Skunk Hill

             After crossing Abrams Creek near the western end of the Cove, there is a gravel turnoff to the right leading to the parking area for the Abrams Falls trailhead. The slope to the right of the parking area has for several years been referred to affectionately as Skunk Hill. Quite often near dusk, skunks had been seen waddling around on this hill as we drove through the Cove looking for wildlife.

We decided to stop and walk around on the hill looking for possible holes they would use as burrows. Before thinking we were crazy to be looking for the homes of skunks, keep in mind it was mid-afternoon. From everything we had read and heard, skunks were nocturnal. They would definitely not be out with the sun blazing overhead.

            My memory fails me as to why, but my mom elected to stay by the car. So, my dad, sister, and I set off into the calf-high grass armed with cameras and binoculars. It seems we never went anywhere in the mountains without them.

            Near the top of the small hill, we found a hole about a foot in diameter. There could have been more, but this was the first one we came across. At close inspection, this could indeed be the entrance to a burrow. The grass around the hole showed signs of being worn recently and claw marks could be seen around the edges. The difficult part was knowing whether or not the resident was a skunk. We could not be exactly sure.

            Being a young boy, I poked at the opening and threw things in it. My sister was saying I was going to get us all “skunked”. While chastising me for my actions and telling me to “cease and desist”, my dad kept reminding us that skunks did not come out during the day. We had nothing to worry about. Or did we ?

            As we stood there looking around at the scenery, sudden movement in our peripheral vision jerked our attention back to the ground near our feet. We were startled to see a dark nose sniffing around just at the edge of sight in the hole. Moments later, a dark head appeared with eyes black as coal. Temporarily frozen in place, we realized the head was not just dark. It was black and we could see the start of a white stripe behind the ears.

            “SKUNK !!!!!!”

            I am not sure if any of us actually screamed this word, but it was reverberating in my own mind. A brief pause of shock was followed by simultaneous action as we ran and stumbled back down the slope. I remember looking back once and seeing the skunk bounding along behind us. My imagination gave the little mammal the speed of a cheetah just knowing he would be upon us at any moment permeating the air with an awful smell. 

            To my mom standing by the car, it was quite comical. The three of us were running like a mountain lion was after us, but the only thing she saw was a little black mass in the grass. If it was chasing us, it definitely was not gaining ground. It dawned on her what it was and the humor of the situation sank in. We were being run off the hill by a skunk. Bursting into the parking area, she insisted we stop right where we were. She feared we had already been sprayed, but we assured her that was not the case.

            Breathless with hearts racing, we looked back up the hill. The skunk was now wandering aimlessly around. Other things had attracted his attention and we were completely forgotten. From that point on, we never took anything for granted in the wild. Even in the wilderness, there are exceptions to the rule.

Excerpt from Under the Smoke