Company at Picnic Rock

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It was a really cold winter day, with gray clouds and a feeling of snow in the air.  I was on a scouting hike for an upcoming work trip and had been 'making miles' all morning and into the early afternoon. It was time for lunch .... waaaay past time for lunch. As I thought about a good place to stop, Picnic Rock came to mind. There would probably be a winter 'view' through the leafless trees and it was certainly a nice flat spot to stop, take off the pack, put down a 'sit pad' on the cold rock, and enjoy some food.

I got to the spot on the trail where Yellow Jacket Ridge takes off from the roadbed. There are a lot of good memories there from the weeks spent during the summer a couple of years past, sidehilling the trail up the mountain to where it rejoins the roadbed but briefly, then makes a left turn to continue up the mountain. Picnic Rock is just past that left turn off the roadbed at the top of Yellow Jacket Ridge. When we were putting in the trail, a doe with what appeared to be twin fawns was hanging out in the area and we would occasionally see the babies peeping around trees at us, their curiosity stronger than their fear.

Picnic Rock - finally!!  I got comfortable, pulled on an extra layer to stay warm since I wasn't moving any more, and settled down to getting lunch out of my pack. I had an apple cut up and some carrots .... plus a peanut butter and jelly sandwich ..... all quite cold, but really good after a morning of cold-weather hiking. I let my mind go blank and just looked through the leafless trees at the sky, listened to the sounds of a slight breeze, worked on eating lunch ..... and became increasingly aware of a vague feeling that 'something' wasn't quite right.  I stopped chewing and listened intently - another hiker coming up the trail? Nope .... not that. What the heck was it that was making me feel so strange .... almost like eyes were boring into the back of my head?  This was not a good feeling, at all.

Views of Picnic Rock

I slowly turned, expecting to see something 'scary' .... and saw instead five deer. They were all in a line, just a couple of yards behind picnic rock and they were all watching. When I turned, they weren't afraid ... just staring with great big brown eyes ..... motionless, ears all pointed my way. I didn't want to be the first to move so I just sat and looked back. Finally, one doe took a sideways nibble at a nearby bush and that broke the spell. The deer shuffled their feet a little, moved their heads and I got the impression they thought that maybe, just maybe, I would share my lunch with them, especially the apples and carrots part. By their almost friendly demeanor, I think 'the girls' had perhaps spent a little time around the Humpback Picnic area?

I started eating lunch again while keeping an eye on them and eventually, one by one, they filtered off into the bushes nearby. By the time I was ready to gear up, they were gone. To this day, every time I go by Picnic Rock or stop and have lunch there, I think about those five deer and I can still see them in my mind's eye, standing there in close proximity, watching ....... with those beautiful big eyes and great big ears.  It was a magical few minutes while I had company at Picnic Rock.  ~ Merlot

Winter views from Picnic Rock territory (AT on east side of Humpback Mountain) 

(Photos of Picnic Rock & winter views by Merlot)

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