Bear!

[tvashtarkatena]

I spotted 14 bears in two days while on the Bath Lakes High Route during berry season. Four in one meadow. Three at point blank range (Hi there!), the largest of which was probably pushing 400 lbs and absolutely the most gigantic black bear I've ever seen. This fall, get on your mountain bike, through some smoked salmon in a pack and go get some of those bear necessities.

[Rad]

Went to Yos last fall with friends to explore the giant Sequoias, Sentinel dome, and the valley floor. It was perfect fall weather. I looking longingly at the cliffs, did a bit of bouldering one afternoon, but was generally content to forego climbing and enjoy spending time with our kids and friends. We stayed in Curry Village, where they show you footage of bears breaking into cars for food at the check-in counter. I put all our food in our wood cabin, according to instructions, and we settled in on a starry, silent night. I left one small window open for ventilation, and at 1am was awakened to the sound of heavy breathing/sniffing at the window. Bear! A few minutes later it shuffled away without trying to climb through the window. Those cabins are pretty darn flimsy. Yikes! Toward 3am, we were awakened by loud scrabbling sounds. I flicked on the light to see a damp rodent dash across the floor past our daughter, who continued to sleep soundly. I put her in our bed, closed the food in a dresser drawer, and left the bathroom door open for the rodent to escape. A few minutes later it darted back to the bathroom. I then sealed the sink drain and shoved a towel into the gap under the door to the hot water heater. It didn’t return.

[Dechristo]

 

There used to be a gal that worked at VW Seattle that saw a cougar up by the river at X38 about 8 or 9 years ago . . .

 

Spotted a cougar mountainbiking on Tiger Mtn. a couple years ago.

 

Watched a big male, from 50 ft away, last Sunday.

[Dechristo]

Actually, most moose are bigger than most bears.

 

"The moose can grow to be over 3 metres (10 ft.) in length and a shoulder height of over 2 metres (6+ft.). Males can weigh 600 kg. (over 1300 pounds)."

 

Only polar bears or the largest grizzlies could come close.

 

Had a huge mother-moose-fucker come down out of the trees onto the roadway in front of me in Yellowstone in '76. I stopped, he stopped (in the middle of the road), he turned his head and stared at the headlights for a moment, turned away, then back to staring at my truck. He dwarfed my '66 Dodge pick-up.

 

In my truck, I was scared.

 

A year later, in the north end of the Wind Rivers, I had hiked 'til past dusk from above treeline into the upper Green River where the brush was thick. Knackered and ready to fall asleep, I hiked for awhile longer on a game trail looking for a fairly flat, level bit of ground to flop on. Nothing. It was getting dark enough to have trouble seeing, so I simply spread out myself in the bag across the trail.

 

I awoke, in the pre-dawn gray, to the sound of approaching slow footfalls and an occasional twig break. Positioning my eye at the opening of my mummy bag, I saw a cow moose only feet away almost upon me. What to do? If I started, the thing might stomp me until I was a pile of goose down and loose guts. I just laid there, it simply stepped over me. With one eye, I had the rare sight of a moose's under-side as it passed over. She kept walking up the trail.

[trumpetsailor]

Saw a black bear crossing Glacier Creek Road this morning. Very lean and glaumphing along.

[canyondweller]

 

Watched a big male, from 50 ft away, last Sunday.

 

That's a little too close for my comfort, since I've seen them cover twice that distance in about 5 seconds.

 

They make a nice summer sausage, by the way.

[Recycled]

I seem to run into a lot of bears - probably because I always scramble solo and don't make much noise. It seems like I run into one or more bears every time I go up towards Hannegan Pass, Cascade Pass, Cheam Peak and the Rexford area. I've probably see about 50 in the past 10 years, but no "encounters."

 

I pretty sure I saw a griz North of Harts Pass. It had all the signs (claws visible from 200 yards, hump, dish face, size) from a distance. It was ripping apart a meadow and I saw some hikers pass unawares about 50 feet from it. It didn't even look up.

 

Moose can be very scary. Our family got trapped on a finger dock at a lake in Homer last year by a crazed moose. We were at least a couple hundred feet from it when it went apeshit. Flying plate-sized feet, bucking, snorting, etc. It saw us and starting coming toward us. Luckily a float plane took off behind us and it went the other way. The best we can figure out is that it bumbled into a wasp nest, got stung, and the first thing it saw was us.

[Cairns]

We were hiking up the Far Side trail this afternoon when we came upon a large black bear in the middle of the trail just a 100yds from the road.

 

Where have you seen them?

 

 

meat department of the grocery store, once

 

[Dechristo]

 

Watched a big male, from 50 ft away, last Sunday.

 

That's a little too close for my comfort, since I've seen them cover twice that distance in about 5 seconds.

 

 

I was sitting comfortably in my car.

[canyondweller]

Well, then; no worries. I, however, was not so lucky.