Stranger in the night.

[cbl51]

Shenandoah Nation Park, 1988.

The woods were beautiful in the early spring as the man made his way down the Appellation Trail in the Shenandoah mountains. He had checked in at the ranger station to get his back country permit for his weekend backpacking trip hours earlier, and now he was almost to his destination. He was hoping to have his camp close to the junction of the main trail and the Big Devil Stairs trail.

He found a nice campsite about 70 yards off the trail, as park regulations said all backcountry campsites had to be out of sight of the trail. The small pop up bevy tent was up in a few minutes and lunch cooked on the little Otimus 8R stove in another 5. It had been a nice hike in, and the man enjoyed the solitude of the eastern hardwood forest. He loved his wife and kids, but now and then it was nice to be alone in nature to recharge the inner batteries and come back to the re-set of the soul. He glanced around his small camp and took stock of his gear. All the latest ultra light backpacking gear, it was all designed for shedding every ounce possible for the lightest load. The man had picked carefully, as being partly disabled from an old army injury and needing a cane made it necessary for the lightest pack possible. He'd got his load down to 25 pounds, and everything was the barest minimal to get the job done. The man had become almost obsessed in picking the smallest lightest object that would still function at it's intended task. The smallest flashlight, the smallest Swiss Army knife, the lightest freeze dried food, and cutting the handle down on his toothbrush. The smallest AAA flashlight.

His light lunch of Ramen noodles finished he got up and made his way downhill to the main trail and turned north for a few hundred yards to the intersection of the Big Devil Stairs trail, and turned down it. After a few hundred yards, he came out to the overlook. A jutting finger of rock that over looked the valley and a cove in the mountains. Admiring the incredible view of Wolf Mountain across the cove in the mountain range, he loaded and enjoyed a slow smoke of his pipe. He took his time and after almost an hour the pipe was done and he walked back up the trial. It was then he saw the stranger.

The stranger was leaning against a tree at the intersection of the Appellation Trail and the Big Devil stairs trail. A faint little warning bell started to ring in the man's mind, as the stranger didn't seem to fit in. He was dressed in dirty service green coveralls like a mechanic or plant worker would wear. On his feet were the orange work boots with worn down white soles that also looked out of place in the backpacking world. The stranger was leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette and looking down. There was a little pile of stubbed out cigarette butts on the ground testifying as to the time the stranger has been there. As the man passed the stranger, the stranger kept looking down and refused to make eye contact or even acknowledge the presence of the man, even though the man said good afternoon.

The man kept on walking, and made a point to glance behind him as he went back down the trial to where his camp was. A faint feeling of unease was floating around and he slipped a hand in his pants pocket to where he felt the butt of the small revolver he was carrying. Once he was out of sight of the stranger, he cut up into the woods to his little camp. There, out of sight of the trail, he settled down and listened to the sounds of the woods, the birds, the soft breeze in the tree tops that were just beginning to fill out with leaves. He took out a paperback novel and read for a while, and smoked his pipe some more. The afternoon passed in a lazy relaxed way that recharged the metal batteries. Evening came and dinner was cooked on the Optimus, and the Mountain House beef stroganoff was chased down with a little Evan Williams from a plastic flask. As the darkness settled over the mountain forest, the night sounds of the woods were soothing to the man, and he crawled into the little one man bivy and zipped it up and he settled down for a good nights sleep.

He was just drifting off at he very edge of sleep when he heard it.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Three distinct footsteps. The man had camped in many places from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Colorado Rockies, and has never heard this before. He lay quietly in his sleeping bag and then heard it again. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Three more footfalls in the dry forest floor. Now he went to red alert, and pulled on his boots and crawled out of his bivy. He was dressed in a dark brown wool sweater again the night chill, and his cargo pants were black. He crawled over to a small bush and took up station to watch and listen. He didn't have to wait long.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

A pale half moon gave a soft silvery light that filtered down through the tree tops, and as the man watched, he saw a dark upright figure sneaking from tree to tree towards his camp. The figure would take three steps and stop for bit to see if he was still undetected. Then he would take another three steps. The man instantly thought of the stranger in the green work clothing he'd seen earlier that day, that didn't seem to fit in with the usual backpacking crowd. With a chill down his spine, the man knew he was being stalked for some unknown reasons, none good. He again slipped his hand into this pocket and took out the little revolver there. In his constant quest for the smallest and lightest in gear, he had picked up the little gun a few years before and it had became a constant companion. The man was born and raised in a inner city neighborhood, and guns were not new to him, but he hadn't thought that he'd need one off in the Shenandoah National Forest. But now he realized that this night, his life was maybe depending on the gun now. The stranger stalking his camp in the dark wasn't there to collect for the Salvation Army. This he knew.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. The shadowy figure had moved closer now, and the man knew action was needed. The shadowy figure was now only about 30 yards off in the moonlit woods. He only had the five rounds in the gun, and some spares in a little plastic vial in his pocket. The gun was slow to reload and he didn't really want to find out if the stranger in the night was armed better. He decided to take proactive action. Shutting his right eye and squinting his left almost shut to preserve his night vision, and sticking a finger in his left ear and pressing  his right ear against a raised shoulder, he thumbed back the hammer of the little revolver and aimed a bit high and wide of the figure and let off a shot. Even with his closed eye, he could see the lurid orange muzzle flash and the loud bang of the gun still rang his ears a bit.

"Okay, you want trouble? I got lots of spare ammo, so lets get it on!!!" He yelled out towards the stalking stranger.

For a long nano second of eternity, nothing happened. Then the dark figure of the stalker turned and ran off though the woods in the direction he had come. The crunching footsteps faded off and soon the woods were silent again. The man, laying behind the bush waited a bit, then quickly reloaded the fired chamber of the little North American mini revolver. He waited for an hour by his watch, then slowly and carefully crawled to his little tent and dragged out the down sleeping bag. Still low crawling, he made his way to a clump of bushes some ways off from his little tent and rolled up in his bag. Figuring he was fairly away from the tent and in a dark color sleeping bag, he decided to spend the rest of the night there in the bushes. He stayed awake for a few hours, then dozed lightly, waking now and then to listen to the night sounds of the woods. The dawn was a long time coming, but like all nights, there was a morning after. Soft gray light slowly came to the woods, and the man fired up the Optimus and made coffee, and had some dried fruit and jerky for breakfast. There was no sign that he was anything but alone in the woods, and he packed up his camp for the hike out.

On the trail, he walked easy, watching the woods, and keeping a hand free and near the pocket that held the little .22 revolver. Th trip out to his car was uneventful, and anticlimactic. Back home, his wife and kids greeted him, and his wife wakes him "Did you have a good time,?'

The man thought for a second.

"Yeah, a nice relaxing time with Mother Nature. A quiet trip." He told her.

Gear cleaned up and put away, he went down to his work shop in the basement and cleaned the little .22. A little oil in the right spots, and a wipe down with a rag, he held the gun in his palm for a moment to look at it. Just a little thing, but it may have saved his life by being there. Certainly better than a little Swiss army knife. He looked down on that little mini revolver thinking how it had been there with him when he was alone and facing an unknown stalker in the night up on some mountain. He gave the gun a final wipe down and slipped it back into the leather pocket pouch he'd made for it, and vowed to never be without it from then on.

[redhawk4]

A great example (and well written account) of the importance of carrying a gun, you may never need it, but if you do it's going to be invaluable.

My wife noticed a report of a Cougar in our neighborhood, yesterday. The police had warned people to stay inside. Unfortunately, on closer inspection of the report my wife had seen on the neighborhood facebook page, that was made on Saturday night. That caused me to reflect on two things. One was that late on Saturday night when I let my dog out, I heard something fairly large moving around in the bushes at the end of my yard or in my neighbor's to the rear and I spent some time trying to see what it was, because I did wonder if it might be a human up to no good and was concerned for my neighbor's safety. I didn't see what it was, but in the end assumed it was probably a deer as we get a lot of them getting in our yards during winter - so based on the report it could have been that Cougar as it was only a short distance from where it was spotted. This led to my second thought, as I began to recall all the different times I'd been outside my house that night, unloading my Truck etc., which was that even though the warning came too late, I was already somewhat prepared for such an event due to my concealed carry, which could have protected me, or allowed me to respond quickly to anyone else in trouble if I'd heard shouts or screams outside my house.

[Warthog]

Good one, I love Mountain House Beef Stroganoff too.  They used to make a very nice blueberry cheesecake too but they stopped and now all they offer is raspberry cheesecake which I really dislike, I hate raspberries.  Oh well.

It was a good story and it was nice to see a Mini involved too.  I used to take my Mini, usually my 22 mag Black Widow, with me when I walked the woods.  If it was the woods we owned, maybe my AK, at least some rifle though lever actions are another thing I favor.  Good Work cb51!

[Canoeal]

I used to love hiking the AT...now mostly we drive near it  and stop for short hikes...From the Blue Ridge below... early December a few years ago.,

[smokeless joe]

I'm wondering if I should read all that or wait for the movie 😄

Unfortunately I'm gonna have to read it later because I'm pressed for time. I'll be back!

[smokeless joe]

I said

[redhawk4]

I'm wondering if I should read all that or wait for the movie 😄

Unfortunately I'm gonna have to read it later because I'm pressed for time. I'll be back!

The movie won't be as good, you'll see poor gun safety when the NAA is handled, cbl's character will cock the gun at least 4 or 5 different times in the buildup to when he actually fires, in an attempt to ramp up the tension and of course he would have his gay lover along with him, so we'll have close ups of their hands clasping together as they cower in the bushes and cbl's character tries to explain to his partner why he has a gun with him in the first place, despite the obvious risk of impending death they face.

If we're really unlucky the scene will be interspersed with flash backs of the "Stranger in the Night's" childhood explaining why it was ok for him to be acting that way, because one of his two mothers spanked him once while angry when her wife left her briefly, or they may just have his character be a homophobic,red neck Trump voter - you know the usual Hollywood treatment

[Warthog]

Yeah, movies based on books usually don't quite do for me what the book did.  My imagination seems to be way ahead of current movie effects.

[top dog]

I will say that is a very interesting story and reinforces the thought about the NAA Minis being so very handy as they are easily packed where larger pieces are usually left behind.

Also the story shows that the camper wisely chose to sleep not in the tent but away at a location where he could observe any activity.

I would give the story and actions a two thumbs up.

                                                                                             Top Dog

[redhawk4]

I will say that is a very interesting story and reinforces the thought about the NAA Minis being so very handy as they are easily packed where larger pieces are usually left behind.

Also the story shows that the camper wisely chose to sleep not in the tent but away at a location where he could observe any activity.

I would give the story and actions a two thumbs up.

                                                                                             Top Dog

+1 on your thoughts.

While it's obvious this night visitor was up to no good, it goes to show how he didn't hang around after a shot was fired, unlike the movies where no doubt he would have returned.

[RangerJim]

Excellent story, cbl!  I actually found myself leaning forward--on the literal edge of my seat!  Well done, sir!   

[RogueTS1]

Where is the Mac 10?  I would have been sleeping with my Mac 10! 

[redhawk4]

Where is the Mac 10?  I would have been sleeping with my Mac 10! 

It could be argued he was under-armed, when I camp on my mountain property I have a 44 mag down the end of the bed under my pillow and a 12 gauge pump on the shelf above the bed  -  and that's locked inside my Travel Trailer

[kc]

A "minimalist"... and the tiny, light NAA was the least that would be effective... and it was.
Good story.

[top dog]

Past experience has shown that predators will usually run at the first sign of any resistance/opposition.

Even these clowns realize that they don't want their hide to get ventilated.

Red,
What you do is basically what I would consider the way to go,but having anything and being willing to use it goes a long way.

Even though I pretty much live on the close outskirts of a city,I always have my PUG with me. Not only for the two legged predators but now we are pretty much over run by coyotes.

A few months ago,6 people were attacked by coyotes while walking their dogs. Three dogs died and three were seriously injured.  This was not in the woods or the trails but in residential areas.

Three  women were attacked by a bobcat that had rabies!!!!!!

Always have a piece and a quality one hand opening knife with you......................always!!!!!!

                                                                                  Top Dog

[RogueTS1]

No caliber war/arms war here. Just giving you a little bit of a hard time. I am quite fond of the Mac smgs .........................  In fact I am quite fond of all smgs. I just have a thing for them. 

[cbl51]

Where is the Mac 10?  I would have been sleeping with my Mac 10! 

It could be argued he was under-armed, when I camp on my mountain property I have a 44 mag down the end of the bed under my pillow and a 12 gauge pump on the shelf above the bed  -  and that's locked inside my Travel Trailer

Key words "my mountain property".

On a public trail like the AT, with the occasional Park ranger, any and all firearms have to be deep cover. Especially when carried illegally.  One is free to do whatever you like on private property, but backpacking in National Forest's where the sport involves lots of screaming memie tree hugging anti gun liberals, you keep the small gun well hidden.

[redhawk4]

Isn't there a song about this, I think Frank Sinatra had a version of it " Strangers in the night, exchanging gunfire" or something of the sort

[redhawk4]

Key words "my mountain property".

On a public trail like the AT, with the occasional Park ranger, any and all firearms have to be deep cover. Especially when carried illegally.  One is free to do whatever you like on private property, but backpacking in National Forest's where the sport involves lots of screaming memie tree hugging anti gun liberals, you keep the small gun well hidden.

That's just about what it always comes down to, what you can conceal comfortably. I can and have carried my 4" 44 Mag Ruger in a pancake Holster concealed from time to time, even in Walmart and fast food places while travelling to and from wild places. The weight can be a little prohibitive when hiking, long distances, mine and the guns

The other keywords are "my Travel Trailer" as that has status similar to a home, so what you keep in there is no one's business and has a different status under the law.

"the sport involves lots of screaming memie tree hugging anti gun liberals" -  I promise to keep moving and not use any of my firearm to assist them, I consider it natural selection.

[top dog]

Redhawk4,
I agree with you 1000% on all of the above.

It is a shame that some folks do not look at things from a common sense point of view.

You are right though,things will sort out through "natural selection"

John Wayne put it so well when he said "Life's tough,It's tougher when you're stupid"

                                                                                       Top Dog

[bglz42]

Great story! And double yes on the one hand knife. I am never without one, usually something inexpensive like a Kershaw OSO Sweet or a Livewire. They have saved my bacon a few times, not against an invader but usually just having to cut my way out of a snag, LOL!