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- Sep 10, 2003
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We just spent 3 weeks hiking in the Yukon and Alaska. Watched 2 films and read 2 pamphlets about what to do if you encounter a bear. Always had our super blaster pepper spray with us while hiking.
One evening we visited a park where grizzlies habitually come to forage. I was standing on the road along with other tourists watching a bear chowing down on grass when we realized that it was getting very close to us. Everyone scampered to their cars on the other side of the road and it emerged from the grass, crossed the road, started up a hill, turned around and came back to the middle of the road, went back to the hill, came back to the road started chuffing at us and did a short fake charge toward us (I imagine some people's bowels were getting a bit loose at that point). The bear was getting perturbed. That's when we noticed 3 little faces hunkered down in the trees on the opposite side of the road.
Mama bear was telling us to back off so she could get her cubs to safety. The #1 thing you're not supposed to do is get between a bear and her cubs and that's precisely what happened. She got really close to us so I did the prudent thing and made sure a tasty looking tourist was in front of me (
) to provide a bit of a barrier and we all proceeded to snap away on our cameras.
I now know what primal fear feels like.
We talked to a park ranger who witnessed the encounter and it turns out this bear has a name -- Speedy, she's a local favorite who's been around humans enough to remain relatively chill.
After dinner we went back to a bridge over the river and watched a large male mow down grass. He scared the poops out of 2 people who were sitting in the grass fishing. We called to them from the bridge that the bear was with 3 feet away from them and they did the #2 thing you're not supposed to do when encountering a bear -- run. Fortunately the bear decided not to chase them.
I learned 4 new things about bears the size of a truck -- they're faster than you think; they move silently when they want to; they are expertly camouflaged in tall grass; they continue to grow their entire lives.
That same day on the way to another part of the park we encountered a female moose. Pictures were taken through bug splattered windshield.
Grizz mom in the grass a few feet from me, in the road calling to her cubs, the cubs
Big male that likes to scare fishermen and the moose
One evening we visited a park where grizzlies habitually come to forage. I was standing on the road along with other tourists watching a bear chowing down on grass when we realized that it was getting very close to us. Everyone scampered to their cars on the other side of the road and it emerged from the grass, crossed the road, started up a hill, turned around and came back to the middle of the road, went back to the hill, came back to the road started chuffing at us and did a short fake charge toward us (I imagine some people's bowels were getting a bit loose at that point). The bear was getting perturbed. That's when we noticed 3 little faces hunkered down in the trees on the opposite side of the road.
Mama bear was telling us to back off so she could get her cubs to safety. The #1 thing you're not supposed to do is get between a bear and her cubs and that's precisely what happened. She got really close to us so I did the prudent thing and made sure a tasty looking tourist was in front of me (
) to provide a bit of a barrier and we all proceeded to snap away on our cameras.I now know what primal fear feels like.
We talked to a park ranger who witnessed the encounter and it turns out this bear has a name -- Speedy, she's a local favorite who's been around humans enough to remain relatively chill.
After dinner we went back to a bridge over the river and watched a large male mow down grass. He scared the poops out of 2 people who were sitting in the grass fishing. We called to them from the bridge that the bear was with 3 feet away from them and they did the #2 thing you're not supposed to do when encountering a bear -- run. Fortunately the bear decided not to chase them.
I learned 4 new things about bears the size of a truck -- they're faster than you think; they move silently when they want to; they are expertly camouflaged in tall grass; they continue to grow their entire lives.
That same day on the way to another part of the park we encountered a female moose. Pictures were taken through bug splattered windshield.
Grizz mom in the grass a few feet from me, in the road calling to her cubs, the cubs
Big male that likes to scare fishermen and the moose
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