Back in my youth me and another like minded soul would camp out on the Mokelumne River up in the Sierra. Across the river and about three miles upstream was an old hunting camp. Nothing left but stone fireplaces and an abandoned apple orchard. The trees were wild but still producing, and if we hiked up there in the fall we'd load up with apples and bring them home.
The orchard was also a Mecca for the local black bear population in the fall, and you have never seen so much bear poop in your life scattered among those trees. Tree fertilizer. At night they feasted on all those sweet apples, preparing themselves well for winter hibernation.
That old orchard is probably still there, feeding the descendants of those Yogis, as well as any hikers fit enough to stroll up the river.
In addition, fishing for trout along that semi remote stretch of the Mokelumne was not too bad. Caught some nice browns during the years I haunted those parts.
Brew up a little applejack for the bears. And me.
ReplyDeleteThose bears aren't eating apples to prepare for winter, they're partying. Lots of animals will eat the fermenting drops from apple trees for the alcohol content.
ReplyDeleteCW-
ReplyDeleteEarly in my logging career in the Sierra (in the '70s) those old pioneer orchards seemed to be everywhere. It was remarkable how they continued to bear fruit after years of being ignored and without being watered in the summertime. But boy, did the critters love them.
Then the heavy development started, and the little orchards disappeared. I sure hope some of the new owners of those properties saved and cared for some of those trees out of a sense of nostalgia and history. They were special little places.
BTW, it's a fantastic acorn year here and the critters are loving it. It's also great because our cattle love them, and that's one reason I believe our beef tastes so great. The deer in our area is also especially delicious, and the old timers believe their acorn diet is the reason.