Author Topic: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?  (Read 2713 times)

GnP

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #15 on: 11:14:15, 18/10/20 »
A friend of mine is terrified of dogs . I always used to tell him stand still and just face them looking them straight in the eyes. They will  not do anything.

One day we heard many dogs barking. I looked ahead and noted a secure fence with a stile , and just at that moment a pack of dogs came bursting through a gate way towards us . I legged it and bounded over the stile tumbling down the other side.
Unbeknown to me , my friend had taken my advice literally about standing still.....  He stood still and they surrounded him barking & growling  for a good couple of minutes until their owners came and called them off .

Eventually my friend caught up with me looking scared witless , as if the life blood had drained from him. He shouted at me "what about that *****ing advice you`re always banging on about " !?

I said sheepishly " that only works if there is one of them" .... 8)
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Birdman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #16 on: 11:32:33, 18/10/20 »
On the Arizona Trail, at some point I pitched my tent along a stream in the afternoon. The AZT is a quiet trail, but because this was such an excellent location in an otherwise dry area that the only two other hikers I met that day also decided to pitch nearby. Fortunately, they were both about 100-200 metres away from me and out of sight, so no big deal.


Now the interesting thing is that I had a fully enclosed tent and stored my food away from my tent in a bearproof bag. Then there was a girl who also had a fully enclosed tent but she kept her food inside her tent and there was an (ultralight) guy with a tarp who used his food bag as a pillow.


After I had eaten my meal, a skunk appeared. He started sniffing the edges of my tent, all around, but after one minute he concluded that there was no food to be had and he ran off. He never returned. About 15 minutes later, I heard the girl screaming: "Go away! Go away!". Apparently the skunk had found the girl's tent! Some time later, it was completely dark now, I heard her packing up her tent and saw her going back on the trail with her headtorch.


The next day, I met both this girl and the guy with the tarp. The girl told me that the skunk just didn't leave here alone, so she had packed all her stuff again and went looking in the dark for an alternative spot, miles further along the trail (which was difficult to find in the dark - the area was quite rough). However, the guy with the tarp had it much worse. Because there was nothing stopping the skunk, it kept coming back the entire night. And there was nothing he could do because he was afraid that if he scared the skunk, the skunk might spray his sleeping bag and other stuff with stink! So he didn't get any sleep and needed to tolerate the skunk going through all his stuff the entire night.


I was so happy that I had carried a few hundred grams extra for that food bag that I could hang away from my tent!

My travel and walking reports: https://www.hikingbirdman.com/

Birdman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #17 on: 11:39:22, 18/10/20 »
@GinAndPlatonic: I'm terrified of dogs too! I have been harassed by groups of aggressive territorial dogs when hiking in Ecuador. It's my single biggest fear when hiking in rural, not truly wild areas. However, your approach does indeed work very well when facing a single one. And reaching to the ground (as if picking up a stone) will often also scare them (as they know locals will throw stones at them). 
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Birdman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #18 on: 11:58:05, 18/10/20 »
I read this story a few days ago, about a guy being threatened by a mountain lion (puma)  
Cougar stalk: Utah jogger on six-minute encounter with a mountain lion

 
Actually, I have been face to face with one of these myself when walking alone in a forest in Suriname. I was trying to spot a bird, then I heard some animal making noises towards me. It turned out to be a puma! He/ she was definitely not happy with my presence.

 
Then I needed to decide what to do. The thing you should never do is run, because that only triggers their hunting instinct. Besides, no way in hell that you can outrun a puma! It is better to stand your ground. So I decided I might as well try to take a picture of it! But it ran off as soon as I grabbed my camera, so I only managed to get a picture of its tail!

 
Phew!

 
My travel and walking reports: https://www.hikingbirdman.com/

gunwharfman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #19 on: 11:58:42, 18/10/20 »
The main reason I carry a whip, just a view or a tap tends to be enough to keep angry dogs at bay. I've never had to lash out but maybe one day? The whip works on cows and horses as well, again just a look or a tap on the rear is just enough to remind them that I hold the aces!

GnP

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #20 on: 12:07:26, 18/10/20 »
Edit...Sorry Birdman I see you posted the video already


PS Birdman it is ok to run if you can run faster than anyone else that might be with you.... ;)
« Last Edit: 12:13:31, 18/10/20 by GinAndPlatonic »
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

GnP

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #21 on: 12:30:38, 18/10/20 »
The main reason I carry a whip, just a view or a tap tends to be enough to keep angry dogs at bay. I've never had to lash out but maybe one day? The whip works on cows and horses as well, again just a look or a tap on the rear is just enough to remind them that I hold the aces!
I have had some horses follow me from one side of a field to another nuzzling my ruck sack , but I didn`t feel theatened by them . At the time I think they could smell the food in my bag .

I always feel wary of cows though .

I was just finishing a 12 mile walk recently & was very weary , when I came across a frisky looking herd of heifers , who spotted me straight away , so I started walking up a very steep hill to avoid walking straight through them .I was surprised with how much energy I still had , because of them . ???

 I  think cows are a bit lazy deep down and don`t particularly like walking up hill just to harass a bod like me.
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

barewirewalker

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #22 on: 12:34:17, 18/10/20 »
After a few days climbing some Aiguille from the Mer de Glace,  my climbing partner, Pete and I descended to Montenvers and decided to catch the Telepherique down to Chamonix. We both had ice axes strapped to our rucksacs. The rule was the spike had to have a rubber guard on to be allowed in the cabin, and Pete had lost his. For a quick improvisation we stuck an orange on the spike. It was a bit of a crush at the end of the day, and we had to sit with rucksacs on on laps and the orange hovering around the end of his nose. As we had been at high altitude for a few days we looked pretty local. A rather fresh faced  English couple were seated just behind us and carrying on a conversation about the curious personalities they were observing, saying how safe it was to talk about people sure that they did not understand English.
They then started to discuss how silly it was to carry an orange around on the end of walking stick, surely it was not very hygienic and didn't he think that he looked a bit of an idiot walking around with an orange like that. Pete and I could hardly restrain laughing, it became obvious that they were on honeymoon, so as we exited, we made a great fuss of so Charming a couple of English lovers in our best Maurice Chevalier accents in very broken English.
BWW
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Birdman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #23 on: 13:20:46, 18/10/20 »
PS Birdman it is ok to run if you can run faster than anyone else... ;)


Heheh! Yes I know. But I always walk alone, so I really need to outrun the beast, which is impossible. I have met bears on my walks too, but luckily up to now they have always ran from me.
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ninthace

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #24 on: 13:22:44, 18/10/20 »
@GinAndPlatonic: I'm terrified of dogs too! I have been harassed by groups of aggressive territorial dogs when hiking in Ecuador. It's my single biggest fear when hiking in rural, not truly wild areas. However, your approach does indeed work very well when facing a single one. And reaching to the ground (as if picking up a stone) will often also scare them (as they know locals will throw stones at them).
A stout umbrella is supposed to be efficacious.   Suddenly opened it scares the bejazus out of dogs.  A proper umbrella, not a city gents version, can also serve as weather protection and an improvised shelter.  Source:  https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Waters-Rising-Mountain-Across/dp/0140243321
Solvitur Ambulando

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #25 on: 13:23:43, 18/10/20 »
PS Birdman it is ok to run if you can run faster than anyone else that might be with you.... ;)
Depends on the animal! Some hunt in packs and you might be running into an ambush. However, you won’t find too many prides of lions in the British countryside.

Birdman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #26 on: 13:38:03, 18/10/20 »

I have walked in tiger country too (Chitwan National Park - Nepal), but not alone! I was with two experienced (mandatory) local guides. It was pretty scary, walking through tall vegetation where tigers could be lurking right next to you. Check my foot next to a fresh tiger footprint! You don't want to mess with that one! Never saw a tiger though...





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Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #27 on: 14:02:17, 18/10/20 »
I have walked in Big 5 country with a guide and that also gets the heart beating. Hyena and lion footprints show who might be around. On one walk we spotted white rhino tracks crossing our outgoing footprints. On another walk we alarmed a small group of impala, wildebeest and zebra. The zebra proceeded to let all other wildlife within earshot know of our presence. This included a huge male rhino, who was clearly aware of us and we had to make a detour to avoid a confrontation.  The imagination goes into overdrive, wondering what might be hiding in the bushes to either side. No worries though, our guide had a bolt action rifle to protect us.

GnP

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #28 on: 14:03:28, 18/10/20 »
Depends on the animal! Some hunt in packs and you might be running into an ambush. However, you won’t find too many prides of lions in the British countryside.
Thats true.  :)
Although I was ready to run from this fella when taking his photograph at Lewa , Kenya. He was a young orphan . No fence in between but he was very well behaved . ;)

A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

gunwharfman

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Re: Any weird, wacky and/or amusing moments when hiking?
« Reply #29 on: 20:56:44, 18/10/20 »
I like the photo!

 

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