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scrapedape
Jun 27, 2005, 5:33 PM
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In reply to: On our stroll back to the lot, we did uncover some unwelcome news. Turns out that a woman was allegedly attacked on Saturday night at the Pine Knob shelter. The perpetrator: a raccoon, possibly rabid, we were told. We were also told that the attack, which was apparently extremely bloody and vicious, was completely unprovoked. The shelter has been closed until further notice, according to a sign posted on a tree there. Another sign said a managed hunt was underway. If anybody knows what happened, we would appreciate details and any updates, and we certainly wish the victim a speedy recovery. But, judging from the evidence, we're pretty sure this isn't just another one of those tall tales that imaginative through-hikers conjure up to amuse themselves and passers by.
In reply to: raccoon attack update Just got off the phone with Laurie Botteiger, information services coordinator with the Appalachian Trail Conference. She offers confirmation for the raccoon attack story. She said the victim, a thru-hiker, was writing in her journal at the picnic table by the Pine Knob shelter at about 10 o'clock on Saturday night, when she heard a screech and a raccoon leaped up and bit her on the back. In the ensuing struggle, the raccoon then bit the victim twice on the ankle and on the hand. The victim said she was unable to shake the deranged animal loose on her own. Fortunately, other hikers came to her rescue and managed to beat the animal off. A father/son team of hikers used a cell phone to call 911 and administered first aid. The victim was taken by amublance to a hospital in Hagerstown. "I understand there was a lot of blood," Ms. Botteiger said. The hiker, according to Ms. Botteiger, is planning to continue her hike, although she will need to visit medical facilities weekly for the next month or so to get her rabies shots. ATC representatives said they didn't know whether the raccoon had been captured or killed. They also did not know who actually closed the shelter or is conducting the managed hunt.
Ouch.
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j_ung
Jun 27, 2005, 5:36 PM
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I heard it was drug related.
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gat
Jun 27, 2005, 5:52 PM
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In reply to: I heard it was drug related.
Yep, I heard she had acid in her food bag which she had neglected to properly hang from a tree. A racoon raided the unattended food bag and 45 minutes later...attack of the trippin' coon.
Let this be a lesson to you...hang your food in a safe place!
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noshoesnoshirt
Jun 27, 2005, 6:29 PM
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In reply to: Fortunately, other hikers came to her rescue and managed to beat the animal off.
hehe
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dirtineye
Jun 27, 2005, 7:44 PM
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Be sure to watch out for those zombie racoons.
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jumpingrock
Jun 27, 2005, 8:13 PM
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Am I a bad person because I am laughing my ass off?
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brianinslc
Jun 27, 2005, 8:46 PM
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In reply to: Am I a bad person because I am laughing my ass off?
Yeah, where was the holy hand grenade of Antioch when you needed it?
"Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it?"
"Oh lord, bless this thy holy hand grenade, that it may blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy...."
Shall we consult the book of armaments?
-Brian in SLC
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skinnyclimber
Jun 27, 2005, 9:28 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Fortunately, other hikers came to her rescue and managed to beat the animal off. hehe
OHhh you're killing me man! I'm at work here!
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dirtineye
Jun 27, 2005, 10:37 PM
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On a related subject, I shot a groundhog yesterday, but I shot it in the head. Should I be worried that the groundhog will become a brain eating zombie, or does shooting it in the head work the same way as it does on human zombies?
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brianinslc
Jun 27, 2005, 10:50 PM
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In reply to: On a related subject, I shot a groundhog yesterday, but I shot it in the head. Should I be worried that the groundhog will become a brain eating zombie, or does shooting it in the head work the same way as it does on human zombies?
Hollow point or FMJ?
No, I didn't just ask that...
-Brian in SLC
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iltripp
Jun 27, 2005, 11:55 PM
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I heard about an incident recently in california where a man was bit by a rabid animal (skunk, racoon, squirrel, or something). I think it happened in norcal.
Apparently, he refused medical treatment (think he was one of those ultra-naturals), so he may very well be a ticking time bomb of rabies. I think he is some sort of drifter, so he is now a wandering health risk.
Disclaimer: This is all second or third hand, so I may have fudged the details. Perhaps someone else knows more....
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dangle
Jun 28, 2005, 12:21 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: Fortunately, other hikers came to her rescue and managed to beat the animal off. hehe
Well if it wandered back into the woods to smoke a cigarette maybe it was just a horny adolescent raccoon. The victim probably spurned its advances undiplomatically.
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jumpingrock
Jun 28, 2005, 1:23 AM
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BWA HAHAHAHAHAAA I can't get over this!
So I heard this story from a friends uncle:
Him, his wife and their first child (1 year old in a stroller) were going for a hike somewhere in Ontario. They start walking down the trail, when they see this racoon on the trail. It starts towards them. They start yelling at it and it keeps on coming. They are a bit scared as they have their daughter in the stroller and this racoon looks huge! So they turn and run towards their vehicle. As they run up this french guy looks at them quizically. They yell that there is a killer racoon coming up the trail behind them. The French man looks at the racoon sauntering up.
He says in a french accent "Oh it is a pet!" And with that grabs the racoon and throws it in his car then drives away.
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dangle
Jun 28, 2005, 1:53 AM
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Yeah but the creepy part is ITS NOT HIS.
This was the guy that corrupted all these raccoons to begin with...
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tradrenn
Jun 28, 2005, 2:21 AM
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In reply to: Am I a bad person because I am laughing my ass off?
Yes you are. You very very bad man.
On the other hand I just feed them with the bread. They are soooo cute.
KEEP PIECE WITH ANIMALS
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rocloco
Jun 28, 2005, 3:38 AM
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Where's the killing small animals with slung #7 hexes since 2002 guy when you need him??
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crazyakclimber
Jun 28, 2005, 3:54 AM
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In reply to: ATC representatives said they didn't know whether the raccoon had been captured or killed.
does black diamond really have ATC representatives?
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noshoesnoshirt
Jun 28, 2005, 1:23 PM
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About ten years ago me and my friend "Jimmy" were in the Valley to do the Nose. We were staying in Camp 4 and ended up sharing our site with a couple of Swedes. To warm up for the big stone Jimmy and I did the South Face of Washington Column (to the death chimney). When we got back to camp the Swedes had just bailed from the Dawn Wall, so we all started getting our booze on. After numerous beers, I saw the whiskey come out, and knew I was beat, so I retired to my bivy sack a respectful distance from the festivities. At some point later that night, I heard a commotion; some angry screaming, then some running and crashing followed by redneck hoots of joy.
If you've ever stayed in Camp 4 you've experienced the racoons. These guys are like ghosts, like commandos. They sneak into your campsite at dusk, and steal food from your open bearbox while you're fixing dinner. They'll even take food off the table, right under your nose. We'd had these little bastards run off with a whole sack of groceries a few days earlier (one 'coon grabbed each side of the sack and off they went), so Jimmy was a bit sensitive. Appearently, these varmints showed up whilst we partied. After I crashed, one particularly brazen critter got too close to Jimmy and he decided to show the Swedes "how we deal with 'coons in Arkansas". He lurched after the food thief, chasing it a short distance before he was able to pounce on it and get hold of its tail. He then hoisted it up by said tail and started swinging it in great arcs above his head, to the amusement of the whisky-drunk swedes (and probably the annoyance of all the nearby campers; remember the redneck hoots I mentioned earlier?), before he finally flung the dazed critter off into the dark pines.
No moral to this story, except maybe if you're gonna handle wildlife, it helps to be belligerent drunk. Oh yeah, and be sure to keep 'em rotating and confused.
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dangle
Jun 28, 2005, 1:58 PM
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In reply to: No moral to this story, except maybe if you're gonna handle wildlife, it helps to be belligerent drunk. Oh yeah, and be sure to keep it rotating.
Jimmy, you getting drunk and beatin' off them damn 'coons again?
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overlord
Jun 28, 2005, 2:17 PM
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
i almost fell off my chair whe i saw this.
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banderson
Jun 30, 2005, 8:28 PM
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Just wanted to verify that the raccoon attack story is true. I was there when it happened. I'm the father in the "father/son" hiking team. A female hiker did experience an unprovoked attack. She was sitting at the picnic table writing in her journal. All other hikers (including my son and I) were bedded down for the night. Thus, her headlamp was the only light on at the time. The raccoon came out of the woods and bit her on the back, then on the leg several times (it hung on and would not let go for some time), then bit her hand as she tried to hit it away. When she yelled, everyone woke up/got up, but because it was so dark, no one was much help. At last the animal ran away into the woods. The 4 of us who were there besides the victim helped her stop the blood-flow (there was a lot of blood) and bandanged her wounds. I called 911 and we helped her hike down to the Rt. 40 parking area where we met the ambulance. We followed them into town (I had my truck parked there) and after they cleaned her up and gave her numerous shots at the emergency room, we all spent what was left of the night in a hotel room. I then drove everyone back to the trail and she continues her thru-hike to Maine. Quite a brave lady, considering that she's 60 years old.
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wonderwoman
Jun 30, 2005, 8:50 PM
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In reply to: Just wanted to verify that the raccoon attack story is true. I was there when it happened. I'm the father in the "father/son" hiking team. A female hiker did experience an unprovoked attack. She was sitting at the picnic table writing in her journal. All other hikers (including my son and I) were bedded down for the night. Thus, her headlamp was the only light on at the time. The raccoon came out of the woods and bit her on the back, then on the leg several times (it hung on and would not let go for some time), then bit her hand as she tried to hit it away. When she yelled, everyone woke up/got up, but because it was so dark, no one was much help. At last the animal ran away into the woods. The 4 of us who were there besides the victim helped her stop the blood-flow (there was a lot of blood) and bandanged her wounds. I called 911 and we helped her hike down to the Rt. 40 parking area where we met the ambulance. We followed them into town (I had my truck parked there) and after they cleaned her up and gave her numerous shots at the emergency room, we all spent what was left of the night in a hotel room. I then drove everyone back to the trail and she continues her thru-hike to Maine. Quite a brave lady, considering that she's 60 years old.
Wow! She's so lucky that you were there! Thanks for sharing your story. You are a trail hero!
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dangle
Jul 1, 2005, 12:31 AM
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OK now I feel bad for having so much fun. The phrasing was irresistable. If I'd been there that nasty beast would've been full of holes (makes the rabies question much easier).
Hats off to the tenacious hiker.
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