[at-l] Animals on the trail

[gaudet@mediaone.net (Arthur Gaudet)]

Pine Marten in Maine, while southbound in '98. There's no way you'd 
see this animal if you don't see them move. I looked up the trail, 
saw something small and when I got to the location sat down and 
looked up and down the pine trees. Saw the marten, and while watching 
it, got my lunch out, ate lunch and then packed up. The marten barely 
moved over that period of time.

Faced down a bear that wanted my food bag in PA, a long story, great 
memory. I wonder if I was brave or foolish. In 2000 near Peter's 
Mountain.

Most mystical animal experience, I saw a mountain lion (no kidding) 
while descending the road from Wood's Hole near Pearisburg, VA. I was 
so awed by the experience I went in to the local country store and 
told some locals, they tried to talk me out of it since I was 
obviously from the North. But having seen bobcat and lynx (in Nova 
Scotia) I made a positive ID. As I walked down the road the cat 
emerged from the right side, bounded (in 2 leaps) across the road and 
into the woods on my left. The distance was over 100 feet away, but I 
was looking straight ahead when he came out of the woods. Could've 
been an escaped pet I guess, but what a wonderful experience.

>So tell me...What's the coolest animal you've seen on the trail?  Any trail. 
>I know that cool to me might not be cool to you and vice versa, but I wanna
>know.  I have two animals that I would just LOVE to see in the wild...one is
>a bear (a likely sight), the other is a Florida panther(/cougar/mountain
>lion/puma).  Luck to me on the second.
>
>What have you seen?  How close did you come?  Was it close enough, or too
>close for comfort?
>
>-Teresa

-- 
Arthur D. Gaudet        	"Is walking down called hiking, too?"          
(RockDancer) 	                 -heard at the top of Mt Washington, NH