stalked by turkeys...

no lie, on t-giving eve, right before dusk, out trying round off a 10 mile day, hear the rustling of leaves behind me thru my podcast on the earphones. turn around.  two turkeys maybe 20 yards away.  whatever. 

*boo*  they freeze, this is the end, right?

down the hill to the little creek crossing.  rustle rustle, rustle.  what the @*&$.  no.  turn.  two turkeys maybe 10 feet away circling menacingly.  huh.  i have trekking poles.  wave them menacingly.  feel stupid, inferior.  the original settlers of these walnut woods didn't wake leki trekking poles at turkeys.  they extirpated wolves. real wolves.  cmon.

tense standoff.  done playing this game.  turn, climb opposite ridge.  look back. game over, turkeys road-runnering it over the other ridge.

then this morning on the earphones, advertisement for this week's TAL.  this:  http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/452/poultry-slam-2011

really.  stalked by turkeys.