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We
carefully picked our way back down the rocky trail, then the ladders, and
later over the large boulders and decayed wooden steps. At the bottom of
the Willey Range Trail, past Kedron Brook but not quite all the way to the
junction with the Ethan Pond Trail, we stopped for a short rest.
While
waiting for Erin to finish a drink, I wandered off the trail a short
distance into the woods to look at a interesting rock. Looking up,
something yellowish on the side of a tree caught my eye. I walked over for
a closer look. It turned out to be a small leather bag or pouch, suspended
by a leather cord from a low branch. A small hole had been chewed through
on one side, as if an animal had tried to eat through to get at the
contents. Without opening it fully, I peered in through the top, which was
drawn closed by the leather cord. Erin came over to look. At first, I
thought that the bag contained animal bones, but Erin noticed that it was
filled with some kind of claws. Examining them through the ripped opening,
I guessed that they were either bear claws, or the claws of a large bird
such as a hawk or an eagle.
It
didn't seem natural. The bag wasn't right next to the trail where someone
could have accidentally left it hanging. Neither was it next to a likely
looking campsite. Of course, it was possible that someone had accidentally
left it hanging there, but it seemed more deliberate than accidental to
me.
Erin,
who right away thought of the Blair Witch, was a bit scared and
wanted to leave. Seeing as it didn't belong to us anyway, we left it where
it was and headed back to the trail. The trip went quickly from here on
down as the trail was much less steep, and with better footing. We passed
Kedron Flume, the dug-out dead tree, and then the railroad. Shortly
thereafter, we arrived back at the car.
Later,
at home, I used the Internet to try to find out more information about the
leather bag. I found a site that described something called a claw bag,
a kind of Native American good luck charm or amulet, but I wasn't sure
whether it was the same thing or not. I also asked around on the Internet
sites Views
from the Top and the
AMC
Hiker Journal, hoping to reach someone who knew about Native American
customs. Unfortunately, I didn't get any serious answers, just jokes.
Until I hear otherwise, I guess that it will just be one of those
unexplained mysteries. |
The
claw bag. This small leather pouch containing the claws of either a bear
or a large bird such as a hawk or an eagle, was hanging on a tree a short
distance off the trail near the junction of the Willey Range and Ethan
Pond Trails. While it may have been just a momento that someone
accidentally left behind, it also could have been a Native American claw
bag, a kind of a charm or amulet. If so, why it would be hanging from a
tree in this particular spot is a mystery. |
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