I have always grown up enjoying camping. There's something about cooking your food over a fire, sleeping on the ground and being so close to nature that really makes me happy. Although, there are time when you can get too close to nature.
One time, when I was much younger, probably five or six years old, my parents took me, my brother and my dog, Toby, camping. We drove to a campsite around central Oregon where we unpacked, set up our tent, made dinner and went to bed.
My parents and I woke up in the darkness to the sound of my dog barking angrily. I groggily turned my head towards Toby to see him leap out of the tent and dash off. With impressive speed, both of my parents chased after him.
I was falling back asleep and as I heard other dogs barking I vaguely remember some other adult voices saying "Watch out for that Porcupine!" I was instantly awake. I didn't know much at that age, but I did know I hadn't ever gotten to pet a porcupine, and I knew I was about to.
Here's a couple fun facts about the North American porcupine, it is slow enough that a small child could catch it, it is covered in around 30,000 quills and it cannot tell the difference between a predator and a seven year old child. Now keep in mind, at about five years old, I know none of these things.
I instantly jumped out of my sleeping bag and went running out of the tent to find the mystery animal. And shortly after leaving the tent, I saw it. I immediately ran straight towards it as it waddled along slowly minding its own business. I was gaining on it, and I would've gotten it, if my dad hadn't seen what was happening and grabbed me before I could turn myself into a human pincushion. As my father carried me back to our tent, I watched sadly as my new friend waddled away into the brush.
I would like to say that I have learned my lesson from this story and understood that running at dangerous animals is generally bad. Nature is a beautiful thing, but it can be dangerous. It is important to observe nature safely and not run straight at it; for your safety and its own.
-Wils Haffner
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