I have two Advanced Reading Copies of my new mystery, ENDANGERED, to give away to two visitors who post the most entertaining answer to my question.
The book takes place in the backcountry of a Utah park, the plot involves cougars, and I’m an outdoorsy gal, so I wanted to use an outdoorsy question. Here it is:
What’s the wildest, craziest, or scariest event involving a wild animal that has ever happened to you ?
Cape Buffalo look sorta like this and sometimes kill people
I tried to think of my most dramatic moments while out hiking, camping, kayaking, or scuba diving. It would be nice to come up with one that sounded appropriately death-defying, but nope, I’ve had a lot more terrifying moments on the freeway than in the wilderness. But I have had some interesting encounters, and a lot them end up in my books.
There were the Cape buffaloes in Kenya that kept coming closer and closer as I was changing a flat tire on our Rover. Fortunately, due to a youth of poverty and tire-borrowing, I am one of the fastest tire-changers in the world, so we escaped before the herd settled on a plot to do us in. I won the title of “Most Valuable Woman” from the locals for that escapade. (Gotta take praise wherever you can get it…)
There was also the hippo just a few feet outside my cabin door. A little worrisome, since I had just locked myself outside with said hippo (and comrade hippos a little further away). Thankfully, we agreed to ignore each other.
There is nothing to fear but fear itself. And bears!
I was hiking on an overgrown trail near Mount Rainier when a black bear cub came racing down the trail and we nearly collided. I looked frantically for Mama Bear, but thankfully she was quite a distance down the flank of the mountain and the cub didn’t complain to her about me.
In another bear incident, my mom and her friend and I were enjoying a snack along a trail in Glacier Natl park when Mom suddenly murmured “Bear!” Yep, a grizzly had just emerged from the woods and was ambling down the trail in our direction. Silently, we packed up our muffins and backtracked in a hurry. The grizzly was happy enough to get the trail all to itself.
Great Horned Owl – They don’t like flashlights.
I was attacked by Great Horned Owls one night in my backyard. Guess what–they REALLY don’t like having spotlights shown in their faces during their midnight hoot festivals. Don’t even think about it.
I’ve had skunks and raccoons brawling outside of my tent on occasion. Pretty scary. You can throw something at a raccoon, but how do you argue with a skunk?
No way to argue with skunks
But probably the scariest events happened to me in Arkansas. It was a November backpacking trip gone wrong. First my companions and I couldn’t find the right trail. At one point we stepped over a log on the path, and I happened to notice a flash of reddish color along the bottom of the log as I hopped over. The biggest and reddest copperhead I ever want to see was stretched out at the bottom of log. Fortunately, copperheads are pretty passive snakes. They tend to lie there until you step on them, and then they
Rattlesnake! I’m actually more scared of copperheads.
bite you. This one continued to lounge there, and since it was growing dark, my friends and I decided to go back to the drive-in campground and stay there for the night. As I was gathering firewood among all the fallen leaves, I started to reach for a stick. It moved. I froze. As I looked around, I noticed two more snakes lying among the leaves. Brown patterned snakes–might have been copperheads or rattlers or just bull snakes. I didn’t care to examine them closely. All night long there were shouts among the campers: “Copperhead!” “Rattler!” or just “Snakes!” Nobody got bitten; the evening was cold, and so the snakes were slow, if they were moving at all. I can only conclude that we must have been camping very close to a favorite winter den for all these serpents. After one of my companions choked during dinner–the Heimlich maneuver really works!–we decided that the fates were not with us, and we went home, to hike again another less snaky day.
So, now please share your stories. I’ll pick two winners on Friday October 28th to receive an ARC of ENDANGERED, so please be sure to check back then or provide an email address so I can contact you if you’re a winner!
At approximately age 10, my family and I camped at Mosquito flats in the BC Rocky Mts. far from civilization. Savoring the solitude, I enjoyed the splash of the fishing lure creating ripples in the sparkling backwater pool. Seeing a flash of golden fur moving in the bushes, I assumed it was our yellow lab. When I next looked up I saw a cougar’s beautiful cat eyes staring at me about ten feet away. I remembered my father saying, “Don’t show a wild animal you are afraid,” so I casually picked up my pole and gear, dropped the stringer of fish, thinking he might be hungry, and sauntered down the trail towards camp. Good. I didn’t hear the cat. Heart thumping fear didn’t settle in until I looked behind and he was following me, twenty feet behind. I dropped everything and headed across the swift but shallow stream remembering that cats weren’t supposed to like water. True or not, he didn’t follow me. My family didn’t believe me until they traced the trail and saw the large animal prints beside my gear. He didn’t eat the fish. Thanks for bringing up the memory, Pam! I look forward to reading the stories of others.
Yikes! I’ve seen tracks & part of a cougar’s dinner and once the flash of a long golden tail vanishing through the trees, but I’ve never seen a whole cougar. I’m so glad everyone survived!
What great wildlife stories! Living in Alaska, I have a few, but my most memorable (for better or worse) was when I was working out of a small town in Wyoming on a black-footed ferret reintroduction project (I’m a former wildlife biology grunt). While surveying prairie dog towns for potential release sites, I came upon a 3 foot rattler. Not liking snakes, I froze. He went on his slithery way, and I continued my surveying, being VERY cautious about where I put my feet. The survey area ran along a rocky ridge. As I approached, half finished with the survey, a HUGE rattlesnake came over the ridge at about eye level. We were six or seven feet apart, so I doubted I was in danger, but I did scream. Loudly. I hightailed it back to the road to wait for my partner, who was on a lower site. He drove up, saw my survey equipment dismantled and asked, “Are you done?” “Nope,” I said, “but I’m finished for today!”
Love the ending of your comment! Eye level–I would have had a stroke! I volunteered at a zoo in high school, and one day we had snake-catching lessons. I was determined to keep my cool. Then, without any warning, a guy walked in and dumped a sackful of snakes out onto the floor. I was instantly standing on my chair. So much for cool. Thanks for commenting!
Just about a month ago my husband and I were camping outside his family’s cabin in PA when we saw a 400 pound black bear amble out of the woods and climb the branches of a chestnut tree a few yards from our tent. It was our anniversary weekend, and my husband and I just laid there watching this incredible animal who scurried down out of the tree after knocking down the nuts and sprawled across the ground to eat them. He looked and acted more like an overgrown lap dog than an animal with some crazy teeth and claws.
Hi, Jolina! That sounds like a special time; I would have loved to be there to see that. I treasure each sighting of wildlife while at the same time respecting every animal’s true nature, and it sounds like you are in the same camp. It’s sad that so many people freak out. Once an animal is reported to authorities, its days are usually numbered.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi! Not entering the contest ( I actually won an ARC of Endangered from Goodreads), but I wanted to just tell you how much I LOVED the book. I am excitedly looking forward to the next in the series! (my review of it is here: http://bookgossipblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-endangerd-summer-westin-mystery.html)
As for a scary animal story….. When I was little (maybe 6 or so) my family went to one of those safari places where you drive your car through and the animals are loose (no idea where it was or what it was called). Anyway, this ostrich took a liking too us and decided he was going to peck his way through our glass windows. ‘Course it wouldn’t be scary now, but it sure was then!
Hey, I would never underestimate an ostrich, they ARE scary creatures! They’re fast, have tremendous reach, and powerful legs and toenails that can disembowel other creatures. When I volunteered at a zoo, they were considered dangerous to be around. Good thing you had the windows between you and that giant bird!
Thanks so much for the review and for stopping by, Kim!
Good points! Very glad to be in the car!
You’re welcome! And thanks for stopping by mine as well!
Hi Pam, I love the sound of your latest book. Major congrats!
Most exciting wildlife story…hmmmm….that’s hard after living in the sticks for over a decade. Probably the worst was when I was swimming in the Chilco River in late summer fall, in the evening. There were just two of us. The day had been hot and the evening was really quiet. We were just floating, relaxing. We heard splashing and turned around to see a family of Grizzly bears had joined us at the river for a swim and dinner!
Not the most comforting feeling, believe me!
Jeez Louise, talk about unexpected guests to a party! I want grizzlies to survive in the wild, but I prefer to watch them through binoculars. I’m paranoid about getting up close and friendly with them. I assume both bears and people survived, so it was a peaceful encounter and a special moment to remember. Glad you’re still here to tell the story!
OK, I didn’t get so many “contestants,” but I got great stories, and it’s too hard to pick winners. I will email ALL of you to get your mailing address to send an ARC. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks so much, Pam! It was fun to read all of the encounters. Glad everyone is around to tell their stories 🙂