June 11, 2015 - Little Racoon

The people in the group camp left out a lot of coolers and bins so we went over to make sure they had not left out any food. There was a huge frying pan on the camp stove that had been used to scramble eggs. They had filled it to the brim with water. A large assortment of spices and cleaning products was on the table. The only cooler we confiscated was the “kids cooler” full of juices and other liquids in plastic containers. We brought it home and kept it inside the motorhome for safekeeping.

There was a tiny camper in Site 1.

The people in Site 3 had left out a pot of dry dog food and two bags of toiletries. We left a courtesy notice and put them in the bear-proof locker.

Ranger Heath brought his son Garrett over to swim in the Midnight Hole. This was the first time we had seen Heath without a ranger uniform. He was wearing a Boy Scout t-shirt so he was still a good guy. I’m not sure of the significance of the Alabama baseball cap though.

 

When the group people returned, Andy went over to give them the bear lecture. One man came and got the frying pan, but did not take the cooler or other foodstuff. Andy went back over to talk to them, but one man said, “Not now; I’m eating my lunch”. He did not agree with Andy that they should put the coolers away when they were not being watched. Andy replied that he would get a ranger to convince him. As soon as Ranger Heath returned from the Midnight Hole, Andy took him to the group site to talk to the people about bears. Later the group campers put up a tarp between us and their picnic table and grill. There are five or six coolers behind it.

 

I asked Heath about the missing woman he found dead in a creek. The 57-year-old had been missing a week. He thought she had been swept away in high water due to the heavy rains. Heath said he stayed with body for four hours until a litter team got there to take her out. She was an author who had written about the park. She was known for hiking off trails and crossing creeks by herself. She called the ones who stay on the official trail wusses. Exasperated Heath exclaimed, “If you’ve hiked all 900 miles of trails in the park, hike them all again in the opposite direction!”

Ranger Heath told us that Ranger Chuck (whom we have not seen this year) is leaving for a job on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Heath also told us about the 13-year-old boy asleep in a hammock. It was over in the Hazel Creek area near Fontana Lake on the far end of the park from us. A bear bit him on the head and dragged him from the hammock. The boy’s father jumped on bear and beat on him got get him off his son. Heath pointed out that they still had to hike out and ride their boat across the lake to get help. The boy had head and facial wounds, but we don’t know how serious they were. We were out with Kathy and did not hear about it on the radio. It was in the news, but we are disconnected from the rest of the world out here in the woods.

Camper Windy came to the motorhome to tell us a raccoon was being aggressive in the picnic area. I called Dispatch to report it, but have the feeling everyone with a park radio was laughing when they heard me. Bears? That’s a problem. But, a raccoon; that’s a joke. Dispatch subsequently reported the aggressive raccoon to Ranger Will, but we did not see or hear from him.

We walked to the picnic area to check out the raccoon. Windy had told us that several picnickers had told him the raccoon was climbing on them, apparently looking for food. When we got there, the poor little thing was curled up by a tree next to the creek.

 

It was trembling but looked up when I spoke to it. It did not look so aggressive to me.

 

There was a towel on the ground near the tree. When Windy picked it up, the raccoon followed him and his blanket back up to the bridge.

 

We all decided that he must have been a pet, no longer wanted, and dropped off in the park to fend for himself. When we all stood still, the raccoon sniffed legs and shoes.

 

We had no way to catch it and dared not try to pick it up. So, we left the little guy to fend for himself overnight. I took a few pictures of it from the picnic side of the creek.

 

We met Shannon (I’m pretty sure that was her name) and her boyfriend in the parking lot. She is the UT grad student who was here some weeks back with some UT students in the group site. He is a park employee who deals with fish. They said they were looking for a dog sitter. They came to the right place. She told me she knows we dog sit because she reads the log. We took Copper to the motorhome while the couple took a hike to the Midnight Hole. For a while, he sat by the door waiting. Then he watched the people in the group site.

 

Finally, he came to stay close to us. He lifted his head for a picture.

 

He seemed a bit restless, so I decided it must be time for a walk. When I picked up the leash, he came to me to get in on. We were only a few yards away from the RV when we saw Shannon and the tall, good-looking, red-haired boyfriend coming off the trail. Darn, I should pay closer attention to names when I am introduced. I should have taken their picture for the log too.

On the radio

“Seven hundred, Clingman’s Dome. It’s raining up here, so we are going home. Bye”. That must have been a volunteer.

There was a bear at the Cosby Knob shelter and the reporting party could not chase him away.

For the first time, I heard Dispatch tell a ranger calling in a traffic stop, that he was third in line and there might be a delay in getting his information. Another ranger called in a traffic stop and Dispatch said, “You’re number four”.

A thirteen-year-old boy had fallen in a creek and hit his head. Later we heard that he was taken to the hospital.

One ranger called another to be on the lookout for a group of motorcycles. The last one in the group had “dogged” him by going below the speed limit while the rest of the group took off and got far ahead, presumably somewhat above the speed limit. The second ranger said he would take care of them.