Stress_Test
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 1,334
Especially when you're all alone in the dark with unknown wildlife nearby!
After work today, I was taking a walk down a local greenway trail. There was a section about half a mile long where the trees and brush really hem in the trail, and you kinda feel like youre walking down a tunnel through the trees, especially at night (and there was only about a 15% moon tonight too, with lots of haze). I was using a TK12-R2.
This trail is still relatively close to civilization, but its surrounded by cow pasture and open field. Theres definitely a fair amount of wildlife living around the area, everything from small varmints up to coyote and deer. Wasnt too worried about the coyotes though.
Anyway, I had reached the end of the closely wooded section and had hit my turnaround point, and had been walking back the way I came for several minutes. All during this time it had been pretty normal to hear small rustles and movement of little critters in the leaves and stuff. But all of a sudden, off close to my left I heard a loud kind of huffing or snorting noise, like the exhalation of a large animal! My heart leaped up in my throat and I spun to the left with the light trying to see what had made the noise but the trees and brush were too thick to see anything beyond a few feet. I started walking again and kept scanning the area behind me and to the side to see if I could spot any movement or reflections from eyes, but there was still nothing to be seen. Every few steps I would whip around with the light to look behind me to see if anything was following, but I never did see anything, thankfully.
I started to wonder if there were any cougars in that area... I didnt think there were, but lately those cats have proven to be remarkably adaptable at living in human-populated areas, so I was definitely starting to get worried! I wondered if it could have been a cow, as there were pastures nearby, BUT I knew that on THAT side of the trail there was some kind of dirt service road, and it was fenced, so the cows shouldnt have been able to get that close to the trail... I mean, the sound I heard seemed like it was no more than 20 feet away! I realized how precarious my situation could be, alone and unarmed, unless you count a puny 3 blade knife as a weapon. I was sure wishing I had my .357 on me, but even that probably wouldnt do me much good if a 200lb cougar pounced on my back.
So I hustled along walking fast, and resisting the urge to run because I didn't want to look like prey in case something was watching me. I felt better once I came out of the woodsy tunnel part and into the open pasture fields, because at least then I had a longer view of the area around me. I kept scanning in all directions all the way back to my car.
I figure it could've just been a deer... but then again it could've been something ELSE. Either way I don't think I'll do that again. At least, not alone and at night! I need to talk some of my co-workers into joining me for after-work night hikes! :thumbsup:
After work today, I was taking a walk down a local greenway trail. There was a section about half a mile long where the trees and brush really hem in the trail, and you kinda feel like youre walking down a tunnel through the trees, especially at night (and there was only about a 15% moon tonight too, with lots of haze). I was using a TK12-R2.
This trail is still relatively close to civilization, but its surrounded by cow pasture and open field. Theres definitely a fair amount of wildlife living around the area, everything from small varmints up to coyote and deer. Wasnt too worried about the coyotes though.
Anyway, I had reached the end of the closely wooded section and had hit my turnaround point, and had been walking back the way I came for several minutes. All during this time it had been pretty normal to hear small rustles and movement of little critters in the leaves and stuff. But all of a sudden, off close to my left I heard a loud kind of huffing or snorting noise, like the exhalation of a large animal! My heart leaped up in my throat and I spun to the left with the light trying to see what had made the noise but the trees and brush were too thick to see anything beyond a few feet. I started walking again and kept scanning the area behind me and to the side to see if I could spot any movement or reflections from eyes, but there was still nothing to be seen. Every few steps I would whip around with the light to look behind me to see if anything was following, but I never did see anything, thankfully.
I started to wonder if there were any cougars in that area... I didnt think there were, but lately those cats have proven to be remarkably adaptable at living in human-populated areas, so I was definitely starting to get worried! I wondered if it could have been a cow, as there were pastures nearby, BUT I knew that on THAT side of the trail there was some kind of dirt service road, and it was fenced, so the cows shouldnt have been able to get that close to the trail... I mean, the sound I heard seemed like it was no more than 20 feet away! I realized how precarious my situation could be, alone and unarmed, unless you count a puny 3 blade knife as a weapon. I was sure wishing I had my .357 on me, but even that probably wouldnt do me much good if a 200lb cougar pounced on my back.
So I hustled along walking fast, and resisting the urge to run because I didn't want to look like prey in case something was watching me. I felt better once I came out of the woodsy tunnel part and into the open pasture fields, because at least then I had a longer view of the area around me. I kept scanning in all directions all the way back to my car.
I figure it could've just been a deer... but then again it could've been something ELSE. Either way I don't think I'll do that again. At least, not alone and at night! I need to talk some of my co-workers into joining me for after-work night hikes! :thumbsup:
