I
started the morning as I always do when I visit Donnie; making French toast for
breakfast. We ate plenty and talked some
more. My nephew Eric was there doing
some roofing projects for Donnie, but mostly for the fishing. Like his dad, my brother Jim, he’s a
fanatical fisherman and loves to fish the Grasse – Donnie’s property abuts it
and he has a boat ramp. Eric had landed
a 41” Muskie the night before – a rare accomplishment. He said it would be nothing to spend several
days fishing the river and never getting one, so his weekend was already made
when he put his boat in that morning.
While
we ate, Donnie shared a story he’d heard about a woman who’d been stalked by
three black bears on the Northville-Placid trail a couple of weeks earlier.
“She
said they were following her for several miles.
She tried turning and yelling at them, but they kept following. She took out a pocket knife and kept it ready
and when the one was right on top of her and ready to bite her in the shoulder,
she stabbed it in the jaw,” he said.
I
had no reason to doubt the story, which is extremely unusual, but we googled it
and found the entire tale and it went pretty much the way Donnie related
it. It was likely a hungry mom with two
older cubs, habituated to humans by raiding camp sites. The fact that she was stalking is an
indicator that she was undernourished and struggling for food. The young woman did exactly as she should
have, which is to fight back. Black
bears are much smaller and less aggressive than grizzlies, but when they do
attack, it’s likely because they mean to eat you. The stab to the jaw did the trick; the bears
retreated quickly.
I
was on the road for the long drive home by 11 a.m. Though disappointed in the weather and the
lack of view from the peaks, any time in the Adirondacks is time well
spent. I’ll return in two weeks with
Heidi and John Heer and Donnie will join us for some camping and hiking. The fall foliage may have peaked by then and
it could be much colder, but I’ve got the gear and will enjoy the time
regardless.
I just wanted to say that I enjoy reading your blog, I found it Googling kayaking and East Branch Reservoir. Being from Painesville it is nice reading about the different parks that I often hike, though I wish you would name them. Many I could guess by your description.
ReplyDeleteI have seen black bears a couple times in the Alleghenies. you are correct, they do not stick around when they know you are there. I would be very concerned if one was following me. Still, they are very cool to see in the wild.