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View Full Version : Raccoon Attack At Pine Knob Shelter (Md)



Red Hat
07-04-2005, 17:14
This appeared in Socks trailjournal dated June 25th. I hiked with everyone mentioned in the group.

After dinner and cleanup I went to bed.
Sleeveless was sitting at the picnic table using my pocketmail. Next thing I know she is screaming and kicking. I woke up all in a daze and she said
something was biting her. I started hitting at it to try and get it off her.
Then Old Graceful got in the act too. He finally was able to knock if off. It
was a racoon!
Sleeveless was bleeding badly from her leg and hand. She said it had bitten her back too. We started putting sterile pads on the wound and they would soak with blood. Used her ace bandage to wrap around the leg wounds and then slipped a sock over that. Tried to bandage the hand best we could. Yelled down to Ben and asked him if he could drive us for help, his car was about half a mile away. He said yes and they gathered up their things. Old Graceful decided to come too. He carried his pack on his back and Sleeveless's on the front. We all stumbled along with our headlamps showing the way. Ben decided to call 911 and we could hear the sirens as we got closer to the trailhead. They loaded Sleeveless and me in the ambulance and down the hill we went to Hagerstown, MD.

We've been here at the hospital for 2 1/2 hors so far. Still don't know the
outcome. She will probably need shots for rabies and maybe some stiches.
Ben, his son and Old Graceful got a motel nearby in case we need their help. Turned out she had to have 6 shots and take antibiotics. They wouldn't stitch the wounds because they were more puncture-like. She has to go into a hospital in 3 days for the next shot and then once a week for a month. It will be hard to be near a road at the appointed time but she'll have to work it out even if she has to stay in town a few days.


I'm glad to hear that Sleeveless is doing okay. But that is really scary. No news if they caught the raccoon yet, but the shelter was being closed until they did. Anyway, Old Graceful was also instumental in getting me off the trail when I fell and needed stitches back before Waynesboro.

SavageLlama
07-05-2005, 19:28
Wow, rabid attacking raccoons.. And I thought lone wolves was all i had to watch out for! :D