Mike, you know I'm not one to stretch the truth. Bears are very intelligent creatures. My brother, Frank, and I were hiking alone in Yosemite when we encountered a bear. Frank took a photo of me with the bear. I took a photo of him next to it. Third photo is of just Frank and me together. There is only one possible explanation for the third photo --bear took it. I feel privileged to have captured this visual record and verification before it ate us.
Ok, hold on here. Let me catch my breath, ease the substernal tightness with .4mg nitro.....ok. Not one to stretch the truth....'scuse, I need another nitro. Ok, sure. Geo, I hate to ask, but could I have your physical address again? Seem to have lost it, and that company, the guys with nets, are asking. I'll wait......
If I was being guided up here or in Alaska, and the guide told me that, being attractive to bears, I'd move on to the next guide. I've only had a few, and only two with big browns, was plenty for me.
When my family visited Yellowstone in the late fifties there were ten foot tall signs. Standard park signs of pine logs cut in half, with the message routered out. The signs were that tall in order to have a full size grizzly on its hind feet, front paws outstretched and dripping red blood from its paws to its feet. Next to the bear in yellow letters: "Do not feed the bears." Nuff said. I think the signs came down when too many little children had nightmares.And so goes the dumbing down of America.
Back then Yellowstone had a couple garbage dumps that actually had ballpark-type stands set up for people to watch the bears go through the garbage. The bear population dropped dramatically when this started until they started learning to hunt and forage like wild animals should.
When I lived in BC I knew a woman who'd spent a summer deep in the interior trying to finish the field work on a scientific project before she had to return to civilization for the birth of her child. One day as she returned to her camp she came face to face with a cub. Without thinking twice, or her centre of gravity, she climbed the nearest tall tree and stayed in it until the mother bear came to collect her child.
The last time someone pressed me for a guarantee of seeing wildlife, I told them Denver had a pretty decent zoo.
ReplyDeleteHeh....thing I used to say to tourists in Anchorage also.
DeleteMike, you know I'm not one to stretch the truth. Bears are very intelligent creatures. My brother, Frank, and I were hiking alone in Yosemite when we encountered a bear. Frank took a photo of me with the bear. I took a photo of him next to it. Third photo is of just Frank and me together. There is only one possible explanation for the third photo --bear took it. I feel privileged to have captured this visual record and verification before it ate us.
ReplyDeleteOk, hold on here. Let me catch my breath, ease the substernal tightness with .4mg nitro.....ok. Not one to stretch the truth....'scuse, I need another nitro. Ok, sure.
DeleteGeo, I hate to ask, but could I have your physical address again? Seem to have lost it, and that company, the guys with nets, are asking. I'll wait......
Sounds perfect for "reality" TV.... not.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, TB. This got reported on local Montana papers, sounded good so I passed it on.
DeleteI should be their guide, bears seem attracted to me as I've had plenty of face-to-face encounters with them (and not just the stuffed variety)
ReplyDeleteIf I was being guided up here or in Alaska, and the guide told me that, being attractive to bears, I'd move on to the next guide. I've only had a few, and only two with big browns, was plenty for me.
DeleteWhen my family visited Yellowstone in the late fifties there were ten foot tall signs. Standard park signs of pine logs cut in half, with the message routered out. The signs were that tall in order to have a full size grizzly on its hind feet, front paws outstretched and dripping red blood from its paws to its feet. Next to the bear in yellow letters: "Do not feed the bears." Nuff said. I think the signs came down when too many little children had nightmares.And so goes the dumbing down of America.
ReplyDeleteBack then Yellowstone had a couple garbage dumps that actually had ballpark-type stands set up for people to watch the bears go through the garbage. The bear population dropped dramatically when this started until they started learning to hunt and forage like wild animals should.
DeleteLOL I've seen this kind of thing in guestbooks here "You promised us whales, goddammit, we were ripped off!"
ReplyDeleteLoved your B&Ws on your previous post.
XO
WWW
I know a couple fishing guides, and they have stories about clients who go fishless....
DeleteThanks, glad you liked them.
Whenever I go into bear country (just black bears here) I always make sure I can run faster than at least one other person that I am traveling with.
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteWhen I lived in BC I knew a woman who'd spent a summer deep in the interior trying to finish the field work on a scientific project before she had to return to civilization for the birth of her child. One day as she returned to her camp she came face to face with a cub. Without thinking twice, or her centre of gravity, she climbed the nearest tall tree and stayed in it until the mother bear came to collect her child.
ReplyDeleteGutsy move on her part. I've seen cubs a few times when out and was always nervous till I'd seen where mom was.
DeleteI went through Yellowstone once without seeing a bear but I didn't realize they were supposed to be trained for visitor photos.
ReplyDelete