There’s nothing quite like peering up at the rear end of a mama bear descending from a poplar tree, or rousing a sleeping sow and her cubs, coming nose to nose in the dark.
"Outside of seeing children wearing face masks, about the most shocking image in my memory" - really, me, too. And unexpectedly seeing a baby buzzard's screaming face coming at me would indeed freak me out. Liked this, David. Here is my bear tale - https://jamesron.substack.com/p/bear-encounter-on-mt-marcy-new-york-495
Was up and over Marcy five times as well as most of the high peaks of the Adirondack. There's a famous bear named Fat Jimmy who feasts on Pop Tarts and Ramen noodles swiped from the food bags of hapless campers. He'll sit at the perimeter till things quiet down, you'll never hear him coming, but you'll hear him going.
We veteran hikers know enough to leave our dirty pots and pans outside the tent so we hear the bear rummaging, and sleep with our heads on our food bags.
Hi Megan, so good to hear from you. Yeah, I very much like black bears (eastern) and have lots of bear stories (see comments here). Though I would not behave the same with bears in other places (grizzly, brown, Kodiak).
Locals refer to them as the old men of the forest, they are more or less harmless unless threatened and folks have been known to invite them into their homes, neighbors and family members.
I’ve been in a strange in between these days friend. Glad to pop up for some air and reconnect. Bears have a very special place in my heart. They’ve guided me many times. I love the stories your share- the old men of the forest sounds right. Here we have the spectacled andean bear. He’s a sweetie with glasses. I walked in the forest and could smell them and hear them but they gave us some distance and watched on curiously.
If a bear jumped over my car I might of had a heart attack. The closest I have been to a bear was in Lake Tahoe. I used to go there often when I lived in California. My then husband and I were having breakfast at a diner and across the street a bear was going through the rubbish. Also reminds me of that failed comedian who moved to Alaska to study and live too close to bears. Eventually I got eaten by one...not a fun way to go. LOL
I was so glad when that bear ate that freakin' idiot, sadly his girlfriend fell prey as well. Kodiak Island and Brown Bears. He worshipped them as gentle, wise beasts, and overlooked their propensity toward ruthless carnivores. Out east our black bears eat herbs and berries, the occasional carcass. I would act differently out west, where they have been known to eat people.
Probably one of the only known fatalities from an eastern black bear occurred just recently in Virginia when a hunter shot a bear from the tree it was up in, the bear fell from the tree and landed on a hunting buddy below...killing him.
Fun animal stories. And boy them pickers are amazing.
You should have mentioned that you're in that protest song post! But thanks for recommending it. Appreciated.
Are you familiar with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones?
No, not familiar with them. Do you have a recommendation?
You bet, stay tuned, maybe in a post.
Meanwhile, here's a good introduction: https://youtu.be/UoLXtj0aCiM?si=vBEfhs3LZEFMUk8_
"Outside of seeing children wearing face masks, about the most shocking image in my memory" - really, me, too. And unexpectedly seeing a baby buzzard's screaming face coming at me would indeed freak me out. Liked this, David. Here is my bear tale - https://jamesron.substack.com/p/bear-encounter-on-mt-marcy-new-york-495
Was up and over Marcy five times as well as most of the high peaks of the Adirondack. There's a famous bear named Fat Jimmy who feasts on Pop Tarts and Ramen noodles swiped from the food bags of hapless campers. He'll sit at the perimeter till things quiet down, you'll never hear him coming, but you'll hear him going.
We veteran hikers know enough to leave our dirty pots and pans outside the tent so we hear the bear rummaging, and sleep with our heads on our food bags.
HA. enjoyable opener. laughed hard: "There’s nothing quite like peering up at the rear end of a mama bear descending from a poplar tree"
Hi Megan, so good to hear from you. Yeah, I very much like black bears (eastern) and have lots of bear stories (see comments here). Though I would not behave the same with bears in other places (grizzly, brown, Kodiak).
Locals refer to them as the old men of the forest, they are more or less harmless unless threatened and folks have been known to invite them into their homes, neighbors and family members.
I’ve been in a strange in between these days friend. Glad to pop up for some air and reconnect. Bears have a very special place in my heart. They’ve guided me many times. I love the stories your share- the old men of the forest sounds right. Here we have the spectacled andean bear. He’s a sweetie with glasses. I walked in the forest and could smell them and hear them but they gave us some distance and watched on curiously.
Strange in betweens are our stock and trade Megan, it's who we are...leave room for the inexplicable.
Watched a mama bear cross the road trailing eight cubs behind her, she'd adopted a whole clan.
Sometimes a guru appears as a big white dog, or something else.
Totally- the space between :) awww. i love that a momma adopted baby bears. so beautiful. I have a big white dog !! funny
If a bear jumped over my car I might of had a heart attack. The closest I have been to a bear was in Lake Tahoe. I used to go there often when I lived in California. My then husband and I were having breakfast at a diner and across the street a bear was going through the rubbish. Also reminds me of that failed comedian who moved to Alaska to study and live too close to bears. Eventually I got eaten by one...not a fun way to go. LOL
I was so glad when that bear ate that freakin' idiot, sadly his girlfriend fell prey as well. Kodiak Island and Brown Bears. He worshipped them as gentle, wise beasts, and overlooked their propensity toward ruthless carnivores. Out east our black bears eat herbs and berries, the occasional carcass. I would act differently out west, where they have been known to eat people.
Probably one of the only known fatalities from an eastern black bear occurred just recently in Virginia when a hunter shot a bear from the tree it was up in, the bear fell from the tree and landed on a hunting buddy below...killing him.
Welcome to my strange little world.