[pct-l] scariest sound

[jeffmoorehead1 at cox.net (Jeff Moorehead)]

A friend and I were camped high in the Mission Mountains of Montana in late 
September during a heavy snowstorm with wind gusting all around. I heard a 
series of grunts and then felt the vibration of something large walking on 
the ground just inches from my head-- so protected by that thin piece of 
nylon. Knowing we were in grizzly country (read: problem grizzlies 
transported from Glacier NP to the Flathead Indian reservation) I woke up my 
friend who insisted it was just 'sounds in the night' only to roll over and 
resume snoring. Not wanting to become the digested remains of a hyperphagic 
grizzly, I opened the tent to make a dash for a tree and discovered, to 
simultaneous amazement and relief, about 20 large mountain goats pawing at 
our packs. I felt foolish by some standards, but compared to my snoozing 
friend, triumphant in my vigilance. He still got the better sleep-- a*#hole.