Things that go Bump in the night :-)

[TreeCamper]

On a camping trip in Oz.

During the day we decided to set up our two man dome tent in a little clearing in the bush which was part of an isolated spot in a huge national park wilderness area, no people around for miles.

About 3am we were woken with one hell of a commotion. The tent was pulled over and squashed flat including the fibreglass poles and we were being pounded time and time again by god knows what. Trying to find the zip in the pitch black with a collapsed tent it was impossible to escape. We just had to cover up and hang on. It lasted only about a minute but felt a lot longer.
The imagination runs wild at that time of night. I am sure my GF thought of the Backpacker murderers which were in the news at the time.

Then there was the sound of pots pans and BBQ and all quiet again.

Unbeknown to us we had set up in the Eastern Greys nocturnal browsing/roaming area.

A huge Roo had hopped near the tent and caught his hind foot in one of our guy lines. In a panic to get away it jumped frantically all over my GF and I. Then eager to get away the Roo had bolted straight through our camp kitchen.

At dawn I ventured out and made increasing outward circles around our tent area to see where the guy line had gone. Eventually I found it all chewed up about 20 metres from the tent. Had to be a large Eastern Grey, as we saw a few of them at dawn and dusk at the periphery of our camp.

No injuries and we still love our camping in the wilderness.

[FishyFolk]

On a camping trip in Oz.

During the day we decided to set up our two man dome tent in a little clearing in the bush which was part of an isolated spot in a huge national park wilderness area, no people around for miles.

About 3am we were woken with one hell of a commotion. The tent was pulled over and squashed flat including the fibreglass poles and we were being pounded time and time again by god knows what. Trying to find the zip in the pitch black with a collapsed tent it was impossible to escape. We just had to cover up and hang on. It lasted only about a minute but felt a lot longer.
The imagination runs wild at that time of night. I am sure my GF thought of the Backpacker murderers which were in the news at the time.

Then there was the sound of pots pans and BBQ and all quiet again.

Unbeknown to us we had set up in the Eastern Greys nocturnal browsing/roaming area.

A huge Roo had hopped near the tent and caught his hind foot in one of our guy lines. In a panic to get away it jumped frantically all over my GF and I. Then eager to get away the Roo had bolted straight through our camp kitchen.

At dawn I ventured out and made increasing outward circles around our tent area to see where the guy line had gone. Eventually I found it all chewed up about 20 metres from the tent. Had to be a large Eastern Grey, as we saw a few of them at dawn and dusk at the periphery of our camp.

No injuries and we still love our camping in the wilderness.

After hearing some Roo stories told by my aussie friends I have long concluded that the kangaroo is the moose of Aussieland :-)
I've had a couple of close encounters with those. The woods here are full of them.

[NeedABrew]

Awesome (sort of) close encounter! Glad there were no injuries too.

Kind of puts into perspective my own brush with a Scottish wild cat who had managed to get between the inner and fly sheet of my tent. Oh and I was once chased by a rather irate cow...

[Tony1948]

The joys of camping cant beet it :happy-clapping:

[CanadianMike]

Not as funny, but last year my gf and I were camping in the large backyard of a friend's place, both mornings about 6am we'd hear the neighbours dog sniffing around the ground around teh tent, and both times you'd end up hearing a "BONGGG!" as he tripped over one of the guy lines. Enough to give us a half asleep chuckle. :)

[jus_young]

Still not as good as the 'roos, on the last Scout camp I had set up the hammock and tarp by the stream. I should have checked the mud track coming from the banks before setting up as I may have spotted the dear tracks, but I didn't and ended up having on of the large furry friends snagged in the shockcord from the tarp during the night. Woke me up wondering what the hell was going on with the tarp being pulled about and me swinging from side to side! Thankfully it sorted itself out and I just went back to sleep and sorted it in the morning.

[Silverback]

Been on guard at Cultybraggan camp up in Scotland way back when only to have to rub my eyes as 2 small kangaroos hopped past the gate, they had escaped from the wildlife park up the road. Apparently they were very good at it

[CanadianMike]

Lol, these stories are great!

[JonnyP]

On a camping trip in Oz.

During the day we decided to set up our two man dome tent in a little clearing in the bush which was part of an isolated spot in a huge national park wilderness area, no people around for miles.

About 3am we were woken with one hell of a commotion. The tent was pulled over and squashed flat including the fibreglass poles and we were being pounded time and time again by god knows what. Trying to find the zip in the pitch black with a collapsed tent it was impossible to escape. We just had to cover up and hang on. It lasted only about a minute but felt a lot longer.
The imagination runs wild at that time of night. I am sure my GF thought of the Backpacker murderers which were in the news at the time.

Then there was the sound of pots pans and BBQ and all quiet again.

Unbeknown to us we had set up in the Eastern Greys nocturnal browsing/roaming area.

A huge Roo had hopped near the tent and caught his hind foot in one of our guy lines. In a panic to get away it jumped frantically all over my GF and I. Then eager to get away the Roo had bolted straight through our camp kitchen.

At dawn I ventured out and made increasing outward circles around our tent area to see where the guy line had gone. Eventually I found it all chewed up about 20 metres from the tent. Had to be a large Eastern Grey, as we saw a few of them at dawn and dusk at the periphery of our camp.

No injuries and we still love our camping in the wilderness.

Love it..
Must of been scary at the time..!

[Proventurer]

Not as funny, but last year my gf and I were camping in the large backyard of a friend's place, both mornings about 6am we'd hear the neighbours dog sniffing around the ground around teh tent, and both times you'd end up hearing a "BONGGG!" as he tripped over one of the guy lines. Enough to give us a half asleep chuckle. :)

Now I'm disappointed, I thought you were going to relate a story about an encounter with "Bigfoot"!

[TreeCamper]

For those who like a bit of bushcrafting ;-)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=4XWEU1A0qmI

[paulthefish2009]

Many moons ago I was flying a r/c model aircraft in a field to be told be my wife "don,t look now but there is a elephant behind you!". yeh right says I,no there really is she said. I glanced over my shoulder and yup there it was.... sooding great elephant being taken for a walk,turns out there was the winter quarters of a circus near by and the used the field for walkys. Paul

[OceansHi]

One time I was in the bush on Kodiak Island. Kodiak is south of Anchorage Alaska by about 600 miles. I was standing on hill looking down in a valley. The elevation was only about 150 feet. All of a sudden a Kodiak grizzley grabed me from behind and held me by the waist. I was able to bend over though and I saw his balls hanging out there just below my knees. So I reached down and kind of tickled them and he threw his fore legs up. I was able to escape and scamper down the hill. When I got to the bottom I turned around and looked. He was waiving me to come back!

[alvino78]

One time I was in the bush on Kodiak Island. Kodiak is south of Anchorage Alaska by about 600 miles. I was standing on hill looking down in a valley. The elevation was only about 150 feet. All of a sudden a Kodiak grizzley grabed me from behind and held me by the waist. I was able to bend over though and I saw his balls hanging out there just below my knees. So I reached down and kind of tickled them and he threw his fore legs up. I was able to escape and scamper down the hill. When I got to the bottom I turned around and looked. He was waiving me to come back!

lmfao