Re: [RC] Stirring up a Hornet's Nest - Barbara McCrary
There must be a bunch of Big Creeks in
the country. There are at least two in CA and we live on one of
them. <g>
I had two broken ribs to show for one wreck
caused by riding over a ground nest (they aren't bees, they're
yellowjackets). My horse launched me out of the saddle, over his head, and
I slammed down on the ground on my back. OUCH!!!
On another occasion my horse (not the same
one) would just stand on top of the nest and stomp her feet in pain and
irritation. It was hard to get her to move off the nest, but at least she
didn't launch me.
If you want to see some excitement, walk a pack
string over a ground bee's nest. A couple of years ago I was following a
pack string up Big Creek. All of a sudden, Ranger started to get real
nervous, and almost bucky. I quickly realized that he was being stung on
the belly by the hornets. I let him into his power trot (faster would
have been impossible). I quickly started to see the remains of the pack
string. A hat here, a mantee there, a person in the bushes etc. It
took us about an hour to collect and reload all of the critters. The
forest service was a bit late in getting their trail project
started.
PS. This is the Big Creek near my house,
not the Big Creek with the fire (at least so far this year).
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
