Oh, Shenandoah

Well, it finally happened. My first undeniable, close encounter with a bear. Actually, 3 bears. It was no surprise...you can only spend so much time in the great forests of the east before coming into contact with Ursus Americanus. Sure, M and I had seen a couple of bears retreating quickly over a ridge or into the brush - and this is probably the most common encounter that hikers have with bears. But there is nothing...

...like being stared down by one of these creatures. It happened several days into our hike in the Shenandoah National Park. This is one of the most-visited parks in the country - it's close proximity to Washington, DC brings in crowds, especially at this time of the year. The park sits on a relatively narrow piece of land along the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail runs along the ridge (of course), frequently crossing the famous Skyline Drive.

We stopped after a 20 mile day at a shelter called, of all things, Bearfence Shelter. And no, there is no fence. A section hiker, nervously stoking a fire, was the only person there. He seemed extremely glad to see us, since he had heard a great deal of crashing about in the brush. Now, deer, chipmunks, squirrels and lizards make a fair amount of noise, especially when frightened, but there is something unmistakeable about the deliberate slow snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves that a bear makes...it's almost human.

Relieved to be done with walking for the day, we unstrapped our packs and went about the usual business of the evening - cooking dinner, washing up, laying out sleeping bags, etc. M went down to the spring to wash off his feet. I was deep in conversation when I heard the rustling sound a few yards from the shelter. That's when I looked up and saw the inky black face of a black bear staring me down. Bears are supposed to be afraid of humans, right? "They're more afraid of you than you are of them," is a frequently uttered phrase in the outdoors. This one just looked mean. I saw two more black shapes moving about behind it. Hmmm, were the bears getting ready to stage an attack? The other hikers tried clapping and making noise to scare them off, but the one in front wasn't budging. Then we realized that the two shapes in the background were cubs, going cheerfully about the business of eating and playing, while Mama stood guard, sending the clear message that we should NOT mess with her family. I tried to get a picture, but it was twilight and simply too dark in the forest to get a clear shot.

I woke up several times during the night to lots of rustling - apparently the spring was popular among the animals, as well as hikers. I'm starting to realize that even though the forest is full of creatures, it is unlikely that they will drag me from my sleeping bag and devour me. I just wish they would be a little more quiet as they go about their business.