Picturing animal encounters on trail, many scenarios come to mind. Usually the scary ones first. A venomous snake seeking cuddles while one is cowboy camping. The bear momma around the corner getting startled. Getting run over by a randy boar. Our minds just work like that. What neither my primitive monkey fear brain nor my conscious preparation mind could anticipated however, was getting into a feud with this one seemingly harmless animal. A sheep. Here's what happened.

We all start out our thru hiking journey with an idea of what it will be. Thru hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is an enormous undertaking and many hours have to be spent evaluating gear, conditions and logistics prior to heading out. This is a necessity, however it does come with its pitfalls…