Your favorite uninvited visitor...

[Kanguru]

Thought this might make an interesting topic.

Was hanging in my peapod last weekend. Cool night, so all closed up except for breathing opening. Sleeping soundly. Woke up and decided to adjust myself a bit. Something fell through the opening and ran down my body almost to my feet. I ripped open the peapod and the intruder ran back up and out the resulting larger opening. Remarkably...I went back to sleep pretty quickly. My assumption was a mouse we had seen around camp earlier. Makes me want to design some of those metal discs people put on their bird feeders to keep the squirrels out for my straps!

So...do others have such unwelcome visitor stories???

[domromer]

I've had ringtails walk across my all mesh tent. That was pretty cool. I just stayed still and watched them chase each other around.

Another time I must have camped right on an armadillo super highway. Every few minutes I'd hear them make a racket in the palmettos then walk through my camp.

A few weeks ago I had elk rubbing up against the van I was sleeping in. That was not very cool. I was camping in new Mexico and was sure I was about to be taken away by aliens.

[oldgringo]

No hammock involved, but one time I was jacking around with a tarantula, trying to get it to cross the toe of my boot.

Sucker kept going around, instead of over...finally, on about the sixth try, he walked up on my boot, made a hard left turn, and headed due north, right up the inside of my pant leg.

Under normal circumstances, I don't dance, but on that evening, I made an exception.

[Ken]

No hammock involved, but one time I was jacking around with a tarantula, trying to get it to cross the toe of my boot.

Sucker kept going around, instead of over...finally, on about the sixth try, he walked up on my boot, made a hard left turn, and headed due north, right up the inside of my pant leg.

Under normal circumstances, I don't dance, but on that evening, I made an exception.

You just gave Cannibal a BIG case of the creeps!

[oldgringo]

You just gave Cannibal a BIG case of the creeps!

My work is done, here.

[Captn]

No hammock involved, but one time I was jacking around with a tarantula, trying to get it to cross the toe of my boot.

Sucker kept going around, instead of over...finally, on about the sixth try, he walked up on my boot, made a hard left turn, and headed due north, right up the inside of my pant leg.

Under normal circumstances, I don't dance, but on that evening, I made an exception.

I would have paid good hard cash to see that ....

Still laughing 10 minutes later ...

[Captn]

Woke up one morning in the Pecos wilderness to a mule deer hanging out outside my tent ...

Pest wouldn't leave ... wanted part of my breakfast!

[tiptoe]

I set up my hammock on the back hill for a couple of shakedown nights before a section hike. Once, around midnight, a very surprised deer nudged it. There was that characteristic snorting sound, and then hoofbeats, so I knew immediately what it was.

[dkennfls]

Had a bear wake me up in the middle of the night pawing at my hammock and pack that was hanging on the straps. Woke up and looked out just in time to see him nibbling at my toes. Needless to say I started kicking and finally bopped him well enough that he left. Only to return the next morning just wandering around the site as everyone skipped breakfast to get packed and away from him.

[Triptease]

Had a bear wake me up in the middle of the night pawing at my hammock and pack that was hanging on the straps. Woke up and looked out just in time to see him nibbling at my toes. Needless to say I started kicking and finally bopped him well enough that he left. Only to return the next morning just wandering around the site as everyone skipped breakfast to get packed and away from him.

Had the same exact thing happen to me last weekend in the Shenandoah NP. I woke up to one pawing my backpack looking for something. Then he came over and sniffed the head of my hammock. Luckily, my weathershield was down so we didn't see each other. It probably wouldn't have been good for either of us if we had. After about an hour or so of traipsing around he left, no harm done.