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Thread: RE: Bearing all . . . my sister tells me about meeting up with a black bear in Alaska

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Unity, Maine
    Posts
    3,874

    Default RE: Bearing all . . . my sister tells me about meeting up with a black bear in Alaska

    The other day I was talking with my sister who lives in Portage, Alaska . . . for any die-hard Amazing Race fans this is very close to Girdwood where the last Amazing Race finish line was located.

    In any case she was telling me about a recent hiking/camping trip that she went on where she met up with a black bear . . . and unlike every other bear encounter this was one of the scariest moments for her. Thought I would share her story.

    Julie said she began her trip by catching a water taxi to this state park. The water taxi dropped her off on the beach and she began hiking to the campsite. That day she hiked to the nearby glacier (she told me the name of the sound, park and glacier . . . but to be honest I forget their names.)

    The next morning she was breaking camp in preparation for the hike out to the beach to meet up with the water taxi when she spotted a bear moving towards her from about a quarter mile or so away. This wasn't the first time my sister has spotted Alaskan wildlife (she was once charged by a moose) and in fact this was her fourth bear encounter.

    Like every other time she began yelling at the bear and flapping her arms in an attempt to scare the bear and let the bear know he/she was heading towards a person. However, unlike every other bear encounter this one kept heading right towards her instead of skeddaling into the woods.

    Julie cranked up her anti-bear scare tactics even more by flapping her tent around for the added noise and visual effect . . . no good. The bear kept coming.

    At this point the bear was much closer so Julie took a few rocks and threw them in the general direction to the side of the bear . . . once again . . . nothing happened. The bear continued to slowly move towards her.

    Finally, Julie said the bear came within 25 feet or so. Armed with her bear pepper spray . . . with a maximum range of 5 feet on a non-windy day . . . Julie slowly moved past the bear as she had to go right by the bear as she had water on one side of her and large rock faces to her rear and other side. Julie said she kept one eye on the bear who made no threatening moves . . . but just kept standing there. She said it was so close she could smell the stink of the bear.

    Eventually Julie returned to the beach . . . two hours before the water taxi was scheduled to return. She said as it was the taxi came two hours later and for those four hours she said every noise she heard on the beach convinced her that a bear was about ready to pounce on her.

    It was on Monday while talking with a doc who routinely flies in the area that she learned that this state park is full of bears. She also learned a possible reason for the atypical bear behavior. She and the doc theorized that the bear might have learned that this camping spot often contains some easy meals when campers have failed to stow their food in a bear-proof manner . . . or the bear could have learned to get a free, easy meal from campers by approaching them in the same manner as some campers might be tempted to throw some food at the bear to "distract" it as they scamper to safety.

    In any case, my sister says she will not be going back to this campsite anytime soon.
    "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."

    "Death is only one of many ways to die."

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Robbinston, ME
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Thank God she's ok. She must think quick on her feet. I would have been frozen in fear. Hope she won't have anymore scary stories like that one!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Auburn
    Posts
    2,134

    Default

    I had a bear encounter last weekend! I wanted to test ride a new mountain bike on Sunday so I scouted a nice hilly place (Bangor Hill in Orono). I like it because its not very well known except in the winter as a ski trail.

    On the way out, I saw what I first thought was a black dog. It crossed the trail less than 10 feet in front of my bike. I almost hit it.

    In less than 1 second, I thought it might be a black lab, but no, it's about the size and shape of a beach ball and it has the gait of a... Oh !?@%... it's a bear cub!!

    Now, I know you do not want to be between a cub and it's mother. But, is mother in front of me or behind me? No time to think, just run! Then, I remembered, "always make a lot of noise." Well, I must have been scary enough because I never saw momma bear. On the way out, I noticed a sign: "Bear Baiting prohibited, except by written permission". I'm glad I didn't disappoint them.

    Which reminds me of a Montana joke: you can tell a grizzly scat from brown bear scat because brown bear scat has berry seeds and grizzly scat has bells!
    The farmer gave permission to place the cache in the field, but the bull charges.

  4. #4

    Default Run Tat Run!

    Tat you should write a book of your adventures.


    "It may be that your soul purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others" ~Steven Wright~
    I'm in my own little Lat/Lon

    “Danse avec les Arbres”

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Brewer,ME
    Posts
    2,611

    Wink A "book" wouldn't be enough

    Quote Originally Posted by Foxgloves View Post
    Tat you should write a book of your adventures.


    It would fill volumes
    Happy Trails!



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