View from the top of Mount Hight, Carter-Moriah Range, White Mountains, New Hampshire
Almost three weeks ago I went by myself on a three-day hiking trip in the Carter-Moriah Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Black flies outnumbered people. But I noticed when I dropped off the ridge, down the Rainbow Trail into the Wild River Wilderness, that wild animals know how to avoid humans. I stepped over moose dung every 15 feet, but they all stayed hidden. I saw lots of droppings. I saw the dismantled shelter in Perkins Notch, done to preserve a more wild experience. I imagine that beyond my vision on all sides, the moose lurked, waiting for me to go away.
I was by myself but I did not feel the sort of fear that I feel when alone in a strange house. Now, why is this?
