Last night Kim and I found out that coyotes really do howl at the moon; or were they howling at us, or where they feasting, or were they going to feast on us, or were they just being kids...and did I just structure that sentence properly?
We set off last night for an impromptu night hike up Green Canyon, the moon was bright, the snow was twinkling, the air was crisp and there was a pack of coyotes up the canyon making a pretty heavy racket. We stopped periodically to listen until eventually we couldn't hear them anymore, we figured they had moved on. We continued up the trail until it met with the second gate on the road, we got about 200 meters past that gate (at the top of the hill you fall down when you x-county ski) and they started to howl again, and they were REALLy close. When I say really close I mean REALLY close, just over the little hill close. We froze, it was a very eery sound to be so close. We immediately started looking for sticks to defend ourselves or for trees to climb but everything seemed buried in snow. We froze again as I PROMISE you the howling got closer and closer, I swear it did...right Kim...it did. The first thought that came to my mind was the little boy on the news that got attacked by a coyote last week. At the risk of embarrassing both Kim, Myself, and K-So (who was hiding behind my legs) I must admit, at that point...we ran! We kept running all the while turning to watch our backs for the crazy pack of coyotes to start nipping at our heals.
I'm tempted to go back up today, if my AM meeting is canceled I'm going back to that spot to see if they had a kill there or something...or was it the nearly full moon, do they really howl at full moons? I realize I'm really quite ignorant about such things. Were Kim and I REALLY in danger or just paranoid? Anyone know?
I get a little leery after the whole middle of nowhere with my son mountain lion scare, which is why I'm trying to convince Joe I need a little hand gun. Not because I don't respect the boundaries of wildlife or because I ever expect to use it; but if push came to shove and some crazy animal came after my son...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Howling at the Moon?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Well, there is always a big can of bear spray...I usually take it along for creepy people, rather than wildlife, but you never know.
There is a traveling band of coyotes in my neighborhood, and on occasion they will meet up in the park behind my house and set up a howling festival.
Drives Jake plumb mad, but he never goes after them.
My close encounters with coyotes in the wilds of Yellowstone were simply that they wanted to keep an eye on me. I have no doubt about my abilities to scatter an entire pack of them, howling or no.
But then again, I have delusions of grandeur.
Ohh, the bear spray. I forgot about that, much better idea. Maybe that in combination with something that makes a really loud scary noise, like a fake gun...
Or maybe a fast inflating daktari...
So, Terry told me that the coyotes wouldn't have done anything to us...but they would have eaten K-So. It was a good thing we ran, and that explains why she she was so chicken. But I still think all the ruckus was between a pack of coyotes and a mountain lion (cougar), much more exciting.
Oh, and there really has been a cougar terrorizing the Green Canyon residences lately...ooohhh.
I'm just shocked Kim didn't already have her gun with her. What kind of friend is she? She even has a little purse for it.
So I ran up there today because my meeting was short (debated calling you Kim, didn't want to tempt you). NOTHING! They must have been up in the cliffs, likely the "lower" cliffs;) I didn't have time to climb up there. But I REALLY wanted to find some sort of evidence to support our story. I was totally playing CSI, it was great. K-So kept sniffing to the NW...hummm. Did you know there is a trail that goes up a little canyon to the NW of where we stopped? It was cool. We need to go back for more investigative work tonight...wait, we have a potluck; shoot!
Speaking of shoot, sha'niqua I hear ya... but really when it comes to me and kim were really only prepared when we don't need to be. bad habit. bad kim!
Oh and Lauren just had a good idea. a fog horn instead of a fake gun for loud scary noises. I just amended my Christmas list. Bear spray and a fog horn.
Good Christmas list. Excellent story! I bet if Jack had been there he and Kase could've taken out all ten of them and had the mountain lion for dessert. Kase would have charmed them and got all eyes looking her way with a little leg and some batting of those eyelashes and Jack would've charged from behind with a foghorn and some bear spray.
What was this previous mountain lion encounter of which you speak? I don't believe I've heard that story.
Post a Comment