Sunday, February 27, 2011
close encounter
Since I got here, the only wild animals I've seen are birds, and not very many. The scrub teams with little critters; there are tracks everywhere. But I haven't seen so much as a rabbit, much less a coyote or moose. Last night I took a hike up over the ridge to watch the sunset, and I sat down to watch the colors drift away, then meditated for a good long while in the slowly fading light. Well, it seemed like a long while, but I haven't been sitting for long periods lately, so I'm sure it wasn't much more than twenty or thirty minutes. When I was done, I got up and started fiddling with my clothes, getting the camera put away and slung across my back, turned to start back, and there was a red fox not fifty feet away, trotting briskly toward me. He paused when I turned, but when I held still in a moment of surprise, he started toward me again and would have passed within ten or twenty feet of me had I not foolishly fumbled for my camera and popped the flash up. Between the partial flash it uses to focus in low light, and me raising my arms up to hold the camera to my eye, I made myself sufficiently obnoxious to chase him off. By the time I lowered the camera, he was a dark spot disappearing over a nearby hill. I definitely wish I had just held still and enjoyed the moment. Still, it was delightful to see him at all, and although the light was poor, he was close enough that I really got a pretty good look at him--nice and big and healthy. I'm thrilled.
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I've had the same experience, Matt. Living on the mountain for four years now, I've learned to document these encounters--with bear/bobcat/deer/fox--with my words instead of the camera. Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and friends often chide me when I tell of wild animal sightings--"Why didn't you take a picture?"--But sometimes we simply have to be in the moment and take the encounter as the gift that it is. You said you'd been meditating--the quiet times in the forest are when I've had wildlife approach. I always talk to them aloud in those times. And they rarely run at the sound of my voice.
ReplyDeleteMatt,
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! The last fox we saw here was on Creeky Corners crossing the road. He, too, looked healthy and vibrant. The only thing that worried me was that he was in a very dangerous place. Still, seeing wild animals like that is special.
Scott