Man Vs. Wild

After a day full of disappointments, (movie we walked out of, dinner that made us full by the time we ate our salads so the main dish we just took home) we decided to face the wild and go on a Bald Eagle Hunt out by Eagle on the river. It was a dark and dreary day..... But Ryan and I were hopeful as our journey began. Some of us came more prepared then others in their winter coat, while others were only in a fleece jacket for warmth...Ryan took the lead and forged ahead down the path. We came across what looked to be eagle eggs that lay scattered among the debris that still lay abundant from the summer floods. Ryan investigates. The shells seem to have disolved in a paper like substance. What could this substance be I thought. Is the river polluted? Was there nuclear waste laying around and we were walking through it? As my mind began to race with thoughts of how this egg shell came to be I hear a soft voice. "I think it is just paper honey" Ryan says delicately as not to disappoint the eager explorer. But alas, it will take more then paper egg shells to deter our journey! We were not discouraged. Our journey countinued deeper into the wood. We come across more debris in the path.... We kept close to the river and before to long....If I had my bird of prey pamphlet, I could tell from this picture what kind of bird it was. My friend Ryan threw that out however, on our trip to LA because he got sick of me looking up all the birds of prey I saw. So we had to rely on our eyesight. At closer glance, this was NOT a bald eagle, but a hawk. Soon we saw the hawk's campanion flying behind him. The afternoon continues on, and the wind begins to blow. We are beginning to feel the effects of the cold weather. We hear a sound, and Ryan swings around. We see a young buck jumping through the trees. We walk a little further and decided it is time to forge our way home. We are following the river and come across this....
A tree a beaver has chewed down. Then catastrophe hits! The batteries of my camera die. Our situation looks bleak and we have not told anyone where we were going. What was going to happen to us? We forge forward. We come across the home of the beaver and I am kicking myself for not having checked the batteries in my camera before the trip, a common beginners mistake. I am lost in my inexperience when Ryan calls me. We walk a little ways more. There in a thicket ahead of us stand the young buck from earlier and two doe. For a moment life stands still. All of us looking at each other in interest. Again, I am complaining about my camera. We wonder through the wood for awhile longer, we start to see a familar path.... and then behold! The truck. We have survived. We did not see any bald eagles, but we still consider the trip a success. Our journey has taught us many lessons, like if you don't want to squat in the wood or hold it for along time (the option I chose), make sure you don't drink a lot before the journey, check the batteries of your camera, watch out for flinging branches that your partner inadvertently sends your way, and finally, make sure you are taking pictures of eggs not just paper :)