In the dark, the animals that you imagine are making the noises grow four-fold or more, with teeth to match!

The night was quiet, but not without some visitors. First, there was a pissed-off deer huffing, puffing, and stomping, then some coyotes yipped and howled their way past on the trail a couple of hundred yards away, and finally, there was something creeping through the underbrush. The latter, I don’t mind admitting, spooked me.

I’ve taken part in several discussions online about night noises in the wilderness. It takes a while to adjust to them, and this was my first trip in a couple of months. In the dark, the animals that you imagine are making the noises grow four-fold or more, with teeth to match! Some people wear earplugs so they remain blissfully ignorant. I tend to ignore the noises or tell the critters to go away. Not that they take much notice.

This one got me out of my hammock peering around in the dark to try and see what (and where) it was. The last time that happened was at Piney Creek Wilderness in 2018. Maybe my recent dream about something walking into my hammock affected me more than I thought. Anyway, I told myself I was being silly and retired to my book again. Whatever it was (probably an armadillo or a possum) snuffled off.

Breakfast and tea in bed, are not quite as relaxed as they look. Mainly because before you can make tea or prepare your breakfast, you have to wander off into the woods to retrieve your food bag. Needless to say, I didn’t bother lighting my wood burner and used the Fancee Feest stove to heat the water.

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