4 Wheels 4 Girls

Let July 11 forever be known as the Night of the Porcupine.

This whole trip I have wanted to catch sight of a porcupine. For weeks and weeks, I have gazed out the window of the camper, searching for one along the road. Looking for porcupine, I have spotted bear, moose, elk — all manner of critters — but not a porcupine. I have, perhaps, driven Jean and the girls a little crazy with it. One night, as we were watching three moose grazing in a lake, I joked, “You know, the one thing that would make this moment better? A porcupine.” They were less amused than I had hoped.

Anyway, July 11, we made our way back through Canada toward Haines, Alaska. Jean spotted something move off the road into the brush ahead. It was pretty far away yet, and she guessed it might be a small bear. As we neared the spot, I scanned between the bushes for a critter and, when I recognized what I was seeing, I excitedly exclaimed, “a porcupine!” All the girls came running up to the window as the porcupine scurried off into the woods. It was pretty good sized–much bigger than I expected–about the size of a small pig or a very large raccoon.

I was overjoyed to finally see a porcupine. I gave Jean a big kiss of gratitude and sat contentedly reliving the sighting in my mind as we cruised on down the road.

Then Jean spotted three more, one after the other, over the next twenty miles. I was beside myself.

And now, as Ana would say, my story is told.

This black bear is not one of the porcupines we saw that evening. It is a black bear which we spotted earlier that day.