Too Close For Comfort

It was freezing temperatures; the rain would not stop for anything. What was this Spring in June?! Roughing it was not easy by any means but had to make due, there is no way around it. The last thing we were going to do was stay in a hotel, that would just defeat the whole purpose of this journey. Being one with nature our very first night was no easy task. We couldn’t stop shivering; We only had one sleeping bag to share, using clothes as padding. On top of which, every crackling sound of a twig raised alarm.

After finally getting situated that first night, we drove in late only to find an older lady parked in a van near our camp area. Without it fazing us, we decided to still came in our new designated spot.

We were ready to doze off when we suddenly heard hooting. I thought to myself how cool yet how annoying is this; given the hour it was.

Pouring rain

Late night

The noise kept us up until it slowly drifted afar, allowing us to get some much-needed sleep, or so we thought… It was just after 3am when out of nowhere hooting began once again, except this time sounded as though there were a few if not more. If that weren’t enough, crows disrupting birds made the loudest of noise, causing nothing but ruckus. 

Talk about waking up groggy the next morning.

Next day. Still raining

The days to follow were rainy, mucky, and wet. Thinking this was bad enough, night three rolled around, and it was then that the hooting quickly turned into growling noise. Just when we thought we couldn’t get any more scared than darkness itself, it was apparent that there was more out there than imagined, not in a good way!

Scared as can be…

We nearly jumped out of our socks, our bodies trembling. In that moment, terrified as can be, we sat up frozen like statues; the growling coming closer and closer. Before we new it, whatever it was, was rearing around the corner. Within a matter of seconds, it was right behind our tent. We had not the slightest clue as to what it was or what to do. Realizing we were on unknown territory that clearly was not ours was very unsettling. 

What we thought was an owl, was not one but many coyotes.

Boy did we choose the perfect spot…

 For the remainder of the night, we were on high alert with Spiffy googling: what to do when coyotes are near.

You may wonder what does one do when this situation arises?                                                   There is one DIY way that can easily be done from an arms length away:

• Grab a nearby rock or stone
•  find any kind of metal object (Maglite being our secret choice of weapon).
• Now using the two together, clank it against one another several times, loudly.

By doing so, will help rid nearby predators. Keep in mind though, it won’t keep away the noise of coyotes or possible other wildlife in the distant.