When: 1989
The Setting: The intrepid reporter (yours truly) is lugging 50 pounds of camera gear through a forest trail to reach an outcropping overlooking Mt Jackson. This is where the National Park Service is conducting a peregrine falcon release program.
As we climb through the brush, sweat soaking my clothes, the forest ranger stops in his tracks and turns to me:
"You hear that rain?"
Listening through the pounding of my heart and heaving of breath I manage to hear the steady trickle of rain splashing through the leaves. It's weird though, as the rain hits me, I don't get wet.
"It's not rain," he says, "it's caterpillar poop."
True story.
Why bring it up? Because the caterpillars are still pooping up a storm in SNP. Riding along Skyline Drive, it seemed like a good idea to leave the face shield open to catch the breeze. There were occasional raindrops, but it occurred to me after a while I wasn't getting wet anymore, and they were the same type of "raindrops" that fell on me 26 years ago.
Pennies from heaven indeed. Anyway, here's some footage from the ride.
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