Night Lights BY BARBARA A. McCLEESTER T HEIR RED HEADLAMPS cast an eerie glow on the ice-crusted snow as I followed the hunters up the hollow. It was dark - can't-see-your-hand-infront-of-your-face-dark. And the 3-year-old treeing walker coonhound had been at it for about 20 minutes since turned loose from her box in the back of the truck. The dog - a grand champion named Dot - now was headed up a small run, and it wasn't long before her baying resounded from rim to rim in the narrow hollow. In 15 minutes, she was coming back down the run toward us, the blinking light on her collar showing her every move. Dot's owner, John Fraser, has been my son Josh's friend since college, and he paid us a visit in mid-February, coming to Centre County for the final weekend of furbearer season. John's hunting buddy Bobby Mears came along, as well. And I was thrilled to join their hunt on a nearby game lands. John has been running coon dogs since Glowing visuals of running raccoons in the dark and snow. FEBRUARY 2017 27