ran into a cross-dresser in NH.
ran into a cross-dresser in NH.
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
Weirdest thing I ever saw was backpacking up the North Fork Creek in the Citico wilderness and crossing the creek and finding a big half-eaten dead horse laying in the creek with his head about 10 feet on the other side of his body. At first all I saw was the white bones of his ribcage and then the picture came together.
Didn't happen to be a bald guy named "That Guy" in 2011 did it? That dude was weird. I remember he camped just short of a shelter one night on his own, and there was a huge storm. He showed up in the middle of the night with only his books (left everything else back at his camp site a couple miles back) and had them all laid out to dry. This guy was making about 4 miles a day as well.
Every time I look in the mirror...
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
Facebook: pmagsblog
The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
Don't know if it was when I stepped on a sleeping bear in CO.
Or the cow moose following me too closely in WY
or the black bear false charge in VA
or that rattlesnake encounter I had in IDaho when I was bushwhacking tall grass and decided to look down at my feet, and sure enough......
or lots of other memories.
Griz coming my way and wind blowing towards me, 11 bears in one morning in WA, mountain lion 10' away in CA, mountain goat eating tuffs of grass right outside my tent in Idaho.
But the scariest was definitely the ape attacking me in the jungle.
I stayed out of the wilderness for 2 years after that one.
Lots of memories.
Yeah, lots of memories.
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
Over 20 years ago, meeting my first marmot and not having the slightest clue what a marmot is. Not that "strange" compared to the other encounters but believe me it was weird to have what I thought was an oversized and very friendly "squirrel" sit near me and beg for food, and then noticing a few others pop up around me.
I also had a "It's a small world" encounter a few years back. In 2008, I was backpacking in Canada outside of Banff. I was talking w/ a young Canadian couple about different places to backpack in the US (they never backpacked here). I ran down the usual suspects: Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Utah Red Rock areas, Colorado, etc. I told them that our mountains were similar to theirs. They really needed to experience the Grand Canyon w/ possibly some nearby areas in Utah.
In April 2009, I was backpacking in the Grand Canyon & I came upon the same couple. We chatted for a short time, amazed about bumping into each other. What are the odds of that happening?
I was doing a week long section of the AT and was either in NY or NJ...I think it was NJ. It was raining, and trail was muddy. My buddy and I walked up on a pack laying right off to the side of the trail with a small tarp covering some other stuff all laying in the mud. I think the small tarp might have been a pack cover. Both of us were a bit concerned for the owner of the stuff hoping he/she was alright so we looked around for that person. We didn't see anyone so my buddy picks up a corner of the pack cover with the tip of his hiking pole just to see what's under it. Immediately we hear someone yell out out "Just move on!" The voice came from under the pack cover. Startled we started walking again and could hear the person (a woman I think...and apparently a small one at that) yelling at us to move on, and reprimanding us for "messing" with her stuff.
Last edited by Berserker; 12-06-2013 at 13:08.
AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
JMT: 2013
Sounds like more fun on the way for you, fiddlehead... exciting! You are def. still living it. Stick around and share... it's wonderful to hear about it.
Okay, since you asked, my life priority #1 is this... I needed to figure out why I even exist, what/who created me (others & this incredible world around me) and what is the purpose/meaning for my life.
After I got that straightened out in my mind, I aim to align myself with that world view. It's a beautiful thing. I get that it's not all about ME. Relationships are most important. Those relationships brings a person the most joy & meaning/fulfillment, in this life. The relationship, with my Creator, being the MOST important of all. I needed to figure all that out.. I put my faith in things unseen.
For me,it's a good time living here, for a short while, exploring this world, meeting interesting people and even experiencing strange encounters like yours.. I would love to hear the the story of the ape attack.. *yikes*. :P
I may never go all the places you do but I like to hear about your experiences in your life... it's just FUN to enjoy other people & what they bring to such encounters of this kind. Bring it!!
I do have a bucket list of places I want to visit before I die, if I die in the usual time frame. I hope I do get the opportunity to travel to other places, I want to see more of this planet we live on...it's amazing!!
Last edited by HikerMom58; 12-06-2013 at 13:39.
MUNI, or mountain unicycling, is more common than you might think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BOW-ZpsFCM
Another video from Shug and friends.
Cedar Tree
I was 10 years old and decided to bushwhack to the top of a big hill/small mountain in central New York State (Norwich area) visible from my grandmother's porch. I just took off, crossing fields and fence lines. in the last meadow before the base of the hill I saw a herd of animals about 150 yards ahead of me. For some reason I thought they were wolves and promptly turned around...a few years later I realized that they were white-tailed deer in flight!!!
GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014
I was on the Florida Trail and starting to set up camp for the night. A guy came to the site and ask if he could stay for a while. I said sure, and he started talking about himself and the UU Church (?) he was attending. He was wearing a rock on a rope around his neck, an Indian Dream Catcher, and a stone skinning knife. He talked for 2 hours without stopping. His sentences did not have periods. And at some point he mentioned what a good day he was having and thought it was his meds. He was very strange! I'm happy he did not spend the night.
DeerPath
LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY
IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY,
BUT RATHER SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT,
SHOUTING "HOLY CRAP....WHAT A RIDE!"