Mysterious Eyes in the Dark…non-bovine edition

On the eve of tropical storm Nicole, Prometheus (a hiker’s trail name) and I had to complete the last four miles in the dark to the shelter. After making the last road crossing with two miles left, Prometheus noticed two sets of eyes balls about 50 yards from the trail on the right. Scrolling my headlamp I. That direction, the eyes balls became visible. The mysterious creatures stayed still and attempted to hide. After a brief discussion, we agreed that the eyes belonged to coyotes and hiked on. About ten minutes later, Prometheus spotted another set of eyes a few feet off the trail and it attempted to hide behind a log before I caught a glimpse. Groundhog? Porcupine? Looked like a Mink. The hike continued and came to an abrupt stop. A large animal with glowing eyes was a few feet off trail. Prometheus told me it was a bear. I only saw the eyes, which sauntered about 100 feet from the trail. The gait and height were unmistakably a bear. He sat with his eyes fixated on us waiting to see what we would do. We resumed the hike looking back a few times to make sure the bear was not following us.

Two observations occurred to me. First, each animal clearly knew where the trail was and understood that humans just pass through. Each animal demonstrated patience in watching us continue are hike. The other observation was how nonchalant we became about wildlife. Instead of reaching for a weapon or spray, which neither of us carry, Prometheus and I patiently waited and discussed the identity of the animal until we felt safe enough to move on.

The most frequent questions asked about my thru hike are about animal sitings, which I’ll discuss below.

Bear– I have seen two bears in Pennsylvania. Besides the one previously discussed, the other bear crossed the fire road about 150 yards ahead of me and so appeared into the woods. This siting was about 1.5 miles before the Pinnacle.

Beaver– The evidence of the beaver’s work has been in every state without a siting of the animal itself. Beaver dams are very sturdy and in several places the Appalachian Trail crosses over these structures.

Deer– Every state has had plenty of deer that scurry further into the woods when I hike through. However, this young buck showed no fear letting me get within 20 feet in High Point State Park, NJ.

Moose– on my second day, I was watching the sunrise over Mount Katahdin and noticed two figures swimming across the river, which were a mama moose and her calf. Soon the two moose ran into the woods and emerged crossing on the Golden Road. The mother moose appeared about 8 feet tall, which made me glad to observe them from the bridge about 100 yards away.

Porcupine– These prickly creatures love to gnaw of wooden structures and especially like wood with salt from sweat on it. One night while falling asleep in the Gren Anderson Shelter, I heard some gnawing but couldn’t identify where it was happening. In the morning, fresh wood shavings were under the picnic table. The only time I have seen a Porcupine was in New Hampshire. After briefly raising it quills, the porcupine scurried into the woods.

Raptors– I have seen many raptors in every state. In Maine last fall, a bald eagle was on the opposite shore when crossing the Kennebec River. Vultures, hawks, and falcons have made many appearances, but I have seen only one Barred Owl while in New Hampshire.