Wildlife

Wildlife is the best part of hiking.  I usually don’t see many animals.  I hear them scurry away.  I see leaves rustle as they do.  Squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits are not scary to come across on the trail.  I often slow down to see how close they let me get.  Usually not very.

I’ve never been a big fan of dogs so I keep my distance from them.  When I see the dog’s owner then I relax, a bit.  Not all dog owners take the time to train their dogs to obey simple commands like come.

Birds on the other hand like the safety of the trees so with a pair of binoculars you can get a good look.  That is without sitting around for hours on end, like you have to do with deer.

Although I’ve noticed more deer in the city, when I come across wildlife in the city it’s a little different.  Some of the animals are not afraid of humans, or at least not as concerned.  One of the rabbits that live under the scrubs outside my patio window sat on the patio while I lay on the floor in my living room, with the window open.  We were no more than five feet apart.  The rabbit enjoying the coolness of the cement at the end of a hot summer day; me just enjoying the wildlife right outside my home.  When I got up so did the rabbit but it sure was a cool 10 minutes.

There’s a commercial out now telling people to go outside and enjoy the time away from technology.  You don’t have to go very far.

Pack out what you pack in.