cards. After the fire was mostly dead we opted to call it a night. We couldn't have been in bed an hour before I woke up to the sound of rustling around the pup tent. I got my tent mates attention and we couldn't figure out what was going on. They started bellowing at the noise trying to scare it off, meanwhile I'm fumbling around for a flashlight. Armed with luminescence I peeked out of the tent and noticed that the pup tent was not zipped at all anymore. I crept around and noticed a fuzzy something or other inside; my first thought was raccoon. Then I got a good look at him in the light. A skunk had managed to get in our food haven and was pigging out on my powdered donuts. He looked at me, his eyes deep red and shining in the spotlight, powder sugar outlining his dark lips which were curled back into a ferocious snarl. His tail went up. I dove for all I was worth back into my tent and let him have my hostess premiums.

[mich4076]

wow! I don't have much since its been years since I was an avid camper but I do have one...

When I was about 12 I pretty much lived in my tent during the summers in the back yard and we lived in the middle of no where... My two dogs heard something in the woods when I was sitting by the fire and I got up to call them back... they chased something big and black straight through my fire... It looked like a cat but it was too big to be a house cat... Thank goodness for my two guard dogs!!

[southmark]

When doing the AT in the Smokies in the days when the shelters still had chain link fence on the front. I was awakened by some guys in the upper bunks talking and shinning a flashlight at something in the floor. It was a skunk. He proceeded under the bunks and in a few moments I felt his cold little nose on my feet. I had my sleeping bag unzipped some at the feet because it was a very warm Thanksgiving night in the Smokies. He undoubtably did not like the smell of my feet because he did not stay long thank goodness.

[WolfVanZandt]

Lemmee see.......which one.

Well, this one isn't particularly "wild", but a friend and I were hiking from Highlands, North Carolina down to Franklin and we came up on a dog. I like animals so I started coaxing the dog to me. My friend wasn't really paying that much attention and he was on the other side of the dog from me. As was his warped sense of humor, he said, "Be careful. That dog's rabid." I paid a little more attention and, sure enough, the dog was foaming at the mouth. My friend couldn't figure out why I started jumping up and down yelling to drive the animal off.

And, yeah, I know the dog might have just eaten a frog or something but I didn't want to take the chance.

[jedbear]

About a decade ago, I was hiking with a party of three in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, White River National
Forest, NW Colorado. We had hiked in on a very tough trail (especially tough for flatlands who were less than
48 hours from  leaving sea level) and found a secluded spot down a slope from the trail. We knew we were in
heavy elk territory by the numerous tracks in a seepage near our tentsites. We spent much of the day seeking
a better water source than the shallow seepage full of little critters and elk dung; this was a true test of water
filters.
After turning in for the long night, I was awakened by some yet unknown reason. As is my usual habit, I purpose-
fully remained awake and alert for a while. Then I heard it! Somewhere in the distance was a rumbling sound
that disturbingly grew closer. What ever this was I realized that we were in its path. With no time to make any
decisions other than to ball up in my sleeping bags protected by the fabric of my tent, I was momentarily totally
surrounded by stampeding animals. I wasn't frightened. Perhaps I would have been if the events had occurred
more slowly. But just as they arrived, they were gone. Not until the next morning did I emerge from my tent and
see the hoof tracks of a herb of elk. Amazingly these very large animals stormed through within feet of our tents
but missed us and no even touched any guy lines supporting tents. I realize how easily we could have been
injured or killed by animals that compare with large horses. The next amazing thing is that my hiking partners
slept through the entire event! Needless to say, they were shocked that early morning when confronted by the
nights evidence.
These are precious memories that, after the fact, I am thankful that I had these and like experiences. This is why
we go out there! These are the wondrous chapters of our lives. And, they are made to be shared.

Oh! On the same trip we also had an interesting bear incident! Enough for now.

                   jedbear

[Cuffs]

Southmark!!  Good to see you around here! 

My only 'tangle' has been with unknown creatures.  Ever since I started hanging a few years ago, I have had several critters pass underneath my hammock and brush my backside.  It doesnt bother me, but I think to myself that if that critter is tall enough to touch the hammock, its of considerable size.  My only concern in identifying the critter is that I would startle it by moving.  Well, in this situation, I dont dare move.  You  know... in case its a skunk!!     Thats one critter I dont want to startle!

[trailtigger]

About two years ago I was overnighting at Oak Mtn. It dropped to about 15 that night and around 2:30 I heard a yip. It came about 30 feet from my tent and ten minutes later a pack of about 15-20 coyotes were no more than 50 ft from my tent howling and yipping. There was another howl further away and they all took off.

[elbowman]

This is kinda cheating as it is not a animal story but a human story.

My two boys and I were camping in the wetlands between Orlando and Cocoa Beach in Florida at a large wild life area named Tosohatchee. We were at one of the 3 primitive camping sites that were spread through out the area. We were way deep into the woods and as far as I could tell all by ourselves. We turned in around 10 and one of the boys left the tent to pee and came back in and ask me who were the men dancing around the fire.

Dancing around the fire?? I got out of the tent and 50 or 60 yards into the woods was a large bon fire with 3 men dancing (at least that was what it looked like from a distance) around the fire. We had not seen them come into the woods, start the fire and they were not making any noise. Just dancing around the fire. That night I slept with my pistol on my chest!

The next day, we got up at the crack of dawn and the men were gone. The only thing that remained was a smoldering fire.

It was the creepiest thing I had ever experienced.

Eric

[Lesley]

People can be pretty animalistic....I'd count that!

[lawnmowwer]

 I don't think this is as scare as yours elbowman.

I was on a ten days pack in northern New Mexico. It was about the sixth day. We were in the habit of getting up early and turning in about 9 a little after the beautiful sunsets. I was asleep went I got aroused by some loud noises coming though the trees. As it was a Scout trip and I was still drowse I though it was some of the kids. You could just see the inclings of days light on the top of the tent. The next thing I knew I heard the sounds entering the camp site and they were moving to fast to be a person. I heard a loud thud that sounded like it was just outside the tent. I scrambled for a light and went for the zipper to the tent door. I paused for a split second to think do I really want to know and say a quick prayer. Luckily the zipper was not zipped all the way so I could peak out. I couldn't make out anything, but I could hear something. I slow eased out of the tent. I couldn't find anything. I kept slowly and quietly looking around. Tell myself all the time I know I heard something. I looked a little more went I heard another sound outside our site. I peared through the trees to see in the weak but better daylight. What I saw almost made me pee my short. A mountain lion had dropped something in the next site over and it was in the middle of another troops tents. I waited for what seamed like hours (probably only seconds) with every bad thing I could think going through my head when the sun just peaked over the mountains enough to make out a deer under the cat. I went back to bed. I laid listening for kids to getup. Luckily the cat left before anyone else got up. A leaders in the other camp was doing the samething I learned later that morning.

[WolfVanZandt]

At the SEHowl before last (the campout that I host every year), at Cheaha, the Camp Host's dog chased a pack of coyotes through our camp site in the middle of the night. That was exciting.

When we were up at Buck's Pocket, we were all around the campfire one night when we heard a rustling sound from the other side of our kitchen area. WM jumped up to look over the picnic table full of stoves, pots, and food and the raccoon on the other side noticed the movement and popped it's head up. WM was after him - chased him down the slope into the creek. The raccoon thought he had gotten away until he got into the middle of the creek and woke up the resident Blue Heron who commenced to give him nine kinds of perdition.

I was camping with my brother and his wife up in the Shenandoahs one summer. I told then not to bring food into the tent but, nooooooo........ do I really have to tell the rest of the story?

Late (late!) I hear my sister-in-law rustling around in the tent and then, "There's something out there." My brother wants to sleep, "It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

The next thing I hear is a zipper and, "There's a bear in the trash can," (which was right next to our tent.) Then I hear my brother rustling around and, "You're right! There's a bear in the trash can." They're whispering - I guess they didn't want to wake me up (So the bear could eat me at it's leisure, I guess?).

I'm trying to keep from laughing out loud. I have my hand on my knife. If the bear comes in one way, I'm going out through the opposite wall. Anyway, I guess the trash can covered the odor of the food in our tent because the bear wondered off.

[mich4076]

I don't think this is as scare as yours elbowman.

A mountain lion had dropped something in the next site over and it was in the middle of another troops tents.

I think both would be pretty scary!!!

[lawnmowwer]

 I would rather deal with a mountain lion. I know what he want and his intentions. People you can only guess, and if their intentions are bad people know how to be deceptive.

[Old Hickory]

A few years ago I was kayak camping on a creek that fed into a local lake. I was trying to be low key so I had pulled my boat up into the brush and hung my hammock low to the ground, with my butt only a few inches off the ground.

In the deepest dark of the night I was suddenly aware of wet, stinking, moving flesh sliding across my face!   

I instantly sprang awake and unsuccessfully did the "untangle tango" hammock dance in total darkness, while the stray dog that had walked up and licked me right in the mouth tried desperately to avoid getting trampled by the wild man tripping over his hammock in the dark. 

Neither man nor beast walked aware unscarred.

I no longer hang my hammock close to the ground.

[Nalgene Ninja]

Last October we stayed at the Spring Mtn Shelter on the AT. After it got dark and most everyone had gotten into their sleeping bags I sat back at the picnic table and watched the stars overhead. I'm reclining back with my arms on the table and feel something tickling me hand. I screamed like a girl and scared the ferocious mouse away. Also later that night as I was sleeping I felt something on my rearend and reverted to my high-pitch girl war-cry to bravely dispatch the viscous rodent. As a sympathy gift the mice filled my hiking boots w/ acorns.

[Lesley]

Ok, I expected Matt to post this one, but he must not count it....

It's late, it's one one of the first trips Matt and I have taken together (meaning it's Matt's second time out in the woods in forever). The fire has been adequetly buried and is no longer casting out a nice rosy glow through the tent. The cold and dark of night has set in. I'm really asleep. All of a sudden! Whap! Matt hand slams down on my thigh, jolting me out of my slumber. Before I can even ask why he whispers to me in a low hiss...."there's something out there...."

The best we can figure was a stray dog or raccoon was sniffing around camp and the sound of it in the leaves startled Matt. I sweetly suggested that we'd be less likely to have critters near the camp if we hadn't put out the fire. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep.

[Joshua Szulecki]

Most of my attacks have come from sticker-bushes. They seem to be much more common in the piedmont of the Mid-Atlantic (along with Poison Ivy) than in Alabama, and I've had some wicked encounters with stands that were thick enough to leave me looking like a pincushion. A friend of mine once fell into a blackberry patch, and he actually WAS a pincushion for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, I owe my life (or at least my lack of major bone breakage) to a sticker-bush. Several years ago I made the mistake of climbing the side of a waterfall to get a picture from above. I slipped, headed for the edge, and was stopped when my foot hit the stem and roots of a small sticker-bush. Hence my waterfall rules.

[lawnmowwer]

 It's amazing how something that can't actually jump out and get you can do so much damage and pain, or good

Unfortunately, I owe my life (or at least my lack of major bone breakage) to a sticker-bush. Several years ago I made the mistake of climbing the side of a waterfall to get a picture from above. I slipped, headed for the edge, and was stopped when my foot hit the stem and roots of a small sticker-bush. Hence my waterfall rules.

in this case. 

I just wonder it you thanked that sticker bush.

[Joshua Szulecki]

Actually, I think I killed it...

[Lesley]

My brother has a very delicate and subtle way of dealing with unwanted brier obstacles...

a machete 

I must say while it is heavy it's effective for bushwhacking and lends a comfortable feeling that comes from carrying a weapon.