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Post by bluefish on Jan 23, 2020 8:21:08 GMT -8
Late yesterday afternoon, my wife and I were in the midst of doing our daily 4-5 mile walk , this time on an old railroad bed covered in some sloppy snow. In winter, we use headlamps, but yesterday was a pleasant aberration of getting out early. A large bird flew up to a branch maybe fifteen feet off the ground. As I cautiously approached, I recognized it as a large , mature, Barred Owl. After my wife caught up and I pointed out what I was looking at, we moved very slowly forward. I ended up in a staring contest with the owl less than ten feet directly above me. He released a stream of scat that just missed me. He also won the staring contest, but he cheated. Did I say owls are my favorite creatures? If I had my camera, which I don't take on our daily walks, some great shots could have been taken. It's ok though, you don't need an eidetic memory to recall moments such as this. I have many. I had a similar encounter with a Snowy Owl in the Adirondacks forty years ago. Might as well have been yesterday. My first time winter camping, at age fifteen, was at a lake off the beaten path. I was freezing wrapped in a couple of borrowed blankets in a tube tent, when crunching in the frozen snow near scared what little wits I had out of me. The noise moved out on to the frozen lake and stopped. I got the nerve up to look outside, well, I did have a hatchet in hand, and standing under a full moon was a whitetail buck. It was enormous, and likely 250 live weight and 12 points. That animal standing on the frozen expanse of glittering white with the backdrop of the hemlocks on the other side of the lake has been my permanent Christmas card to myself. I hope others would share what they've seen and enjoyed , despite the lack of photographic evidence.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 23, 2020 8:59:34 GMT -8
Running at Mt. Tam in Marin County one evening, I found myself being watched from about 12 feet away by a bobcat. We also entered into a staring contest, which I totally lost. And, of course, there was the Loggerhead turtle last month in the 10,000 Islands with Zeke and my husband. No photos, but 3 witnesses .
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Post by graywolf on Jan 23, 2020 9:42:41 GMT -8
About 15 years ago I backpacked up on San Pedro Parks Wilderness in New Mexico and set up camp at 10,500 ft. About 50 yards from my tent was a creek that I used for filtering water. The next morning I got out of my tent to talk to a tree and I noticed that there was a wall of fog following the creek. As I was looking at it I saw shadows moving through the fog. At first I wondered what it could be and then I realized it was a herd of about 20 elk walking single file along the far bank of the creek right through the fog. I will never forget that sight.
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Hungry Jack
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Living and dying in 3/4 time...
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Post by Hungry Jack on Jan 23, 2020 10:00:30 GMT -8
I’ve seen Sasquatch, Nessie, and the chupacabra a bunch of times sans camera
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Post by Coolkat on Jan 23, 2020 10:09:11 GMT -8
A couple of year ago on a new trail I had the biggest coyote I've ever seen run across the trail directly in front me. What was interesting to me is that it was running a full speed through tall ferns yet he made no noise whatsoever. It appeared and vanished so fast that it left me wondering if I saw a gray silent ghost. I stopped and stood still for a couple minutes hoping to hear it crashing through the under growth or see something chasing it but neither occurred. Not sure why this event left such a mark on my psyche but it is a new favorite memory.
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Post by Coolkat on Jan 23, 2020 10:10:18 GMT -8
I’ve seen Sasquatch, Nessie, and the chupacabra a bunch of times sans camera Sans camera... isn't that how most people see these particular creatures?
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desert dweller
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Power to the Peaceful...Hate does not create.
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Post by desert dweller on Jan 23, 2020 10:12:01 GMT -8
When Rumi and I were hiking back to the Bass Canyon trail head in the Grand Canyon, some movement caught our eyes to our left. It was a large billowing dust cloud. We turned just in time to catch it. Then, a couple of seconds later we heard the loud rumble. We had barely missed a rather large rock fall and only saw the settling cloud of dust. No camera was handy.
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Post by bluefish on Jan 23, 2020 10:34:20 GMT -8
I’ve seen Sasquatch, Nessie, and the chupacabra a bunch of times sans camera Yeah, but we'd have to start a whole 'nother thread for those that got a ticket on the schroom train......
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 23, 2020 17:36:22 GMT -8
When Rumi and I were hiking back to the Bass Canyon trail head in the Grand Canyon, some movement caught our eyes to our left. It was a large billowing dust cloud. We turned just in time to catch it. Then, a couple of seconds later we heard the loud rumble. We had barely missed a rather large rock fall and only saw the settling cloud of dust. No camera was handy. I’ve seen rock fall or ice falls that way a number of times—but have also been able to capture some, though a still photo is almost pointless, and even a movie doesn’t match watching snow, ice and water fall a thousand feet into a moraine lake in the Andes...
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Post by johntpenca on Jan 24, 2020 8:11:24 GMT -8
Saw a group of desert bighorns in Icehouse Canyon (Mt. Baldy, SoCal) once. Maybe eight or so of them, mix of rams and ewes. They were foraging the other side of the canyon about 300 feet away. Watched em for maybe twenty minutes. Fascinating to see them so close to a major metropolitan area. When I got up to move on, they didn't seem to notice.
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Post by bluefish on Jan 24, 2020 10:06:26 GMT -8
I lived in the Owens Valley , on the east side of the Sierra , when they introduced the Tinemaha herd of Tule Elk. I crawled at least a 1/4 mile on my belly through the sage to get a close up view of a mature bull and some cows. Success. I was too poor for a camera, so this one was filed in the banks, too. Speaking of Bishop, Ca., I got to meet Galen Rowell while I was there. His Mountain Light photo gallery is still there, though he died in a plane crash in 2002. Very much worth visiting. You can gaze at some of his work for hours. His books are treasures, too. I'm sure he's very well known, but on the off chance someone didn't, I hope looking at his work gives you pleasure and awe.
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Post by plaidman on Jan 24, 2020 10:41:38 GMT -8
Great thread. My most memorable happened on Chamberlain Creek about 5 miles below the guard station in the Frank Church RONR Wilderness. It had to have been in 1996. Canadian wolves had been reintroduced into the Frank, and there was a sign on the bulletin board at the guard station alerting visitors that there were wolves around and asking them to report sightings.
I was camped at the airfield and was there to fish. I had hiked down the creek several miles, catching little trout and just enjoying the country. There was no sign that anyone had been down the trail recently. It was really hot, so I got into the creek periodically to cool off. Finally, after a few hours and miles, I sat down for lunch in the shade with my back resting on the cut of the south bank of the creek. I was tired and dozed off to the sound of the water. I don't know how long I slept, but I woke with the feeling that I was being watched. I raised my eyes and looked along the trail, which was up above the creek on the north side, probably 50 feet. There, staring down at me, was a big, beautiful light grey and white wolf. I just sat there and watched until I became a little unnerved. I mean, it was BIG. So, I shifted around and started to get up, at which time the wolf sauntered up the trail and then cut off into the woods. That's the only wolf I've ever seen in the wild. I never tire of telling this story (although my family says they don't need to hear it again).
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on Jan 24, 2020 10:50:51 GMT -8
Far up on the Minnesota north shore, I was driving with my hiking buddy to catch the ferry for a 5 day backpacking trek at Isle Royale National Park. We were hoping to see a moose in the wild, but that morning on the opposite side of the forest highway Eddie spotted a huge magnificent bull moose standing on the left shoulder of the road. I pulled over onto the right shoulder directly across from it, lowered my window and grabbed my camera, but just before I could raise it for a pic the moose bounded back into the forest.
More elated at the sighting than disappointed at missing the pic I pulled the car back onto the road, and just as I reached cruising speed a squirrel dashed out in front of my little Honda Fit. With no time to react, the unfortunate creature was flattened under my front tire.
I turned to Eddie, and in my best Boris Badenov imitation I exclaimed "Ve got Moose AND Squirrel!"
Perhaps that makes me an uncaring person, but we had a good laugh.
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zeke
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Peekaboo slot 2023
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Post by zeke on Jan 24, 2020 11:04:39 GMT -8
I was cruising in my kayak around the backside of White Horse Key. The waters were extremely shallow, and I was mostly pushing myself along rather than actually paddling. Suddenly, there was a loud thump from under my boat and I could see tips of the wings on each side of the bow. A Spotted Eagle Ray had been buried in the sand until I passed over. Made my heart race for a moment, until I could piece together what I had seen.
I've nearly stepped on a pink rattler in the Canyon, but saw that before I put my foot down.
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Post by plaidman on Jan 24, 2020 11:16:30 GMT -8
Another owl story: One winter night I was riding my bike along the levee on my way home from work. There was mist in the poor, channelized "creek" off to my left. I had my headlamp on and caught some movement out the corner of my left eye. I turned to look at it and spotlighted an owl, coasting along not very far off my left shoulder. It seemed motionless, and I have no idea how it was both staying aloft and moving with me. I have no idea how long it had been there. It followed me for a few seconds but the light must have blinded it and it broke off, completely silent throughout. This was the same area (just south of Levi's stadium and next to Great America amusement park in San Jose) that I spotted a beaver a few winters ago. That beaver must have been seriously navigationally-challenged. I got that one on camera video. Poor thing. It makes me want to laugh and cry.
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