Time Traveling Through Shenandoah National Park: The Adventures of Bubba Jones #2
CHAPTER 1 Fortunately however Hug-a-Bug’s movement seemed to frighten the animal because it turned and thundered off into the forest The sounds of snapping tree branches faded as the beast plowed through the trees and disap peared Wh what was that Hug-a-Bug asked trembling with fear That was a woolly mammoth an ancient cousin of the elephant Woolly mammoths and mastodons lived in this area until they became extinct about 10,000 years ago They began to die off as the glaciers retreated at the end of the Ice Age and the climate warmed up Right now there are still glaciers within a few hundred miles of the area which explains the cooler temperatures Woolly mammoth and mastodon bones have been found in the valleys near the present-day Shenandoah National Park These huge creatures were herbivores and didn’t eat meat so we were safe from being its next meal But I’m guessing that some kind of carnivorous predator chased it up here from the valley hoping for one huge slab of mam moth steak for dinner Since it didn’t get the mammoth it might come looking for other prey and that includes us Papa Lewis explained in a hushed tone I’m confused Let me get this straight Are you saying that we just came face to face with a woolly mammoth that went extinct 10,000 years ago How could that I cut my sister off in mid-sentence and blurted What sort of predator are you talking about Well based on the animal skin we’re wearing the pre historic Paleo-Indians are here and they might be trying 14
IS T HiS Sh ENANdoAH N ATIONAL PARK to hunt that woolly mammoth for food It could also be other predators like a mountain lion or Before Papa Lewis could complete his explanation something flew by us with a whoosh followed by a thunk Instinctively we dropped flattening ourselves to the ground About the same time we hit the ground so did a primitive-looking spear That explained the whoosh and the thunk a spear had sailed by us glanced off a tree then fallen to the ground just a short distance from us Quiet No one move Papa Lewis hissed We heard voices coming from the brush but I couldn’t make out what they were saying As we watched holding our breath the branches on a nearby bush shook then were pushed aside as a figure emerged Near as I could tell he was some sort of Indian He had coarse black hair and was clothed in animal skin He was soon fol lowed by three other men of similar appearance They walked within a few feet of us scanning the nearby trees and searching through the grass It looked like they were trying to find the spear they threw Time slowed to a snail’s pace as we lay motionless in the brush hoping to go undetected I scrunched my eyes shut in fear and while hearing the men talking again realized the reason I couldn’t make out what they were saying was because they weren’t speaking English A few more moments passed when I heard more rustling followed by more talking Opening one eye to see what was going on I saw the hunters regroup and move on apparently giving up the hunt for their spear They followed the path of broken tree limbs and tracks left by the woolly mammoth and soon disappeared from view 15
CHAPTER 1 Man that was close I breathed Don’t they know hunting is not allowed in Shenandoah National park Hug-a-Bug demanded I don’t think this is a national park yet Papa Lewis reminded her I’m confused If we’re not in a national park then shouldn’t we be wearing orange during hunting season so the hunters know we’re not game Yes normally orange is recommended but we’re in an unusual situation right now Papa Lewis explained We all stood up and Papa Lewis walked over to the spear that lay beneath the tree it had struck He picked it up and examined it Look what we have here Papa Lewis said holding out the spear in front of him and pointing at the tip A long stone arrow was tied to the end of the stick The arrow was about three inches long It was slightly oval in shape and came to a sharp point at the very tip This is a Clovis point The first humans to live in this area the nomadic Paleo Indians used this to penetrate the thick skin of big animals It looks like those men were hunting the woolly mammoth and when they saw movement through the trees they mistook us for him Archeologists have found these Clovis points in the area Scientists have also found evidence that suggests that the Paleo Indians the woolly mammoths and the mast odons coexisted until the elephant-like creatures became extinct The scientists suspect that the early Paleo Indians tried their best at hunting the last remaining woolly mammoths and mastodons but they probably had better luck hunting buffalo elk and deer I would say 16
IS T HiS Sh ENANdoAH N ATIONAL PARK by what we just witnessed their suspicions are correct Papa Lewis explained You said the Paleo Indians were nomadic What does nomadic mean Hug-a-Bug asked Papa Lewis Nomadic means they traveled and didn’t stay in one place They followed the wild animals that they hunted for food Papa Lewis answered I hope they don’t hurt that wooly mammoth It didn’t want to hurt anyone It was actually afraid of us Hug a-Bug said But anyway enough of the history lesson back to the present What happened here I fall asleep in our Jeep on the way to Shenandoah National Park I wake up and almost get stepped on by a creature that went extinct 10,000 years ago we almost get speared by prehistoric hunters our Jeep is nowhere in sight and I’m now wearing dead animal skin and Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail have apparently not even been built yet Bubba Jones did you do what I think you did 17
