Bears Repeating

Here is a funny story or a nightmare depending on your point of view.

An Alaska woman was injured last Saturday after being wounded on the bottom by a black bear while using an outhouse.

Shannon Stevens, of Haines, was involved in the accident on a weekend trip to Chilkat Lake with her brother and his girlfriend. The trio traveled to the remote region and stayed in a yurt.

The woman told KTOO, a radio station serving Alaska’s capital city of Juneau, that she “jumped up and screamed” after a close encounter while on a toilet.

The woman’s brother, Erik Stevens, responded to her calls for help and they used a headlamp to investigate. After opening the lid, they claimed to have seen a “gigantic bear face” staring back at them from approximately an inch below the seat.

Shannon Stevens required bandages to stop bleeding but was not seriously injured. “It felt like just a single puncture. Maybe it wasn’t even a bite. It might have been a swipe with his claw. I don’t think we’ll ever really know.”

Now there’s a story you don’t hear every day! Not only was this a rude surprise, but you have to ask yourself what was a bear doing in the outhouse pit in the first place.  I thought the expression was  ‘does a bear  s***t in the woods?’ Apparently not.

Monty and I have seen a lot of bears out in the wilds and I’m really kind of fond of them.  But then I’ve never encountered one in an outhouse.  I’m kind of torn between a friendly bear or a nasty snake in the outhouse.  Actually I’m not fond of outhouses at all.  

The first bear we ever saw was a large cinnamon colored bear happily eating berries.  We had just walked up to the edge of a canyon in Utah to watch the sun set on the rocks.  We got comfy on the ledge and looked down and there was a beautiful cinnamon colored bear pulling berries off a bush.  We were awe struck to be so close to the bear and he didn’t seem bothered by us.  He was well below where we were sitting and we weren’t worried about him charging up the ravine to come after us.   I have to admit though, as we crawled into the tent that night we did wonder where the bear might have gone after finishing his dinner.  We sincerely hoped he was past the hunger stage and not looking for desert.     

The next year we went camping to the same place with our friends, Linda and Nelson,  and on the hike to the canyon edge we told them about the bear we saw the previous year.   We got up to the edge looked down and there was a bear in the same spot pulling berries off the bushes.  We always wondered if it was the same bear but this one was wearing a much darker fur coat.  

On that same camping trip we loaded up blankets in the evening and rode the ATV’s over to an adjacent canyon to watch the full moon come up on a beautiful clear night.  What a sight!  The moon looked like we could reach out and touch it.   On that little jaunt we saw a momma bear and her two cubs ambling along.  We were careful not to startle them or get too close but I was so excited it was hard to be quiet.  

When we camped up in the Sierra Ancha Mountains in Arizona we had a bear come by the camp, just on the other side of the creek.  He wasn’t a big bear like the others we’ve seen, he was more a scraggly juvenile, he completely ignored us, just moseying  along his way.   

Outside Missoula, Montana is the National Bison Range.  If you are in the area take a couple of hours to drive through the Range.  We saw big horn sheep, antelope, a huge buck with a rack to rival the Hartford buck, plenty of bison and a momma bear and her two cubs.  Momma bear and the cubs were about 20 feet off the road, one cub was practicing his tree climbing skills and the other one was under mom’s feet as she scratched at a tree.   We watched from the car for quite awhile.  (actually we got out of the car to take a few pictures but that probably wasn’t a good idea)

Most National Parks have Ranger campfire talks in the evening. Every one is different, the Rangers talk about the wildlife found in the park or the different kinds of vegetation.  Since the parks are away from cities the night sky is a frequent topic.  

I’ll never forget the first time we went to Glacier National Park we sat down for the ranger talk and the big discussion was about a bear that had walked through the campground about 15 minutes before we got there.    The ranger spent a lot of time telling us about bears.  She went into great detail describing the difference between black bears and grizzles.   

The grizzly bear has a pronounced shoulder hump, which the black bear lacks. Grizzlies have a concave or “dished” facial profile, smaller ears and much larger claws than the black bear. Black bears have a flatter, “Roman-nose” profile, larger ears, no visible shoulder hump and smaller claws.  I’ve never understood why it was important to distinguish between the two. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to ever be close enough to a bear to decide if he has small ears or check his profile for a dish face.  One thing the Ranger was adamant about is not to shooo a bear.  No shooing, apparently that really ticks off the bears.

But  just so you know, if you come face to face with a grizzly, stand and face the bear directly. Never run away from or approach him.(honestly we have to be told not to approach one?)  Make yourself look as big as possible by spreading your arms or, better yet, a coat. If you are in a camping situation make as much noise as possible, banging pots and pans. On the other hand if you encounter a black bear is it best to play dead.  Hmmm first I have identify the bear and then decide what to do.  I’d probably just run so all the instructions are a waste.

In Glacier National Park you are required to have a minimum of six people on a hike. Preferably at least two of them slower than you.  OK, that is an old joke, but the hiking restrictions are real.

They have a sign posted at the visitors center:

  The Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking.  The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them.  This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper tray can just in case a bear is encountered.  Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear’s sensitive nose and it will run away.

It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area.  People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear dropping are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur.  Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper. 

Ya gotta love those Park Rangers, they have a real sense of humor.