Tuesday, October 05, 2004
My More Exciting Camping Story
So our family used to go camping sometimes when we went on vacation, because camping is cheaper than staying in motels. Camping is way more fun, anyway.
When I was 12, we took a trip to Wyoming to go camping at Yellowstone National Park. Usually we would just use a tent for sleeping and shelter. But this time our pastor loaned us this crazy looking homemade camper that we pulled behind our lime green '76 Chevy Impala.
So we were all set up at our new campsite in Yellowstone. My folks were tired of driving and setting up the camper and all that, so we were all just relaxing and having some dinner. I was getting a little restless having been in the car all day, so I decided I'd go explore a little bit. So I grabbed a sandwich and told my parents I was gonna go walk around, but assured them that I would stay on the road and wouldn't go too far. But as soon as I walked around the bend out of sight of my folks, I spotted a trail and thought that a little hiking through the woods would be fun.
So I hiked into the woods for about 15 minutes, and decided that pretty soon I ought to turn around and head back so as not to worry my parents, plus I wanted to get back before dark. I was taking the last bite of my sandwich, and I thought I could hear a branch break or something not too far away. It didn't worry me too much, it was probably just a squirrel or something, then it happened again and I swore I could hear something walking around, crushing the leaves as it walked. It seemed like a good time to get the heck out of there. So I turned around and picked up the pace quite a bit... But then I saw it, about 30 feet ahead standing in the path I just walked, looking intently in my direction. I've seen pictures of wolves before on TV and whatnot, but I would have never imagined they'd look so huge in real life. I really only have a faint recollection of it, because as soon as I saw it, my first instinct was to turn and run. As soon as I started running, I could hear it following me and I knew I had to do something. I decided to head off of the trail, I don't know why I thought that'd be a good idea. I didn't have a lot of time for decision making. I ran as hard and fast as I ever had in my twelve years of life. I was jumping over the trunk of this small tree that had fallen when I felt my ankle twist as my foot landed wrong on a rock. For a second, I couldn't hear anything running after me, though, but then I heard some leaves crush and a heavier panting, and for a just a second I saw a big brownish shape in my watery peripheral vision. I looked up and saw the biggest animal I'd ever seen in my life, this grizzly bear, lumbering directly towards me... I knew I couldn't run with my twisted ankle, but thought I could at least climb a tree or do something, anything but just lay there. As I turned I saw the wolf standing about ten feet away from me, as if it was just waiting for me to catch my breath before the chase continued. I looked at the rock I had twisted my ankle on, thinking my only chance for immediate survival was to at least scare off the wolf by hitting it with the rock. I quickly reached for the rock, and as I jumped to my feet, the bear bit my head off. This is a good story to tell people at parties when they start to one-up eachother with stories of being chased by wild animals.
When I was 12, we took a trip to Wyoming to go camping at Yellowstone National Park. Usually we would just use a tent for sleeping and shelter. But this time our pastor loaned us this crazy looking homemade camper that we pulled behind our lime green '76 Chevy Impala.
So we were all set up at our new campsite in Yellowstone. My folks were tired of driving and setting up the camper and all that, so we were all just relaxing and having some dinner. I was getting a little restless having been in the car all day, so I decided I'd go explore a little bit. So I grabbed a sandwich and told my parents I was gonna go walk around, but assured them that I would stay on the road and wouldn't go too far. But as soon as I walked around the bend out of sight of my folks, I spotted a trail and thought that a little hiking through the woods would be fun.
So I hiked into the woods for about 15 minutes, and decided that pretty soon I ought to turn around and head back so as not to worry my parents, plus I wanted to get back before dark. I was taking the last bite of my sandwich, and I thought I could hear a branch break or something not too far away. It didn't worry me too much, it was probably just a squirrel or something, then it happened again and I swore I could hear something walking around, crushing the leaves as it walked. It seemed like a good time to get the heck out of there. So I turned around and picked up the pace quite a bit... But then I saw it, about 30 feet ahead standing in the path I just walked, looking intently in my direction. I've seen pictures of wolves before on TV and whatnot, but I would have never imagined they'd look so huge in real life. I really only have a faint recollection of it, because as soon as I saw it, my first instinct was to turn and run. As soon as I started running, I could hear it following me and I knew I had to do something. I decided to head off of the trail, I don't know why I thought that'd be a good idea. I didn't have a lot of time for decision making. I ran as hard and fast as I ever had in my twelve years of life. I was jumping over the trunk of this small tree that had fallen when I felt my ankle twist as my foot landed wrong on a rock. For a second, I couldn't hear anything running after me, though, but then I heard some leaves crush and a heavier panting, and for a just a second I saw a big brownish shape in my watery peripheral vision. I looked up and saw the biggest animal I'd ever seen in my life, this grizzly bear, lumbering directly towards me... I knew I couldn't run with my twisted ankle, but thought I could at least climb a tree or do something, anything but just lay there. As I turned I saw the wolf standing about ten feet away from me, as if it was just waiting for me to catch my breath before the chase continued. I looked at the rock I had twisted my ankle on, thinking my only chance for immediate survival was to at least scare off the wolf by hitting it with the rock. I quickly reached for the rock, and as I jumped to my feet, the bear bit my head off. This is a good story to tell people at parties when they start to one-up eachother with stories of being chased by wild animals.
