I had this brief encounter with a young Raccoon while on an early morning hike in October. I had just arrived creekside when we first noticed each other. This little guy was working the water’s edge in search of food, and I was busy taking pictures. Rustling in the grass on the other side of this tree first alerted me that something was coming my way. I was soon delighted to see this small Raccoon poke his head out between the two tree trunks.
We considered each other briefly. The Raccoon seemed to have a healthy curiosity about me and what I was doing, but he also had a cautious side. After a minute or two he turned away as if he was ready to flee. In the end, he couldn’t do it. His curiosity got the better of him and he turned back to watch me a little longer.
This time it was my turn to turn and leave. Not wanting to disturb the young Raccoon further, I slowly moved away from, leaving the recently independent youngster to go about his business.
