Everything was very quiet.
I like to have a walk on Village Rim Trail after work. Last Monday, I walked on the trail like always and randomly picked a bench for a seat, did nothing but enjoyed the view. It was cloudy so there were fewer visitors than normal, I didn’t meet any guests around the trail. After 20 minutes, there were several crows flying around me and some of them perked on the top of the Lodgepole, they seemed to be talking about something that I didn’t know that much. “Hey buddies, do anything you want but don’t peck me, please!” I said. Soon, they flew away, all of them.
Then, everything became very quiet, it felt as if the village was waiting for something.
I stood up and stretched my body a bit, picked my travel mug up, ready for going back to the residence. It started colder suddenly, I guessed because the long rest cools my body down. I walked along the trail and thought “Bad luck, didn’t see any charming deer and squirrels”, gazed at the mountains on the right-hand side which are covered by snow and fog, “Amazing, no, it’s not just amazing, it’s magnificent! Live here is good that’s for sure.” I said. Then I turned my head to the other side.
A bear on the pavement staring at me.
“Lovely”, I…I was scaaaaared, I looked at the bear, and the bear looked at me, for 3 seconds. I tried to calm myself down, then started back away slowly for about 20 meters and try not to startle the bear. After a while, the bear turned around and continued to eat grass.
About bears
I am happy I didn’t look tasty, the bear decided to eat grass, not me, and that’s the moment I realized that bears eat grass as well, they are omnivorous.
I left my bear bell and bear spray in the residence since I didn’t expect a bear appears. That’s a bad example, it’s better to well-prepared at any time when you live in a bear country. And I am lucky it was a black bear rather than a grizzly, which is way more aggressive.
In general, bears are more active at dusk and dawn, so consider hiking at a different time to avoid bear encounters. They seldom get too close to people, but they don’t like surprises, so it’s highly recommended to make noises while walking or hiking in their territory, to alert bears that someone is coming and keep them away from us. If you don’t have a bear bell, just play music loudly from your phone.
Hiking essential checklist
- Bear Bell (to make noise)
- Bear Spray (for self-defense against a bear)
- First Aid Kit / Medicine Kit
- Flashlight
- Extra Clothing
- Water and Well-Packaged Food (avoid dying of hunger)
In addition, make sure your family and friends know where you are going, and tell them the estimated time. If you have choices, don’t hike alone, when you are in a group you are likely a lot less to become a target from a bear. And you definitely will have a better experience, I’ve tried hiking alone two weeks ago, it’s not fun at all, it’s more like visiting a Jurassic park, I was startled by sudden movements or rustling leaves sound several times, I am grateful for small mercies that they were just deer and squirrels. A very close jumping deer is quite scary as a starving grizzly.
Safety comes first, always.
