Time Traveling Through Shenandoah National Park: The Adventures of Bubba Jones #2
C H A P T ER 1 is This shenANdOAh nATionAl PArk T ree branches crunched and snapped from the weight of something big moving through the forest The sound was growing louder with each passing second and whatever was making it was moving right toward us We crouched down close together around my sleeping sister to hide from view No one said a word for fear of giving away our location but I could hear my heart beating rapidly The large unknown creature was so heavy it shook the ground with each step which woke my sister She sat up and looked around in confusion as she tried to figure out where she was When she had dozed off she was comfortably seated in the back seat of our Jeep as we traveled down the highway en route to Shenandoah National Park now she was sitting in the middle of the woods with no vehicle in sight and an unknown beast approaching us Turning to look at us she saw that we were dressed in animal hides like prehistoric people She 11
CHAPTER 1 looked down at herself and looked even more confused at seeing that she too was dressed in animal skin An unusually cool breeze blew through the forest caus ing us to shiver We huddled closer together for warmth This did not feel like the same Shenandoah National Park a place that draws over 1 2 million visitors annually that Papa Lewis had described to us Our grandfather Papa Lewis named after the famed Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition had explored Shenandoah National Park on many adventures and had shared all of his exciting stories with us Whenever he talked about Shenandoah he had a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face that let us know how special the park was to him After hearing him describe it we couldn’t wait to explore it ourselves The sound of snapping twigs and branches grew louder Whatever this beast was it was getting closer to us Small trees swayed nearby as this animal easily pushed through them Whatever it is it’s big I thought to myself Can it smell us Does it know we’re here A jolt of fear shot down my spine and a lump formed in my throat Where are we Hug-a-Bug asked Hug-a-Bug is my sister Her real name is Jenny but we call her Hug-a-Bug for her love of everything outdoors We’re at Rockfish Gap near the south entrance of Shenandoah National Park I whispered Hug-a-Bug knew from Papa Lewis that if we were at Rockfish Gap entering Shenandoah National Park then we should be either hiking on the Appalachian Trail or driving on Skyline Drive Papa Lewis had told us all about Skyline Drive a road that rambles along the top of 12
IS T HiS Sh ENANdoAH N ATIONAL PARK the mountain from Rockfish Gap Virginia for a hundred and five miles all the way up to Front Royal Virginia He had also described countless hikes along the Appalachian Trail which follows alongside Skyline Drive through the entire length of Shenandoah National Park I watched as my sister scanned the landscape for signs of the trail or the road Finding neither she looked even more con fused She looked down at her clothing again What am I wearing It looks like a buffalo skin to me I replied casually as if that was nothing out of the ordinary Shhh Stay quiet everyone We don’t want to draw attention from whatever is making the noise Papa Lewis whispered as we remained huddled in a stand of trees Tree limbs cracked just inches from us Dad also known as Clark after the famous Lewis and Clark duo picked up a large rock to possibly throw at the unknown creature Whatever was moving through the forest was literally almost right on top of us We all sat still and quiet wondering what next You could have heard a pin drop Suddenly the tree branches shook above us and a mas sive head appeared At first I thought it was an elephant but then I noticed its tusks were thicker and longer than any I had ever seen before Its ears were relatively small not at all like an elephant’s And it was furry If it took one more step its enormous foot would crush us Unable to take the waiting in silence any longer Hug-a-Bug stood up and slowly backed away from the beast Now backing away slowly is recommended in black bear encounters if you get too close but this creature was no black bear 13
