bobbotron
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2012 14:57
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I grew up in the country, out in the country. My parent's place faces onto a unused farmers field, followed by a fairly dense forest. It makes for great cross country skiing in the winter, there's a trail through the forest to further fields and forests.
One day, I was skiing towards the woods on a grey winter afternoon. I was about 50 feet away from the dense wall of cedars that marks the edge of the woods. As often happens when cross country skiing, I was lost in my thoughts. Suddenly a loud, bone chilling growl startled me and stopped me in my tracks. I was shocked! I slowly looked around, trying determine the source. For over a minute, I stood there on my old skis, trying to see what had made that noise. While I stood, I considered how vulnerable I was, on thick snow, on rickety old skis... What would I do if a wolf charged me from the bush? Armed with thin wooden poles, my odds seemed poor at best.
As I kept staring into the woods, I eventually started to doubt what I had heard. Perhaps I had day dreamed it. Cross country skiing solo, the mind can really wander...
I convinced myself I must not have heard what I thought I heard, and anyway, whatever it was had probably taken off... I started skiing again, towards the path that would take me through the woods. I got about two ski strokes before I was stopped in my tracks by another ferocious growl! There was no doubt this time!
I froze in my tracks, again eyeing the tree line. Again, maddeningly, I saw nothing. I can't remember how long I stood there this second time, weighing my options, wondering what would happen next. I turned around and high tailed it back to the house, never to know what it was that was so angry at me in those woods that day.
I've skied and walked those woods a hundred times or more, I guess you never know what's lurking in the woods!
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 18 Oct 2012 21:13 - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Canoe-camping on a Florida river- A canoe can hold a lot of gear, so we'd take a large tent, air mattress, 2 burner stove, etc and have a very comfortable campsite.
When dusk comes around, you keep away from the river because alligators are mainly nocturnal feeders. Our tent was set back well away from the water's edge up on a sand dune.
About 2 AM we feel a large WHUMP that jars us and wakes us in an instant. First thought- alligator tail smacking the tent! Peered outside carefully, saw nothing. The sand didn't show any special disturbance, either.
We headed down river the next day, covered many miles. Set up camp again, and in the middle of the night, another WHUMP shakes us. Nothing outside to be seen. By morning, we're sleeping uncomfortably as our mattress is low on air and we're laying on the sand. I look at the mattress, and there was the answer...
The air mattress had internal ribs, and a couple of these came loose inside. We felt the mattress jerk as the ribs let go suddenly. The ribs letting go made the mattress less uniform in thickness and also started a slow leak. Glad it wasn't an alligator checking us out!
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