NH had prepared me, and I was ready, so I waited, and waited….and waited. Interestingly, all the hikers I met said the upcoming trail had terrible rocks. The leaves were beginning to pop, and the next few weeks would be beautiful. This was a fantastic time of year to hike. I met 5-6 Long Trail hikers and several section hikers. I chugged a liter of water, threw on my pack, and headed down the hill, munching on my Big Sur breakfast bar. I did not leave it on too long, or I would also trap condensation, but I left it on just long enough to warm me up. It was a good wind blocker and trapped my body heat, so I warmed up quickly. I carried a down jacket to put on at night when I arrived at camp, but during the morning, I often hiked in my rain jacket until I warmed up. It was freezing, so I packed quickly and shoved a Big Sur bar into my rain jacket pocket. Sleeping near another “something” was a little unnerving, but this must be a safe place to rest, and that also gave me some peace of mind. I laid my hand in the middle of the nest to see if it was still warm and crouched, looking out through the tall grass, seeing where it was broken by whatever had moved away in the early morning hours. Something substantial had rested there for the night. The tall vegetation had been mashed down into a rough, round nest. The following day, after packing my gear, I walked over to the high weeds near the power lines. I slept very lightly, but some part of my mind had learned to decipher the noises, and I was only awoken when the patterns changed. Fortunately, I had trained myself not to wonder and to turn off my brain to sleep. I slowly laid back down, listening for a second assault, but only hearing the hundreds of other night noises spurred my imagination. I was shocked my audible assault had not deterred the night being. Undeterred, the significant something walked up to within inches of my tarp, paused, and then continued. Thinking quickly, I used my weapons, rattling my cuben fiber tarp and coughing very loudly. I immediately assumed a large deer but did not hear the harsh blowing that usually accompanies their conservative approach. I was startled and sat up suddenly, listening to heavy breathing. I was dozing off when I heard what sounded like very large hoofs approach the tarp. I guess the flat, open camping spots I chose were that way for a reason, and I benefited from the homesteading efforts of other large animals.
Last night was dominated by another considerable animal encounter.
0 kommentar(er)
