What is the strangest, or funniest, thing you've seen in the outdoors?

[Carol]

What is the strangest, or funniest, thing you've seen in the outdoors?

I'll start -- I recently saw something that was both funny and strange. A bit trippy, actually.


Last Friday night on the mountain was quite pretty, with the clear sky and the full moon. The temperature, however, had quickly dropped to about 40 degrees. The wind had also started to gust. Although I was sitting near a campfire eating dinner with the rangers, I was starting to get cold. I said I was ready to call it a night, and our regular nighttime ranger said that he would be calling it a night soon too, and started to walk me back to my campsite. We were chattering away going through our agenda for the weekend...then his voice trailed off. There were a couple of moving lights over by the trail head. Lights themselves are not too unusual. We have a small contingent of experienced night hikers, and the full moon often brings them out to the park. But the lights were bright -- brighter than a typical hiker flashlight or headlamp. The ranger just shook his head and said "Bicycle campers? You have GOT to be kidding me." I looked at my watch -- it was 10:30 PM. Sunset was around 6 PM. Were they really bicycle campers?

What I saw was like something out of a David Lynch movie. Two figures, dressed from head to toe in some monochrome color. I think one was red and the other was blue, but there was not enough light for me to tell. Each of them riding old fashioned cruiser bikes....heavily chromed bikes with big white wall tires, a bright headlamp, and some sort of large pannier set over the rear tires....exactly the sort of bike you would NOT expect to find in the mountains. As we got closer we could see they were men, possibly around our age, with faces red from exertion. They asked if they could camp for the night. The ranger said yes, but reminded them that it was a bit late to be checking in. The men apologized, saying they had traveled quite a long ways to get here. He directed the men to an open site, asking them to check in with the base station in the morning to settle up. They agreed.

I don't know what motivates someone to ride a bike like that, on a chilly fall night, only to arrive 4.5 hours after nightfall? There are some strange -- but very hardy -- people in New England!

 

[ballen0351]

This would be pretty strange

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/24/21118122-rogue-cows-menace-hikers-in-calif-state-park

 

[Carol]

Holy cow!

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[Tames D]

Well, A couple months ago I dropped my 14 year old off (recently earned his Eagle Scout) at camp for a week long scout leaders training. I checked him in and about 20 minutes later was told I had to leave as the training was to begin and parents were not allowed to stay. On my way out to my car, I came face to face with a large brown bear. We looked at each other for a couple of seconds and kept walking. I don't think he realized that I was freaking out inside.

 

[Dirty Dog]

It's hard to say one thing is the strangest. But here are a few...


This is a cowfish. It's a type of boxfish, but with horns. Now... since when do fish stand upright? And since when do they not move away when you're poking a camera at them from this close? And why does this thing finally get horizontal in the water just so it can chase Sue as she leaves?

There are two sharks in this clip. The reef shark behaves as expected. But the nurse shark seems to be totally unaware of three divers, right up until it actually kisses the camera lens. What sort of apex predator does that???

This iguana dances!

 

[Carol]

Well, A couple months ago I dropped my 14 year old off (recently earned his Eagle Scout) at camp for a week long scout leaders training. I checked him in and about 20 minutes later was told I had to leave as the training was to begin and parents were not allowed to stay. On my way out to my car, I came face to face with a large brown bear. We looked at each other for a couple of seconds and kept walking. I don't think he realized that I was freaking out inside.

OMG. I'd be....um....excreting masonry materials. I've seen signs of black bears on my mountain but haven't come across one.

Congrats on your son making Eagle Scout! Well done! :asian:

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[Tames D]

That was the first and only time I've seen a bear outside a zoo. I think we both startled each other and somehow I was able to maintain a calm exterior while my mind was freaking out a little. I'm glad he didn't put me in a position where I had to die

 

[Makalakumu]

Recently in Kauai, a shark hit a surfer and only ended up clamping on his board. The surfer ended up in the shark's back and he began to punch the shark in the head from the mount! Lol! He hit the shark in the eye and the animal spit the board out and literally threw the guy off his back like a toy. The surfer grabbed his board and caught the next wave in.

 

[Carol]

That was the first and only time I've seen a bear outside a zoo. I think we both startled each other and somehow I was able to maintain a calm exterior while my mind was freaking out a little. I'm glad he didn't put me in a position where I had to die

Me too

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[PhotonGuy]

Well, A couple months ago I dropped my 14 year old off (recently earned his Eagle Scout) at camp for a week long scout leaders training. I checked him in and about 20 minutes later was told I had to leave as the training was to begin and parents were not allowed to stay. On my way out to my car, I came face to face with a large brown bear. We looked at each other for a couple of seconds and kept walking. I don't think he realized that I was freaking out inside.

An Eagle Scout at 14? That's really good. Most scouts that get the Eagle badge usually don't get it so young, usually around 16 or 17. Aside from that, good that you survived your encounter with the bear. My advice carry bear spray. As they say in Boyscouts, be prepared.

 

[donald1]

Once at camp me and one of my friends were in the woods and we climbed over a fenced then we saw a really big tree and he was going to climb it and got stuck i was going to go back for help but when going back i got stuck on the fence and was hanging upside down... But 30 minutes later I fell and I decided to just knock him out cause it seemed like a good idea and I didn't think of the outcome but threw some stuff couple rocks and sticks. Didn't work so I shook the tree branch until he fell it was okay cause he fell in the water and we got home safely

 

[PhotonGuy]

Somebody claimed they once saw a midnight sun out in the forest. They must've been in Norway or Sweden.

 

[donald1]

Accidently got this thread mixed up with another, oops

Once when I was 9 me and 2 of my my friends at camp were feeding a bunch of ducks with bread crumbs. And the camp director told us to be careful around the geese and to me at the time I didn't know the difference between ducks and geese (i do know but not then) we were laughing talking about the ducks and the geese weren't coming over and Micheal (one of my friends) wanted to pet one and it was chasing him and he climbed over the fence then they started chasing me and my other friend Annie. She dropped the bread and climbed under the fence. I wanted to hurry and get the duck food and got bit on the hand. But I. Was too stubborn to let them win. When I actually got to the fence. I couldn't get over and when I got over i fell and I ended up forgetting the duck food on the other side (the geese ate it so now that I think about it, it didn't really go to waste)

 

[Zero]

Once at camp me and one of my friends were in the woods and we climbed over a fenced then we saw a really big tree and he was going to climb it and got stuck i was going to go back for help but when going back i got stuck on the fence and was hanging upside down... But 30 minutes later I fell and I decided to just knock him out cause it seemed like a good idea and I didn't think of the outcome but threw some stuff couple rocks and sticks. Didn't work so I shook the tree branch until he fell it was okay cause he fell in the water and we got home safely

Remind me never to get stuck up a tree when you're about and there are some rocks or sticks to hand : )

 

[Zero]

three strange and somewhat sinister things (and one nice thing):
Bright lights in the night sky
My mate and I were out hiking and camping deep in the woods when we were about 16 yrs old. We were down by the bank of the river and it was quite late at night and were about to head back to the cabin. Just then a heck of a lot of bright lights of different colour came streaming across the night sky and this lasted for some time. being 16 and having watched close encounters and more than a few other less benign sci-fi flicks, we freaked out for a bit but then came to the conclusion it must have been a meteor shower. I have seen quite a few falling stars but never a full on meteor "shower" other than that time.

Unnerving sounds in the undergrowth
My same mate and I were out hiking for the day in quite thick bush and this is miles away from any roads and it was a long ways off track also. We come across of huge amount of plastic white bottles, I think maybe milk containers, tied together with cord. One of the bottles had red liquid on it that we are very sure was blood and not paint. When we had moved on from the bottles a little bit we heard a kind of eerie noise, like a bird call, but one we weren't familiar with (we grew up hiking and hunting in these woods) coming from the side of us. We hunkered down for a bit trying to figure out if we knew what it was. Then the noise came from towards the rear of us, like the thing or noise was circling us. For whatever reason (we did not have rifles or crossbows with us as were not hunting but did have knives) we decided on not going to try and investigate or get a look at this thing. We did not panic but we carefully made our way out of that area. I think we heard the noise one more time and then that was that. The area had a kind of strange, off feel to it.

The cage
Same mate and I (look I do and did have other mates alright but we did a lot of camping together ok) were hiking down the river valley in the hills behind where we grew up. We had cut down off the ridge trail and we making our way generally down the valley in an area I guess we had not done a lot of exploring in before. We came across an area where the bush and trees had been cleared back but where the taller trees had been allowed to remain so that the clearing was covered over from above. In the middle was this large very well and strongly constructed cage, wooden posts at the corners around which very strong and thick wire mess had been affixed, and also over the top as a roof. I cannot remember now but I think there must have been a door or access point as I remember we did walk about inside this cage. It was about the size of a small camping hut. There was no purpose that we could think of for this cage other than it must have been used by some dope heads for growing cannabis and harvesting it and so to protect it from the herbivorous wildlife. We recalled stories of drug growers hanging fish hooks from lines at eye height and laying other traps, even rigged shotguns etc, around their patches and so we moved on from that area pretty slowly and attentively.

A nice thing to happen in the woods:
Aside from hiking and camping I used to run a lot of cross country in the woods behind where I grew up. You could run up over a couple of hills and down to where the river formed a large deep and cool pond which was ideal for jumping into on a Summer's day after a hard run. It so happens I had done just this when two girls (I was probably 17 at the time and they maybe just a couple years older) came across the wooden bridge and settled themselves by the outcrop at the top of the pond. We said our hellos over the water and then I got up and went over to chat with these girls (one was blonde and the other brunette and they were in fine shape). They shared their drinking water with me and they had a bite to eat. We were getting on well and then one of the girls pulls out this camera (does anyone remember the type with film??). They explained they were travelling about together and had a thing about getting photos taken of them while just in their natural skins and nothing more by or in water features, such as in swimming pools or hot tubs etc. Now they asked me if it was safe to jump into the pond and I assured them it was deep and with no submerged trees etc. They then went on to explain they would be real happy if I would take their camera and get down to the edge of the pond and take some photos of them while they undressed and then leapt into the water. I couldn't really find any fault in this plan and let them know I would be happy to oblige and I did just that and they did just as they said. We had a great time, with a lot of laughter - nothing more than that happened, I am somewhat sorry to say (but at the same time, I am cool with that too).
The funny thing is that once we had all dried off and got dressed and were walking out together, we went past another mate of mine who was on his run down to the creek. I told him a few days later what he had happened to miss by just a little bit. I kept in contact with the blonde girl for a bit and we saw each other now and then but nothing came of it, I was just a young punk.

 

[Zero]

One funny thing:

So three of us were out for an over night hike but also checking our trap line. One of the cage traps had a possum in it, we didn't have guns with us, normally you just shoot them through the cage and then remove and skin them. My brainiac bud has a great idea and puts on his heavy jumper and just reaches on into the trap so he can pull the possum out. Possum wasn't having any of that and curls up onto his arm and lays its teeth right into his shoulder and through his jumper real easy, at the same time the trap door which of course opens inwards gets jammed on his arm and he can't extricate himself from the trap. he's screaming and thrashing about and hollering for help and we are rolling about having fits. Finally we get a rope and thread it around the possums neck through the cage and get it off him and he pulls out his arm. Poor possum is dispatched rather quickly after that. That night my mate gets worried he has picked up TB or something from the damn possum, we tell him he looks pale and has black patches under his eyes and he goes into some hypochondriac freak-out for the rest of the trip, worrying about TB. It was a real hoot (other than for him or the possum that is).

 

[Elbowgrease]

I don't know if this qualifies as funny, and really it's not even all that strange. But it did happen outdoors while getting ready to go fishing, and I already had it written up.

I usually don't tell it quite the way I wrote it, different words and minus the action.


Taming the Sea Lion,
The Sea Makes Her Introduction.

After working for two weeks on the docks, repairing cables that hold the net, we finally go out to the boat. Nearly seventy years old, used to hunt for subs during the second world war, it is a living piece of history. All wood, it's cabin shifting as the sea swells, only a little more than half the length of most working boats, It could be described like an ugly child – the kind of face only a mother could love. It sits low to the water, it's rails only just taller than the knee, seemingly designed to donate bodies to the raging sea. It has worked from Alaska to Mexico to Hawaii, and as we approach it, I see that it's decks are crowded with sea lions.

I feel like a pirate of the golden age, approaching a ship and preparing to fight a crew armed with ivory daggers for teeth. Most of them jump overboard as we draw near, but a few of them don't. I am the first aboard and charged with the task of clearing the deck. This is easy enough, banging a shovel against the teak wood deck, the last of them leave the deck. There is a surprise for us below decks, however. We find that the hatch to the fish hold is open, and looking up at us from eight feet below is an adolescent male sea lion. About four hundred fifty pounds and six feet long, trapped below the deck with no way out but us. We drop a cargo net down and coax the lion onto the net. As we hoist him up onto the deck, he finds the only hole in the net and thoroughly traps his head in it. Trapped, struggling, fighting, thrashing around and tangling itself more and more. Gnashing his big ivory daggers and trying to escape. The hole in the net is small, maybe three links of the net broken leaving a hole about one foot around. Just big enough to get his head stuck and also towards the middle of the net, meaning that his weight forces the net to stay tight around his head.

Getting it free from the net proves to be much more difficult than catching him. The other two crewmen and I each get a task. Woody, the other deckhand, keeps tension on the line so the net stays tight and stationary. My job is to distract the sea lion so Jerry, the first mate, can cut the net. In other words, it's my job to get it to bite something. I grab a shovel and get it to bite down, but he tears the shovel from my hands and throws it across the deck. The nearest thing at hand now is a milk crate, so I use it. Each time I get the lion to bite the crate, Jerry can cut one link from the net. Each time Jerry makes a cut, the lion releases the crate and turns to snap at Jerry. Each time the lion goes for Jerry I have to move in close and get it's attention again, get it to lock those big ivory teeth into my milk crate. Milk crates are not really that big, so getting this massive animal to attack me means I'm putting my hands about one foot in front of those three inch long canines, asking and demanding these teeth, backed up with a tremendous amount of muscle, to attack me. We have to create a hole about five feet across to let this lion loose, each link in the net is about three inches square, so we are working for a good length of time at this.

By the end of the ordeal, the sea lion knows what we are doing. The look on his face is one of fearful resignation as he bites the bullet so we can cut a link. Instinct still drives him to fight though, and he still turns on Jerry after each cut until, finally, he is released. We quickly move away from him as Woody drops his line and the lion jumps overboard. He swims out a little way and turns to look at us, cocking his head as if in disbelief. We are left to the business of making ready to put to sea. This is my first time aboard the San Giovanni, my introduction with the sea.

 

[Tez3]

Weirdest thing? When I was working being called to go out on the military training area because of a suspicious man. Thinking at best a trespasser at worst a terrorist, what we arrested was a man having sex with sheep. Nasty that we saw it even nastier writing the statement, of course it was also very funny!

 

[Zero]

Weirdest thing? When I was working being called to go out on the military training area because of a suspicious man. Thinking at best a trespasser at worst a terrorist, what we arrested was a man having sex with sheep. Nasty that we saw it even nastier writing the statement, of course it was also very funny!

I take it this was when you were based in Wales. And I guess from the sheep's perspective, it may well have been akin to terrorism.

 

[Tez3]

Worse than that, we are in Catterick Garrison, it was up on the training area lol. The poor sheep spend their time dodging tanks and recruits. The farmers get crafty though they claim off the MOD for sheep they say they have lost when they haven't. We have a few farmers who are tenants of the MOD which owns vast amounts of land up here they even own a pub and several houses. The sheep up here are as tough as old boots, they stay out in winter and outside too. No namby pamby southern sheep them lol, the rams are known to attack and actually kill, a farmer died a couple of years ago up the Dales after his ram attacked him.