My bear story

azbackpackr · Posted: 1/8/2006, 1:10 pm Post subject: My bear story

See, I was up in Alberta with my boyfriend. This was back in '74 or so, whatever year it was that Nixon resigned. I saw that deal on CBC--strange to have the Canadian viewpoint for such a momentous event. Anyhoo, he and I were driving around BC and Alberta, camping in the various national parks. We got to Jasper, found a campground. The ranger told us to watch out for a bear that kept coming into the campground. He said that if we saw it coming we should bang pans and yell to make it go away.

Long about dinner time we heard a lot of pan banging going on down the line. The pan banging got closer as the bear traveled from camp to camp, looking for a handout. Finally he got to our camp and we dutifully banged our pans, and he dutifully went away to bother the next campsite down the line.

After dark we lay down in our sleeping bags on the ground. We didn't have a tent. About 30 minutes later, after my friend had fallen deeply asleep, I heard people yelling and banging pans. I'm thinkin', oh, no, that bear is back! What should I do?

I just lay there in my sleeping bag, and pretty soon I heard a scuffling noise. It was quite dark and I couldn't see the bear but I sure could hear him wandering into our camp. Then he came over to where we were sleeping and sniffed at my feet. He made a snuffly noise as he sniffed, with a little grunting thrown in. Then he sniffed my middle. Then he sniffed my hair. Then he sniffled and snuffled around my face. Meanwhile I was frozen, still as a stone. I don't think I even breathed!

Then he sniffed my boyfriend, and then he went away. My boyfriend never even woke up! I slept in the VW beetle that night.

Davis2001R6 · Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 5591 Location: Italy

azbackpackr · Posted: 1/8/2006, 3:19 pm Post subject:

Well, it isn't something you forget. Wait til you hear my mountain lion story. I'm saving that one for later.

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

That was great. I've got a couple stories like that myself.
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

Shihiyea · Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 1135

I have had several bear encounters (from the mid-west), but I've always gotten the bear to leave. I honestly doubt that I would be able to just sit still! I remember backpacking with somone who snored loudly. I wasn't expecting this noise and in the middle of the night, I ripping out of my sleeping bag and tent so fast...I thought a bear was after our food! Turned out my girlfriend sounds like a bear when she sleeps! Mary

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

Thank you. Thank you very much. ROFLMAO

_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

CatValet · Posted: 1/8/2006, 11:09 pm Post subject:

You never know....in October a mile north of Reavis at about 10pm, a mountain lion about ten feet away screamed at me. Geez, ok so I was snoring, why the attitude?

Shihiyea · Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 1135

Randy, I still laugh over that! I'm glad it was you and NOT me! I would have freaked out! I took my son backpacking there over the holidays. I had to send him off on a hike, while I set up camp. He came back with his eyes huge and dialated. I waited for him to tell me what happened. Apparently the mountain lion, had followed him for a ways. He said he didn't see prints, but on his way back, they had been following this tracks. He said, "I grabbed a rock in one hand and a stick in the other." That whole night he was jumpy. An other friend of mine saw the tail end of that cat, when he was there a couple months ago. Mary