I had just received my favorite publication, the ‘Adirondack Explorer’, and sat down to read it when one of the stories jumped off the cover. ‘Black Bear attacks man and his dog’ or words to that effect. Seems that a man was hiking with his unleashed dog on a trail in the town of Stratford, southern Adirondacks, when he saw a bear chasing his terrier back down the trail in his direction. As I suppose most good dog owners would do, he went to the aid of his dog. In the ensuing battle, he was bitten and scratched quite severely, but managed to fight the bear off when he hit it in the nose with a stick. Bleeding badly, he bushwhacked his way back to the trailhead where he was aided by other hikers and before his blood loss threw him into complete shock. Both he and the dog recovered nicely.
I sent this information along to Kathy, a friend looking to spend some time in the Adirondacks, and she wrote back ‘trip cancelled’. I assured her that these attacks were extremely uncommon in the Adirondacks and by black bears, the only species of bear in the Adirondacks, and that the man was able to fight off the bear. She’s hiked in grizzly country and takes appropriate precautions, like carrying pepper spray, and wasn’t really that worried. I also reminded her that I would naturally throw myself at any bear that approached her, thus sacrificing myself for the greater good – though I’m sure no black bear is a match for me.
Still, it is good to remind people that black bear country, which is expanding and includes all of the Adirondack park and all the parks of Pennsylvania, carries with it the possibility of an encounter and it is quite important to know the appropriate steps to take. I saw a trailer for the new movie ‘A Walk in the Woods’ with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, which is the story of author Bill Bryson’s experiences on the Appalachian Trail and when they encounter two black bears, Redford reads from his guide book, “we should intimidate the bears.” Nolte is quite certain this is bad advice saying, “intimidate them? They’re fucking bears!”
Redford’s guide book wasn’t entirely wrong. The following recommendations come from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation in how to deal with a black bear:
· Never approach, surround or corner a bear: Bears aggressively defend themselves when they feel threatened.
· Be especially cautious around cubs as mother bears are very protective. Never run from a bear: stay calm, speak in a loud and calm voice, slowly back away and leave the area.
· Use noise to scare away bears from your campsite: yell, clap or bang pots immediately upon sighting a bear near your campsite.
· Do not throw your backpack or food bag at an approaching bear: Doing so will only encourage bears to approach and “bully” people to get
Though these tips don’t include some other important considerations. Make yourself look big by standing and waving your arms if they are approaching. Don’t look them in the eye, but don’t bother to run or climb a tree. They climb like squirrels and run faster than Usain Bolt. If they actually attack, fight like hell as the man did in this situation. Don’t play dead or you will be.
Such incidences only heighten my interest in being in the Adirondacks. I want to be places where the wildlife originally intended for a region is still in place. I want to get out of my comfort zone to some degree. I like lying awake at night and wondering what the noise was that I just heard and what could have made it (likely a squirrel). It is part of the beauty and serenity of the woods. It’s primal and in our DNA and the tingling I get reminds me I’m alive and that what I’m doing has some degree of risk. I’m not interested in living in a ‘plastic bubble’ and want to experience the great outdoors, albeit as safely as possible without missing the true adventure. With two trips planned for this fall, I continue to train to be ready. Bears? Yes…we need those stinking bears!
Hike Duration: One hour
Training Heart Rate: 100-110 bpm.
Calories burned: 500.
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