A dead coyote on a funeral bier at the top of the Appalachian Gap
A dead coyote on a funeral bier at the top of the Appalachian Gap

Okay, this one must have one heck of a story behind it. I drove up to the Appalachian Gap yesterday morning to check out the fall foliage and came across this. Off on the edge of the parking area at the top of the Gap, someone had tied a large stump upside down to the end of the guard rail. They’d build a nest of branches and twigs and placed a dead coyote in this “bier”. It hasn’t been there long as there wasn’t much in the way of rot or scavenger impact yet. My imagination roams: perhaps someone hit the coyote with their car and, in a pang of remorse, built this bier to return the coyote to the sky? I certainly resonate with that impulse. Does anyone out there know the backstory on this? Fascinating!

Nikon D600, Nikon 24-120mm lens @ 24mm, ISO 400, f/4, 1/2000″ exposure.