What's your most memorable backcountry wildlife experience ?

[johnnybgood]

Whether it be getting a rare glimpse of a cougar in the wild, or having a bull moose practically run you over on the trail , share what encounter was the most memorable for you.

I'll get things rolling first ; last year while hiking with 4 friends we were stopped dead in our tracks by a large Timber Rattlesnake, (in my gallery) already coiled ,then further provoked( thanks Hikerhead ).;)
Less than an hour after hiking around the rattler we encountered a hornets nest that apparantly was squashed as it rested under a fallen sapling which my hiking bud stepped on, :eek: suddening finding ourselves being attacked by dozens of angry hornets. Poor Andy got the worst of it , stung 4 times.

[Rocket Jones]

Much more benign, mine happened last year. I was hiking with my son-in-law. We were talking and enjoying an easy stretch of trail when I noticed movement over his shoulder. Not 10 feet away was a deer that was grazing, blending in perfectly with the surrounding brush. As we stood there, not very still and not very quiet, the deer continued to feed and we realized that there were three of them. I pulled out my camera and took several pictures as they moved along slowly, ignoring us. We finally hiked on and left them behind.

[Rasty]

Two different Events

1) Around 12 years old in the Adirondacks walking down the side trail to Bushnell falls and came within 8 feet of a bear. It stood up, we both looked at each other and it wen't on it's way. I was alone as all the others were already at the falls. Really cool experience

2) Two years ago cruising downhill on the lakeshore trail in GSMNP I almost stepped on a big timber rattlesnake. I jumped back and screamed like a little girl. I had been going about 3 mph for a few hours that day up until that point. For the next couple of hours I was walking at maybe 1 mph. It is a little sobbering being 18 miles from the road and solo when that happens.

[Coffee]

1993 at Merced Lake, Yosemite National Park ... meeting a Marmot for the first time and not having a clue what a Marmot is. Thought it was a giant squirrel.

[rocketsocks]

Seeing two Bucks fighting out in the middle of a field, and a third one coming to join in, while a Doe stood near by.

Watching Beavers build and maintain their dam at my local fishing spot.

[HikerMom58]

Cool thread...:D

My first 112 miles of backpacking on the AT had lots of wildlife in it.

Second day out.. huge rattlesnake right across the trail. We encountered hornets... got stung & got to do some trail running with a full pack. :D Then, coming into Uncle Johnnies we saw 2 copperheads within a mile of each other. BOTH right on the trail. :eek:

In PA this spring we took a blue trail by accident but we were so happy to enjoy a dozen or more baby birds... what are those birds that hang out in the brush then scare the tar out of you when they all take off as you approach... yeah those critters. :-?:confused: The babies were everywhere and so CUTE!!

[Pedaling Fool]

This encounter happened on the first day of a southbound thru-hike of Maine in 1981 around July. As we were going up Katahdin from the northeast on the Helon Taylor Trail to Baxter Peak via Knife-edge, starting from Roaring Brook Campground inside Baxter State Park; our destination, for this first day, was Katahdin Stream Campground.

I’m not sure how long into the hike we were, but I know we were still a good way from tree-line, in the dense foliage. All I remember was hearing this deep sounding roar, sort of like hearing an African lion in the zoo, but only lasted a couple seconds. It caused us all to stop dead in our tracks. Never saw anything, but heard some rustling in the brush, then it was gone; at the time we just assumed it was a bear. However, I now know that was no bear, don't know what it was, but definitely was no bear.

[Fur Queue]

After three days of absolutely torrential day and night Maine rain in the 100 mile wilderness, soaked to the skin and sploshing along, we came across a lake shore. The rain stopped, the sun came out...and we basked like turtles...I wanted to offer up a prayer to the ancient sun gods...the warm sun felt like as good as a hot meal would have tasted...and then the most incredible thing happened. We were suddenly surrounded by a whole bunch of butterflies of differing hues and shapes...some of them they even settled on us briefly, one on my shoe, one on my sons pack, one on my wooden hiking pole...truly magical and an unforgettable moment for us!

[GoldenBear]

I've seen bear, moose, beaver, and innumerable other animals in the back-country. But the two that stand out are

1) Watching a snake swallow a rodent over a period of about five minutes.

2) Coming across a rattler (probably a diamondback) -- coiled, rattling, and tongue out -- on the desert trail about five meters in front of me. It was a scene they put in movies right before the bad guy gets it. My only thought as I froze was, "Snake, there's one thing you and I agree on -- I should NOT get any closer to you!!" It slithered away before I could get a good photo.

[atmilkman]

In January outside the east gate to Yellowstone on some private property watching a bull elk guarding his heard of cows from 3 other young bulls who were trying to move in. He had to go from one to the other to the other constantly fighting them off. He would no sooner get one run off and the other two were moved in. I watched for an hour and 45 min. That was one big bad bull. He never lost.

[daddytwosticks]

About two weeks ago while hiking into the NOC from Tellico Gap...a bunny rabbit was sitting in the middle of the trail. I saw it from a distance and continued walking almost right up to it before it bolted off trail and into some low shrubs. :)

[jfarrell04]

We had just finished a long, wet day somewhere in NC I believe. I think it was in the early/mid 1990s. We came to a shelter that had just been built and wasn't on our maps or in our guidebooks, but it was, for that day, perfectly placed. Seems like it was called Flint Mountain Shelter maybe? Anywho, we sat at the front of the shelter relieved to be done for the day when a big, old, fat bunny rabbit hopped out from under the shelter and into the clearing in front. It couldn't have been 10 seconds later when some type of weasel-type creature came flashing out of the woods and grabbed this poor bunny by the neck and dragged it back into the woods. Made for a restless nite of sleep, not sure if this devil-weasel was gonna attack again! On our way outta the shelter the next morning, we walked past this bunny laying on the shelter access trail, pretty much gutted....weird wild stuff for sure. I'm gonna go look for the "after" picture that I took of that rabbit laying there.

[Slo-go'en]

Crusing along a trail in Yellowstone, looked up and saw the butt end of a Bufflo blocking the trail about 5 feet in front of me! I was tempted to slap him in the butt to get him to move, but decided that was not a good idea and crashed through the brush around him instead.

Also in Yellowstone, I was sitting up against a tree resting near a stream and had a prong horn deer wander up next to me to browse on some flowers and grass just feet in front of me. This went on for a few minutes until he looked up and ran off. Then I heard bear bells coming up along the river and eventually the source of all that racket approched. This guy had about a dozen bells on him. He didn't even see me until I spoke up and asked if he had seen any wild life. Umm, no he replied. I wonder why...

Again in Yellowstone, had a pine marten run out of the woods, stop on a tree fallen across the trail and look at me for a few seconds and then ran off again.

Camping out side of town near Jasper, Alberta, woke up to find a small herd of Elk milling around my tent.

At Chimney pond campground in Baxter, watched a bear take the food out of a tree we had hung in front of the shelter. It took some serious effort, but he eventually got it. The next year we got a moose tangled up in some climbing rope we brought to hang the food with, as the rope was laying spread out on the ground in the morning. Thankfully the moose somehow got untangled, looked back at us, grunted and wandered off.

One morning at a shelter in Vermont on the Long Trail, woke up to see a porkiepine about six inches from my nose. I'm not sure who was more startled when I opened my eyes, him or me. I'm sure he wanted to lick the salt off my nose!

Hiking in NY, I heard a noise behind me and when I turned around to look, two 8 foot long black snakes twisted together come rolling down the hill. Yikes!

[johnnybgood]

Crusing along a trail in Yellowstone, looked up and saw the butt end of a Bufflo blocking the trail about 5 feet in front of me! I was tempted to slap him in the butt to get him to move, but decided that was not a good idea and crashed through the brush around him instead.


He may taken that slap on the rear the wrong way, and you may have found yourself in a compromising position. :D





Hiking in NY, I heard a noise behind me and when I turned around to look, two 8 foot long black snakes twisted together come rolling down the hill. Yikes!

They were just frolicking along, not meaning to scare you ...

[atmilkman]

90% of my best wildlife encounters have come in National Parks. Troubled as some may think it just goes to show you how valuable of a resource they are despite some of the downfalls some think they have.

[hikerboy57]

grafton loop trail , broad winged hawk kept on circling, stayed with me for about 5 minutes, guess he figured i wasnt food, eventually flew away. just me and the hawk nobody around for miles
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/2/8/4/8/1/dsc00631.jpg

[Sly]

Hearing a "woof"and looking up to see a griz and two cubs on the CDT across Leeds creek in northern Wyoming (south of Yellowstone)(Ley wy11).

On the AT it would be seeing my 1st black bear just south of Jenkins Shelter.

[Meriadoc]

In the 100 mile wilderness I decided to head up a side trail to a view of Katahdin, 3/4 of a mile. Dropped my pack with my hiking companions and ran. At full speed near the top I came upon a moose. He looked at me and I looked at him. We shared a moment and then he moved away.

At Pierce Pond near dusk I saw a strange creature swimming to shore from the middle of the pond. When it climbed onto the bank it was easy to tell that it was a squirrel! The next morning I saw a repeat performance at the same spot.

In the 100 mile wilderness I saw a large group of ducks, estimated at twenty to thirty, swimming around together. The lead duck and two flanking ducks had their heads under water. The group herded some aquatic life-form, presumably fish, into a cul-de-sac and fed in a frenzy. They repeated this three or four times.

[Odd Man Out]

In Haleakala NP, Maui, on the Halemau'u Trail, where it first reaches the crater rim. From this viewpoint, you are looking across the whole length of the crater floor, 1000 feet almost straight down. To your left is the Ko'olau Gap with the Pacific 7700 feet below. Clouds rising up from the ocean are pouring into the crater through the gap right right below you. I hear an odd noise and I look down and I see I am surrounded by a flock of a dozen Nene (Hawaiian Geese), the closest ones were about 12 inches away. At the time, I figured this was about 5% of all wild Nene in the world.

[Ezra]

Came upon a white goat on the trail one rainy/foggy afternoon in VA.

[Malto]

This is kinda like having to chose your favorite child. So here are a few.

1) early morning just as the sky was lightening, I was hiking alone in Wa. All the sudden the ground started to rumble. It was a large herd of elk. I could catch glimpses of them through the trees but the power was extraordinary.
2) Oregon, middle of the afternoon. A huge owl (later confirmed as a great gray owl) glided right over our head and landed in a nearby tree. It would let out a tweet and then a short distance away two babies would answer. Definitely one of my favorites.
3) near Reds Meadow (Sierra) in the middle of a huge burn area we were walking in intermittent snow. Sudden Wrongturn stopped at pointed at the ground ahead of us. There were three newborn fawns that were perfectly still. They had their eyes closed as if saying "I can't see you, so you can't see me!"

[SouthMark]

A skunk getting into my sleeping bag WITH me in the Smokies Mollies Ridge Shelter.

[ChuckT]

Hmm, the mouse that chewed into my pack east of Clingmans Dome (brazen little devil!), the bear paw print (LARGE economy size) on the back trail in Canada, and the absolute absence of wildlife in the volcano ash north of Crater Lake. Any one of the three makes it.
Cvt

[Shutterbug]

Whether it be getting a rare glimpse of a cougar in the wild, or having a bull moose practically run you over on the trail , share what encounter was the most memorable for you.

I'll get things rolling first ; last year while hiking with 4 friends we were stopped dead in our tracks by a large Timber Rattlesnake, (in my gallery) already coiled ,then further provoked( thanks Hikerhead ).;)
Less than an hour after hiking around the rattler we encountered a hornets nest that apparantly was squashed as it rested under a fallen sapling which my hiking bud stepped on, :eek: suddening finding ourselves being attacked by dozens of angry hornets. Poor Andy got the worst of it , stung 4 times.It is hard to pick one encounter as the "most memorable" so I will share several stories: 1)I was hiking in the 100 Mile Wilderness and passed through an area of tall grass. A full grown moose was sleeping in the grass and we didn't see each other until I was about five feet from it. As I jumped up, I saw that it's back was higher than the top of my head. I have never been that close to that large of an animal. 2)I was hiking on the Wonderland Trail a couple of years ago. It was just before dark. As I looked ahead, I saw a very large black bear walking toward me. The bear did not see or smell me until it was about 20 yards away. I was able to get some good pictures. One is posted in my photo gallery. 3)Another time I was hiking a trail in Mt. Rainier National Park. I was on a narrow section of the trail, that dropped off sharply. As I approached a curve in the trail, I heard a mountain goat running as fast as it could in my direction. It rounded the curve at a full gallop. I did my best to flatten myself against the rock wall on the uphill side of the trail, but there was not enough room for the goat to pass on the trail and I knew there wasn't enough room for it to stop. Just before it reached me, it went over the cliff side of the trail. How it found the footing to make it safely to be bottom, I will never know. 4)I have a number of rattlesnake stories too, but since others have shared those stories, I will skip them. 5) My wife and I were hiking in Roxborough State Park near Denver when I saw motion out of the corner of my eye. It was something moving on the top of a rock beside the trail. When I stopped to determine what it was, I discovered a mature mountain lion. For half of an hour the mountain lion followed us on our hike. It never threatened us, but it went where we went. We decided that the best place to go was the parking lot where we could get in our car. 6)I also have a number of alligator stories. Once, I was bass fishing in the swamp near Sulphur, LA. We saw a large alligator in the area where we wanted to fish, but assumed he would leave if we went there. He didn't. He went below the surface, but every few minutes he would come up below the boat and slam the boat with his tail. The alligator was almost as long as the boat. We decided that we should fish elsewhere. 7)In Peru, a Wooly Monkey came out of the jungle to steal bananas from our boat. That was a fun experience. 8)One time I was hiking in the Grand Canyon and a Mountain Sheep Ram blocked the trail. He stood there for a long time daring me to try to pass. I guess that is enough for one reply.

[Shutterbug]

Whether it be getting a rare glimpse of a cougar in the wild, or having a bull moose practically run you over on the trail , share what encounter was the most memorable for you.

I'll get things rolling first ; last year while hiking with 4 friends we were stopped dead in our tracks by a large Timber Rattlesnake, (in my gallery) already coiled ,then further provoked( thanks Hikerhead ).;)
Less than an hour after hiking around the rattler we encountered a hornets nest that apparantly was squashed as it rested under a fallen sapling which my hiking bud stepped on, :eek: suddening finding ourselves being attacked by dozens of angry hornets. Poor Andy got the worst of it , stung 4 times. I thought of one more wildlife encounter to share. When I was in the USAF, I flew helicopter. We often flew training missions in the desert near Tucson, AZ. One day we scared up a coyote and a jack rabbit at the same time. They were in dry creek beds that came together. As both animals ran from the helicopter, they reached a point where they were running side by side. I could see the jack rabbit as it looked up at the helicopter, then looked at the coyote. It rolled up in a ball flipping end over end.

[Drybones]

Reading thru these posts reminds me of many fond moments, not on the trail but outdoors, hard to pick a favorite, some are:
1. within 2' of a large mountain lion, could have touched him.
2. White tail deer standing on their hind legs boxing under my tree stand.
3. A very, very large beaver walked up to me within reach and started eating branches from a bush.
4. A rabbit came up, sniffed my boot toe as I stood still in a thicket and hopped off, sad ending, my beagle then came by and sniffed the same toe, continued to trail the rabbit and ran it out into the field and I shot and ate it.
5. Mule deer walked into camp.
6. Squirrel hunting in VA, Clinch Mt., stepped into a field, glance up and saw a bear about the same time he saw me. He stood up, looked at me for a moment and ran off. If I told myself how big that bear was I'd call myself a liar....beautiful animal!
7. Sitting 20' up on the side of a tree bow hunting, saw a hawk flying in the distance over a cut over area, started diving and I thought great, I'll get to witness a kill, bird picks up speed and is heading my direction, gets closer and closer, finally realize it's headed for me, made a move with the bird a few feet away and it veared off, I had a camo head net with holes for the eyes, I believe it thought my eyes blinking was a flying squirrel on the side of the tree.
8. Sitting on the ground against a tree in camo bow hunting, deer sees me but can't smell me (imagine that) walks within a few feet stomping its feet and snorting at me...it was tough to keep from laughing.

[Drybones]

A skunk getting into my sleeping bag WITH me in the Smokies Mollies Ridge Shelter.

Bet you didn't have many friends after that.

[Drybones]

Whether it be getting a rare glimpse of a cougar in the wild, or having a bull moose practically run you over on the trail , share what encounter was the most memorable for you.

I'll get things rolling first ; last year while hiking with 4 friends we were stopped dead in our tracks by a large Timber Rattlesnake, (in my gallery) already coiled ,then further provoked( thanks Hikerhead ).;)
Less than an hour after hiking around the rattler we encountered a hornets nest that apparantly was squashed as it rested under a fallen sapling which my hiking bud stepped on, :eek: suddening finding ourselves being attacked by dozens of angry hornets. Poor Andy got the worst of it , stung 4 times.

Now that sounds like a hike my wife and had on the Pinhoti. The wife was withing 6"of putting her foot down on a large rattler (12 rattles & a button) before she one leg hopped over it. One of the dogs got into a hornets nest and ran to me and I got stung trying to get them off her, the wife sat down on a stump to realize she'd sat in a tick pod, had 100's of those wonderful little critted on her, said if that was her first hike it would have been her last...now as I think about it, I believe that was her last.

[SouthMark]

Bet you didn't have many friends after that.

Fortunately he left without spraying. May have thought that my hiker funk was worse.

[tiptoe]

I have a skunk story, too, but not quite so dramatic as SouthMark's. I was cooking dinner at Denny's Campground in NY, a big open field with a tree in the middle. I had my hammock and gear set up at the edge of the woods and was cooking under the tree, with my food bag on the ground, when I realized my spoon was still in my backpack. I stupidly left everything as it was and went back to fetch it. When I returned, the fattest, sleekest skunk I've ever seen was trying to open up the food bag. So I talked to it. I explained calmly, from about 10 feet away, that I really needed that food to continue my hike. The skunk looked at me, equally calmly, and sauntered off. Whew! And I put that food back up in the tree in record time.

Other memorable animal encounters include watching a bear cub play balance beam on a log across the trail (Maryland), and having a deer watch me set up my hammock (Shenandoah Park) from maybe 20 feet away.

[illabelle]

i love these stories! they're so wonderfully wild and real and rare!

[fiddlehead]

My memory is so short anymore.
So, it would have to be the 5" scorpion I saw yesterday while hiking in the jungle.
Of course, next week, I'll probably forget it ever happened.
I'll never forget that sleeping bear that I jumped on when hurdling a blowdown in CO though.

[jimmyjam]

I was stealth camped a few miles south of Black Rock in the SNP this past June. As soon as the sun set the woods came alive as they always do. I heard a large animal over near my food hang. Shining my light over there I saw a pair of eyes right under my hang. Thinking it was a bear, I threw a rock over and yelled at it. The animal moved on. Five minutes later it was back. This time I got a good look at it, it was a good sized buck and he had company. The buck and two does kept coming closer. I could not scare them off. The buck got about 20 feet behind my tent and started pawing the ground, grunting and snorting at me. The does were in front of my tent grazing. I got within 3 feet of the does and they would not go away. The buck kept snorting and would not leave even though I threw some sticks at him.
Then I realized I must be camped in his night time grazing spot as the ground was covered with blueberry bushes (no berries yet). I told the buck that if he would quit snorting at me I would quit yelling and throwing things. I went back in my tent and the deer browsed all around my tent. Sometimes they were so close I could hear them chewing. Then at least one of them came so close that I could hear him/her sniffing at my tent like a dog. I put in my ear plugs and finally fell asleep. No telling how long those deer grazed around my tent. What started out as a scary animal encounter turned out to be a pretty cool one.

[Lone Wolf]

back in 2000 came upon a fisher cat killin' a rabbit near rangeley. rabbit was screamin' like a child. back in the mid-90s watched a bear terrorize hikers at cosby knob shelter, it was caged then, from my tent 30 yards in front of the shelter. back in 91 i was comin' off katahdin about 11pm after supporting Maineak on his 56 day speed hike, about 2.5 miles down the hunt trail i came upon a cow moose in the trail. had to smack her on the butt to get her to move off the trail

[HikerMom58]

i love these stories! they're so wonderfully wild and real and rare!


I love them too!! :D

[Sarcasm the elf]

Not the most memorable, but I was impressed when I learned that the Beavers along the A.T. in New Jersey use modern building materials.

23124

Yes the pipe went straight through their dam.

[HikerMom58]

Elf- ur post reminded me of this beaver story from Rash. aka Josh Calhoun

Whoops this..
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=427591

He said the beaver video is there too...

http://www.trailjournals.com/videos.cfm?trailname=13696

[hikerboy57]

http://www.trailjournals.com/Rash

Elf- ur post reminded me of this beaver story from Rash. aka Josh Calhoun

i laughed so hard when i first read it.

[HikerMom58]

i laughed so hard when i first read it.

Me too...Ha ha!! :D

[garlic08]

One of my most unusual was on backcountry skis, after a 5' snowfall, my buddy was following me carving S's in steep and deep powder, and a deer jumped out of my track. I skied right over it as it hunkered down under the snow. I never knew deer did that. I don't know if I had lain down to die, or to stay warm like a husky.

Similarly, I love it when I'm skiing over tundra in fresh powder and I kick up a ptarmigan--a silent flash of white against white--it can stop your heart.

On another ski trip we scared a puma away from its fresh elk kill.


1993 at Merced Lake, Yosemite National Park ... meeting a Marmot for the first time and not having a clue what a Marmot is. Thought it was a giant squirrel.

This is my favorite so far!

[sweeper]

Hmmm which ones. the Timber Rattler in Pennsylvania top of the ridge right in the middle of the trail a step away before I figured what the hell that buzzing could be. I was hallucinating roots as snakes for a week.
A young moose with just one horn left after a rough night , never forget those red eyes as I lay on the ground after tripping on a tree root....Chairback Ridge
or maybe that early morning assent up to little Bigelow when as I rounded the corner and 6 feet away a sow Black bear with her cub ,which just bailed in one bound down the ridge slope leaving me with a pretty annoyed moma, needless to say I just squealed like a girl with mt arms raised, trekking poles in hand, she just somersaulted and in two jumps covered about 30 feet. I had to sit down after that for a spell.
all the best
sweeper 72-73 nobo

[q-tip]

Going over the Inderharra Pass- 13,500' in Himactal Pradesh-Northern India. Mind Blowing.......

[Drybones]

This is my favorite so far!

Me too, got a laugh from the Marmot experience, mighty big squirrel. If I hadn't had someone with me that knew what they were I probably would have thought it to be a chipmonk that migrated up from area 51.

[johnnybgood]

Two different Events



2) Two years ago cruising downhill on the lakeshore trail in GSMNP I almost stepped on a big timber rattlesnake. I jumped back and screamed like a little girl.

Rasty screaming like a little girl....priceless ! :p

Hmmm which ones. the Timber Rattler in Pennsylvania top of the ridge right in the middle of the trail a step away before I figured what the hell that buzzing could be. I was hallucinating roots as snakes for a week.




I know that feeling all too well.

Great stories . Keep ' em coming .

[turtle fast]

Was chased by a skunk in the Shenandoahas that was walking on the trail in a rainstorm down pour....I just wanted to get to the shelter a mile or so away and eat and try to get anything near dry from being soaked all day. The thing did not seem rabid, but it did its best to not let us pass on the trail....one of our hiking friends Long man walking, was a Brit and was wondering why I was running away from the cat...I was yelling it was NO CAT and had to later explain what a skunk was.
Had ran into what I thought was a sick potentially rabid raccoon on the trail that was acting funny sitting right on the trail unaware of anything that was going on around it...gave it a wide berth and notified the next person we saw and then reported it in the next shelter log as well as letting the next hostel know.Eating raspberries on a long row on the trail and rounded a corner to find a huge black bear eating on the other end and we just looked at each other before it bolted off.

[Rasty]

Rasty screaming like a little girl....priceless ! :p


I know that feeling all too well.

Great stories . Keep ' em coming .

I'm manly enough to scream like a little girl! ;)

[johnnybgood]

Was chased by a skunk in the Shenandoahas that was walking on the trail in a rainstorm down pour....I just wanted to get to the shelter a mile or so away and eat and try to get anything near dry from being soaked all day. The thing did not seem rabid, but it did its best to not let us pass on the trail....one of our hiking friends Long man walking, was a Brit and was wondering why I was running away from the cat...I was yelling it was NO CAT and had to later explain what a skunk was.
.

Reminds me of the skunk that got into my Cheetos bag at Loft Mtn. Campground . It was dark, me in a beach chair, the bag of Cheetos on the ground next to my chair, I reached down to grab the bag only to get a handful of skunk.

I never jumped up out of beach chair so fast.

Pepe got the last laugh though. He ate my Cheetos and then thoughly sprayed my campsite.
Spent the night sleeping in my truck.

[Sevsa]

Two encounters with animals in the wild stand out for me. The first was in Big Bend NP where I saw three mountain lions together about 100 feet in front of me and although they were all very large I decided it must have been a female with two full grown off-spring. They all took off with the female looking behind to make sure I wasn't following, which of course I had no intention of doing.
The other was at Darwin Falls in Death Valley NP. As I was hiking near the falls a bright blue racer snake went flying across the trail right in front of us pursuing a meal and was so intent in its mission it didn't even notice us. It caught it shortly afterwards near the trail so that we could watch it for about 30 seconds wrapping its body around the mouse and then positioning it to be eaten. At this point it noticed us and took off into the undergrowth with its meal.

[Colter]

http://www.bucktrack.com/Alaska_Brooks_Range_Traverse/Photos/Black_Wolf.jpg

The caribou swam right past me (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Photos.html) it was so frantic to escape the wolves. It was so close I could hear the footsteps of the running animals.

[Another Kevin]

I think the most memorable encounter happened when I was sleeping. A porcupine came under my rainfly and stole the skivvies that were hanging in the vestibule. Never saw the little mustard but he left a quill behind. Fortunately I didn't get stuck.

(Edited to add: This didn't happen on the A-T. Is that ok?)

[Drybones]

I think the most memorable encounter happened when I was sleeping. A porcupine came under my rainfly and stole the skivvies that were hanging in the vestibule. Never saw the little mustard but he left a quill behind. Fortunately I didn't get stuck.

(Edited to add: This didn't happen on the A-T. Is that ok?)

I've had only one close encounter with a porkie, son and I were turkey hunting, I called a turkey within 10 yards, only my son had a gun and he let the turkey walk off into the woods, saw a turkey fly off but still heard leaves rustling, huge porcupine came to about 5 yards and started feeding on acorns under the leaves,my son and I, in full camo, walked closer (within 3') while it had it's head under the leaves and stood there watching, when the wind changed directions he started clicking his teeth together very fast and bristed up then waddled off...beautiful little guy...worth more to us than the turkey.

[Dharma Dog]

Winning a "stare down" contest with a group of coyotes.
Walking to the edge of Lake Martin and stepping on a group of 8-10 juvenile alligators. This is not uncommon down here in south Louisiana and they were only around 2 feet long and harmless but one nipped me on the ankle and now I have a nice little scar and a great bar story to tell all the Yankees from north of Arkansas.

in the bar those 2 foot long gators grow to 8 feet, of course.

[Chaco Taco]

This was pretty cool at 14,400+
23140

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Snacktime and I have had a few pleasant encounters with wildlife on the trail, and other than insects flying around our heads, no unpleasant ones. The first was an astounding number of Midland Painted Turtles in the waters of the C&O Canal section of the trail in MD right out of Harpers Ferry. On that same hike we also saw an enormous black snake winding through the structure of the Ed Garvey Shelter, and a pair of goats about a mile north of the shelter. ,
On our hike in CT, on a warm wet day north of Schaghticoke Mt., the trail was liberally salted with Red Spotted Newts and toads.....hundreds and hundreds.

[Marta]

My first night in the backcountry in Glacier NP in 2008 I was having a weird dream involving chewing and teeth. Woke up to see a snowshoe hare gnawing on the handle of my hiking pole a couple inches from my face.

Fast forward to yesterday, Logan Pass, Hidden Lake Trail.

23148

Actually, I think my favorite encounter was when I was walking across the long log bridge at the outlet to Poia Lake. I was about halfway across, with Skittles and Recess on the bridge behind me, when a big-horned ram and three ewes appeared from around the corner of the trail at the far end of the bridge. I stopped. They stopped. Then the ram glared at me, walked up the steps, and onto the bridge. He fixed me with a stare and started walking deliberately towards me, head lowered. I started backing up. He backed us all the way across the bridge, down the steps, and to one side so he could go on his way. The ewes jumped in the water and swam across the river rather than cross the bridge.

[wythekari]

Was sleeping in the open at Big Meadows one spring with my pack next to my head; food was stowed but I had a pouch of Red Man chewing tobacco in an outside pack pocket. Awoke to a scratching on my pack and I peeked out of my bag to find a skunk pawing at the pack about a foot from my face. In one motion I ducked back into the bag and rolled away from pack and skunk, then I lay still for a few minutes, when I looked out the skunk was gone and my pack was OK. He never did spray so I must not have disturbed him.

[Another Kevin]

I've had only one close encounter with a porkie, son and I were turkey hunting, I called a turkey within 10 yards, only my son had a gun and he let the turkey walk off into the woods, saw a turkey fly off but still heard leaves rustling, huge porcupine came to about 5 yards and started feeding on acorns under the leaves,my son and I, in full camo, walked closer (within 3') while it had it's head under the leaves and stood there watching, when the wind changed directions he started clicking his teeth together very fast and bristed up then waddled off...beautiful little guy...worth more to us than the turkey.

I see them often. This guy was just parked in the middle of a trail. He knew that nonody bothers a porcupine.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5231/7082866739_71307383c6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/7082866739/)
Porcupine (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/7082866739/) by ke9tv (http://www.flickr.com/people/ke9tv/), on Flickr

[chief]

I think I've told this story before, but since you guys have related a few skunk encounters, I'll tell it again...
So, in 2000 after hiking through a nasty thunderstorm in the SNP I came to Gravel Springs Hut just before dark. Since I was soaked to the bone, it was still raining hard and figuring I'd have the shelter to myself, I decided to stay the night. Another hiker stopped by for a bit(I think Rachele was her name), but she decided to move on. I went to sleep pretty early and about midnight I was awakened by a rustling noise on the other side of the shelter. I knew I'd never get back to sleep if I didn't find out what was causing the noise so I flipped on my headlight. There, not 8 feet from me was a skunk that seemed to be building a nest. She looked at me, but didn't seem particularly interested, continued her work. I actually talked to her for a minute or so. I didn't feel threatened at all, maybe too tired and decided to try to get back to sleep. By now you're probably wondering how I know it was a she. Stay tuned, it will become apparent. I did get back to sleep and awakened again about 4 AM, this time I didn't hear any noise. I thought maybe the skunk had gone away, but to be sure I flipped on my light again. She was still there, except this time there were 2 or 3 tiny, hairless creatures snuggled up to her. It took me a minute or 2 to realize they were her newborn babies. I gave her congrats for her nights work and assured her I would not be a problem to her or her chillen. I finally shut off my light and feeling that everything was right in my world, I quickly went back to sleep. Eventually daylight came and when I awoke again, mamma and family were gone. All that was left was their makeshift nest. For some reason, hiking that day was very easy and I felt on top of the world. I told some hikers later on that day and they felt I should change my hiker name to "Skunk Daddy". Happily it didn't stick.

[Mountain Mike]

While hiking the PCT in OR bad weather hit. The woman I was hiking with asked what I wanted to do. I looked at my food bag & said I think I can lay up a day because I didn't want to miss the views. See agreed. Next day woke up to same pea soup fog. We had to move on as our food bags were getting low. We set up camp after a long fast day of hiking in the rain close enough wher we could pass stuff between our tents. We looked into our depleted food bags to combine what we had left before the 15 miles to our next resupply. Dehydrated green beans, mashed taters & TVP was dinner. We saved the pudding and a Snickers bar each for breakfast. When I woke, Michele heard me unzip my tent. She asked how it looked. The first words out of my mouth were OMG! Right in my face was MT Jefferson with the sun glissening off it's glaciers! 2314923150

[Traffic Jam]

I was backpacking and reached around to scratch my behind and a bee flew into my pants and stung me.

My family was backpacking in Colorado and woke up one morning to find a a shepherd and his flock of sheep in our little valley. Very cool!

Another time, we were camping in New Mexico and a herd of horses came through our camp in the middle of the night and knocked several tents down.

[Omaha_Ace]

RMNP when I was 17 - 60+ mile backcounty trip with my Boy Scout troop's advanced ("Venture") patrol with virtually no time on established trails. Day 3 we camped at the base of a mountain, which I do not know the name of. I climbed/scrambled to the top (around 800 vertical feet above our camp,) past at least two rattlesnakes which I heard but did not see, coming to rest at the top where I had unobstructed views for miles, my troop-mates looking like ants in the valley below. I initially thought about sleeping on the summit but had brought very little water and no food with me. To this day I have it in my head that I am the only human to have ever been where I was, as it was remote within the park and there would be no other reason to go up/over it on purpose. It was a 3 hour up-n-down that I will remember for as long as I live, as seeing my favorite park from that vantage point was epic, on top of the fact that despite my invitations to others in my troop, I was the only one willing to go up. I did get a bit of a butt-reaming from one of the adults when I got back down (after sunset, which was magnificent,) but in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. That trip was also my first exposure to cowboy camping, which I continue to enjoy when I can.

[Kerosene]

I've had a number of experiences with wildlife on my numerous AT section hikes:


Mountain Lion: 3-4 miles south of Harpers Ferry on a breezy, clear October day in 2001, I came over a small knoll to see a largish animal about 40 yards down the open trail. For some reason I automatically clapped my hands to get its attention, causing it to turn towards me and then lope off into the underbrush. Very long tail, fawn coloring on top, whitish underneath, and definitely moved with feline grace. Needless to say, I was looking over my shoulder for the next two miles to make sure I wasn't being stalked!
Bear: [1] Climbing to Pond Flatts from the south (Hampton, TN) early on a cool October morning in 2008 I huffed up and around a corner. For some reason, I looked behind me and to my right where about 25 yards away I saw a large (400-lb?) bear eyeing me as it munched on berries. As I walked on, it got me to thinking about how many other animals I had passed over the years and never realized that they were watching me trundle by. [2] There were a lot of bear sign all through the Smokeys when I stopped at the Double Spring Gap Shelter for lunch in early October 2011. After a quick lunch I took my pack down to the spring to fill up when I heard a noise in the woods that I took to be a squirrel. As I was treating my water back at the shelter I looked up to see a yearling (I think) male (I think) just 10 yards away sniffing at my scent. I tried to scare him away with loud noises and motions to no avail. Fortunately I was almost packed, and I was able to sidle north on the AT, walking my fastest every half mile.
Moose: [1] I had never seen a moose on all of my years of hiking in the northeast, although I was probably 15 minutes behind one once in central Vermont based on the freshness of its tracks. In September 2006 I was an hour north of Pinkham Notch looking for a stealth site as darkness quickly fell. I had just crossed a marshy area as a huge animal started breaking through the small trees. Scared the bejeezus out of me. You could sense how large this thing was, and once my heart slowed down I determined that it was likely a good-sized moose. [2] In September 2012, on the last evening of my section from Pinkham Notch to Rangeley at Little Swift River Pond, I had the pleasure of hearing moose call to each other and splash down by the spring. I was very close to grabbing my headlamp to check out the show, but then decided that that might not be a very good idea. However, I finally bagged my moose an hour before Route 4, although mostly just the rear end of one. I came up over a small crest and found its big butt 30 yards ahead of me, unmoving. I eventually clapped my hands and the big bull moose raised its antlers to turn to me, which caused me to stand stock still until it meandered through the forest.
Pine Marten: Had the opportunity to observe a little guy prancing about just in front of Rattle River Shelter in September 2012 while I scarfed down some dinner. Cute! The only reason I knew it was a pine marten is because of the signs at Carter Notch Hut.
Shrew: I was sitting on a path outside of Galehead Hut in the Whites after a beautful hike in September 2006 when a little shrew climbed a good 10 yards up the trail, around a few rocks, and right between my legs before it sensed my presence. Pretty cool.
Raven: Earlier that day, during a rest break on the climb of Mt. Garfield with Mt. Lafayette in the background, a huge raven flew past not more than 5 yards away, the sun reflecting off its blue-black body and the wind whistling through its wings. Amazing.
Porcupines: They came out in droves the night I stayed at Kid Gore LT in central Vermont in August 1979. There had to be a dozen of them trying to get into the shelter, which made for a sleepless night.
Bobcat: At least I think it was a bobcat outside of Tom's Run Shelters in central Pennsylvania in April 1974. It sure was a blood-curdling scream.
Deer: It amazes me how many sounds come out of these otherwise quiet creatures. The first time was on my first AT hike outside High Point in April 1973 when a herd of them settled down for the night not 30 yards from our campsite. It took me a few years to figure out what made those noises. Another time we scared one up, which made a horrendous snorting/honking/whining noise at it scampered up a hillside. In Virginia I ran into a 12-point buck in a rhododendron thicket; we stared at each other for a good 15 seconds from maybe 10 yards away until he finally took off as I slowly reached for my camera. Bummer.


Of course, there are all the grouse that scare you half to death (although not so much as they used to); the stupid whipoorwhill that woke me up at 5 am outside Sarver Hollow Shelter my first night out in May 2005; various owls that I hear but never get to see; and unattributable weird noises. Amazingly, I've never seen a live poisonous snake over 2,000 miles!

[frogpockets]

i was on the at.somewhere in va.it was hot and my group came upon a creek.clean clear.not one of those gray water jobs.
anyhoo. i pushed a few rocks back and layed back.there was a big rock to my left.after a min minnows were swimming all over.across my stomach and chest.
im chillin.when out of nowhere a spider as big as a crab apple jumps from the rock and grabs a minnow right over my belly.she then proceeded to pull herself back to her rock with the aid of a rope she brought with her.she was fightin the minnow with her front legs and jaws and reeling herself in with her two back legs.i had no idea that water spiders hunted this way. and i had a camera in my hand at the time.taking pixes of the minnows,but it happened so fast all i could do is sit there slack jawed and amazed

[Different Socks]

One of my many memorable encounters was on the CDT in Colorado. I was on a 2 track looking at my guidebook. Saw movement ahead and without moving my head I looked up. There, not 30 yards away was a coyote. B/c a tree was blocking its line of sight, he didn't realize I was standing there. He trotted up until it was so close I could see the color of its eyes. Curious now, the animal sat down and looked at me, turning its head left and right, attempting to figure out what I was. I didn't dare breathe as he got back up on all four legs and walked right up to me, sniffed my legs and was not alarmed. It then pawed my boots and lacking additional interest, walked away into the woods. I let out a huge breath of air and tried to absorb what had just happened. I'll never forget it! Sure it was just a coyote, but it was so cool!

[johnnybgood]

One of my many memorable encounters was on the CDT in Colorado. I was on a 2 track looking at my guidebook. Saw movement ahead and without moving my head I looked up. There, not 30 yards away was a coyote. B/c a tree was blocking its line of sight, he didn't realize I was standing there. He trotted up until it was so close I could see the color of its eyes. Curious now, the animal sat down and looked at me, turning its head left and right, attempting to figure out what I was. I didn't dare breathe as he got back up on all four legs and walked right up to me, sniffed my legs and was not alarmed. It then pawed my boots and lacking additional interest, walked away into the woods. I let out a huge breath of air and tried to absorb what had just happened. I'll never forget it! Sure it was just a coyote, but it was so cool!

That's amazing Socks . Sounds like western coyotes react differently than their eastern brethren in the sense that they're less afraid of humans.

[HikerMom58]

That's amazing Socks . Sounds like western coyotes react differently than their eastern brethren in the sense that they're less afraid of humans.

Did you choose a good thread or what?? :D I'm lovin this thread. All the stories are amazing!! Thanks johnnybgood!!!

[QuabbinHiker]

It's private experience between nature any myself. I do not even tell my family.

[Harrison Bergeron]

On the Lone Star trail a couple of years ago, a couple of hours after the sun came out after a big rain, I came across a huge rat snake lying in the middle of the trail.


I thought at first he was dead and I walked right up to him, and but it turned out he was just sound asleep with his eyes open (snakes don't have eyelids). I was taking a closeup picture from about a foot away when he suddenly woke up, turned his head and noticed me, and then jumped back like he'd seen a ghost and raced off into the bush. It was hilarious.

[Marta]

A few weeks ago I was hiking near Two Medicine in a fairly brushy area along the lake. I startled a ground squirrel who was hanging out in the brush. It jumped up and instead of running away from me, ran towards me, and ran right across my feet. I was wearing sandals and I felt its little claws on my skin.

[map man]

On my first backpacking trip I was camped for the night with my father and a friend near Wolf Ridge on the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota and right at dusk we got to hear several wolves howling a ways off to the north. It's one thing to hear them on a television or radio program but a different thing altogether to get to hear them in a place where they are just as free to roam as you are. In the years since I have seen several bears, elk, moose, mountain goats etc., but the best animal encounter for me remains those wolves that I didn't "see" at all.

[earlyriser26]

5 bears in one day in the Shenny's