Date: 2004-05-25
From: Saltlog Gap Campsite

To: Buena Vista
Miles today: 14.0

I spent an interesting night with my legs tucked into my backpack for warmth and using my packcover as a blanket for the rest of me. I trust the fleas spent a hungry but comfortable night bundled up in my sleeping bag. Yesterday they had invited me to spend another night with them but I respectfully declined.The next attraction was a thunderstorm at the unusual hour of 4:00 a.m. The wind was particularly strong and I found myself recalling first hand stories of near misses from falling limbs. I REALLY hoped nothing would fall from the trees above me.Little did I know that the morning excitement was just beginning. As I lay contemplating a late start to let things dry out, I heard the scuffling of a small animal outside my tent. I had brought my food bag in when the rain started so I assumed it was a racoon and yelled "Get lost!" in a loud voice. To my horror, a black and white streak disappeared into the shadows. I had yelled at a skunk! I was feeling relieved that it had left when back it came. It clamped it's teeth on the door zipper, grabbing hold of a hiking boot inside as well. I gently pulled the boot away and it let go of the fabric only to scratch away at the wall and try to burrow under the floor."Please go away" I pleaded, to no avail. Soon it was starting under the floor. I carefully used the boot to shove it gently out again but it tried again. Again and again the skunk tried to get in, from every side; getting underneath, chewing at the door, clampering up the wall and gazing at me through the mesh. Meanwhile I fended it off as best I could, but never too forcefuly lest it decide to spray me.It became clear that it was not after my food or my boots and did not care that I was there, it just wanted IN! It would keep it up as long as the tent was there, so during a lull in the action I started packing. At first I followed my usual neat orderly packing but when it returned to chew at the door zipper and would not let go for anything I just threw things in willy-nilly. When the skunk let go to run around and try its luck on the tent rear I snuck out the door and brought out my pack. I turned to pull the stake for the front awning and start taking the tent down when behind me I heard a scuffling of fabric. "Oh no" I moaned, "Not inside!"Not exactly. When I looked in I saw a skunk-sized mound in the floor. While it was exploring the basement I gingerly reached over the wriggling mound and plucked out the last few items. Then I cautiously removed my trekking poles holding the tent up. Taking no chances, I picked up everything I had so far and carried it a prudent distance away. Then I went back to pull the stakes and ever so cautiously pulled the tent off the skunk. At first it seemed about to grab a stake loop before it got out of reach and play tug-of-war. But it noticed the groundsheet and started worrying and burrowing at that while I took the tent to my pack and stuffed it into its sack. Finally I went back and got the groundsheet. Only then did the skunk give up and shuffle into the underbush. Worried that it might return, I grabbed my pack and dashed, not even stopping to adjust the treking poles to the right length for walking until I was a quarter mile away.How I escaped getting sprayed, I'll never know.The rest of the day was almost an anticlimax. But I will always remember what I saw on the top of Bluff Mountain at a monument to a 4 year 11 month old child who wandered from school and froze to death on the mountaintop. On and around the stone tablet were flowers, toys, a teddy bear, little dolls hikers had brought along as mascots and left there, as well as a pile of pennies. I burst into sentimental tears at these gifts and burrowed in my pack to leave all the pennies I had.About 3:00 I finally arrived at US Highway 60. Waiting there were Gadget who hiked in 2002-2003 and his wife BCC (Base Camp Coordinator). They were there to pick up a slack packing couple with the trailname "CNN" (Charles N Nancy) and to dispense trail magic. They had a whole table of food and drink.I told my skunk story on videotape. Everyone decided it either wanted in out of the rain or it had fallen in love with me. They kindly gave me a ride to Buena Vista where I would await my ride to the festival.