You can expect to see an abundance of different animals living throughout the woods along the Appalachian Trail. You might see a rabbit, squirrel, or deer, or maybe even a bear or moose on your hike. One animal you probably wouldn’t think to run into would be a rooster.
When Heather Bolint hit the Appalachian Trails one day, she didn’t expect to run into her favorite animal either. As a tasty snack for most of the predators in the woods, Bolint was shocked to see the rooster alive and there in the first place.
“All my friends and family were like, of course, you would find a rooster in the middle of the woods,” said Bolint.
Bolint took it upon herself to save the animal she named Eddie when she couldn’t find his owners. She carried Eddie for the duration of her hike, which wasn’t a short one.
“He didn’t seem to belong anywhere, so I scooped him up, and I carried him under one arm, and I just started hiking. I didn’t have any cell phone service, so I couldn’t call animal control”.
The hiker carried the chicken over 42 miles while crossing three states. Eddie slept in the tent with his new companion, took selfies, and entertained other hikers.
“He was pretty content with me carrying him. It’s like he almost knew that I was trying to help him.”
The Trail Home
Once the lengthy trip was completed, however, Bolint brought Eddie to the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary. In the Maryland sanctuary, Eddie could happily live out the remainder of his feathered life.
Because the Sanctuary already had a peacock resident named Eddie, he was given the name Mason. This is because Bolint found him near the Mason-Dixon Line.
“I was really happy that he would be surrounded by other chickens, and I could come back and see him whenever I wanted too.”
That is exactly what Bolint did. She comes back to the sanctuary from time to time to see her strange hiking companion.
[H/T One Green Planet]
