I’ve been meaning to post a link to feralhiker.blogspot.com, which belongs to a Washington state hiker and camper, but keep getting distracted. This description of a rodent encounter got my attention:

Late one fall I setup camp about noon near the Chiwaukum River and ate lunch closely watched by serveral golden-mantled ground squirrels. I thought I had kept all the squirrels out of my tent and left for an afternoon’s hike. When I got back, no squirrels were evident and I laid out my sleeping bag in my tent and sat by a fire until it started to rain. After getting ready for bed, I opened my sleeping bag to be surprised by a ground squirrel sleeping on the pillow who had left gifts of pellets and at least 1 flea. I spent several minutues trying to get the squirrel out of the tent which was surprisingly difficult, it was very quick and could hide in places is I couldn’t imagine. During this, I ended up getting myself and my gear somewhat wet and getting less and less thrilled about camping. I tried cleaning my bag and pillow of pellets and fleas but couldn’t see well and remembered that bubonic plague is endemic in the western USA, although rare. Finally, I gave up and dumped my gear in the back of my pickup and drove home, about 3 hours away. The following day I discovered I had not suceeded in removing the squirrel, gnawed fabric showed it came home with me. Fortunately a neighborhood cat expressed much interest in my pickup and gear, I don’t know what happened but I didn’t see signs of the ground squirrel again. I did thoroughly clean my sleeping bag, etc. after this.

Right up there with marmots chewing through your radiator hose. Also interesting: homemade hardtack, which, he notes, is superior to commercial hardtack. (I figured hardtack went away with the closing of the West. Who knew?)