[at-l] Nighttime adventure, was; photon lights??

[bcalkins@disaster-relief.net (Bruce W. Calkins)]

At 11:09 PM 12/30/01 -0500, you wrote:
>I also leave my backup photon lit at my tent, to serve as a beacon for the
>return trip.
>
>Chainsaw

Reminds me of the summer night at Sharon Mountain Campsite in CT, I went to
water a tree clad in my silk boxers, sandals and glasses.  with my new
Blast™ flashlight in hand I spotted a white dot glowing at me just a few
steps into the woods.  It turned out to be one of those reflective thumb
tacks some hunters use to find the way in to a deer stand in the early
morning.  Of course past that one was one more, and I could see yet one
more beyond that.   At this point I (wisely?) turned to see if I could see
the tent or dog.  OOPS !  That was beyond the range of the flashlight.
Calling to Sam (normally very quiet dog.) to speak I put the moon off my
shoulder and attempted a straight line.  Planning that if I missed the
campsite I would intersect (A); the AT or (B); the trail into the campsite
I headed "back" stopping often to sweep the area with the flashlight.
Finely, I spotted TWO yellow/white dots glowing at me in the darkness.
Furthermore, they blinked!  Sam was watching carefully, evidently quite
curious as to just what his human was doing crashing through the brush in
the middle of the night.  Relief is the sound of your sleeping bag zipper
zipping closed over a moderately chilled carcass.

Black Wolfe

P.S. Two weeks later Sam, my son and I returned removed all the reflective
tacks and put them up at the Belter Camp Site.  They were enough to spot
the trail both ways, from the spring to the little seat on a box. (chum?)
(It was evident from the bush, rust and other clues that the tacks were
several years old and had not been used in some time.)