Finally saw a bear...

[buckowens]

I just returned from a 5 day trip from Blue Ridge Gap to NOC. Unfortunately, Roo, my 9 year old hiking buddy and daughter got sick about a mile into it with stomach cramps and fever, and could not go along. I did a solo, as I always wondered what that was like. Quiet...and not as many good stories as when she is along

I was hiking above Tellico Gap on Friday at about 0900 hours and heard something moving through the brush BEHIND me. By the time I turned around in the trail a beautiful black bear crossed the trail about 50-75 yards behind me. He was as black as night and had a very brown muzzle. I said "Hey bear!!" as at this point I was not entirely convinced he was running away from me... I am fairly certain my voice had raised a few octaves as well...He glanced my direction and continued to move out smartly. I would guess he was about 250-300 pounds or so... I thought I heard another one moving in the brush but never saw it. I continued to talk to him and continued to move out myself.

I have studied bears quite a bit, but am still awestruck by the experience. I highly recommend "Among the Bears" by Ben Killam if you want to learn more about them and their behavior. They generally get bad press.

I am happy to have seen one, but sorry Roo was not there to share. Just had to tell somebody...

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Congrats on seeing a bear. IME, I have rarely seen any wildlife when I had children in tow. While they are a joy to have along, they do make a lot of noise .

Sorry Roo was ill - give the wee tot a hug from the Moma Dino. Hope she is feeling better.

[buckowens]

Congrats on seeing a bear. IME, I have rarely seen any wildlife when I had children in tow. While they are a joy to have along, they do make a lot of noise .

Sorry Roo was ill - give the wee tot a hug from the Moma Dino. Hope she is feeling better.

I will do that, and yes she is feeling better. I even double checked to make sure she really wanted to continue to hike in the future and got an emphatic "Yes!!", which made me very happy.

[ed bell]

WTG Buck. Sounds like a great memory for you. Thanks for telling us about it.

[modiyooch]

Last week, I saw 5 bears in one day between Mohican and Culvers Gap. I've been on the trail for 27 years. The only other bear was in SW VA. I saw my first rattlesnake last year. I also saw my first moose last year.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I see bears fairly frequently - at least one a season. I've already seen 7 this year - along with a wild boar, several deer and a skunk that didn't want to move on. It's been a slow year for snakes - have only seen a handful and no rattlers at all.

[Skidsteer]

Saw one this morning at the Cheese Factory.

It caused me to think that scientists really need to revisit just how fast a bear can run.

[buckowens]

Saw one this morning at the Cheese Factory.

It caused me to think that scientists really need to revisit just how fast a bear can run.

Agreed!! He moved more like a thoroughbred more than anything. Made a huge racket in doing it!!

There is also a problem bear on the trail as there are a bunch of signs up. He shows no fear of humans and is stealing packs. Between Wayah and somewhere south, though I cannot remember exactly where as I write this...

I had my new ULA Catalyst on this trip and seriously considered negotiation before just dropping it...

[Cookerhiker]

I have seen more bears this year than the last 30 years combined. Am I just in the right places at the right time? I haven't thruhiked but in '05 I section hiked 700 AT miles all over - NC, TN, VA, NY, MA, ME - at all times of the year and didn't see any.

I've seen them 4 different places/times in Shenandoah NP including a sow & 2 cubs. Two other times I drove past cars lined up on Skyline Drive looking at a bear which I did not see. Then on a day hike in NJ just south of Brink Rd., I saw another.

[Skidsteer]

...There is also a problem bear on the trail as there are a bunch of signs up. He shows no fear of humans and is stealing packs. Between Wayah and somewhere south, though I cannot remember exactly where as I write this...

I had my new ULA Catalyst on this trip and seriously considered negotiation before just dropping it...

The sign on the info board at the Base of Standing Indian in Deep Gap, right?

It's been posted for, ohh, 'bout four years.

[superman]

Pat, Winter and I went for our evening walk tonight. When we got to the church I saw something in the trail but I couldn't see exactly what it was. Pat thought that it was a big dog at first. Then the black bear turned so we could see it better. Pat said that it was a large bear. It seemed to be hanging out behind a vacant house that abuts the trail. When the people moved out they took all their trash and piled it in the side yard. We speculated that the bear was cautiously moving in to get what it could find at the empty house. We cut through the church parking lot and went around that section of the trail where the bear was.
Yesterday a doe was grazing in my lower field.

[Rain Man]

Last week my daughter Grass and I did the AT through the Shenandoah National Park. We saw more than one bear per day in those seven days. We saw bears every day. Often it was a mama and two cubs, but somethings big, strong, handsome males. I have lots of fuzzy pics of fuzzy bear butts. LOL

As far as how fast bear cubs can run, forget that... I saw how fast they can "run" vertically UP a tree when "mama" tells then to. I stood there AMAZED!!!

RainMan

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[Monkeyboy]

Last month, my son and I were at the Deep Gap shelter entrance waiting for our group to get water at the source there.

We were "observing" a patch of blackberries there (which were delicious, BTW) when we heard snapping in the bushes.

I'm thinking a boar is going to come out of the brush, because we've seen evidence of them rooting up and down the trail all day, when all of a sudden the biggest bear head I've ever seen pokes out not 30 yards from where we are standing.

I'm thinking to myself, "Great....here he comes" and say a select four letter word under my breath. The bear hears said four letter word and snaps his head around and just looks at us.

Now, you have to picture this. Here we are a good distance from our packs and walking sticks (our only defense), standing there with blackberries in our hands, and this bear glaring at us!

Luckily, the bear runs off like a bat out of hell away from us. I let out a gasp of relief, and tell my son "It's a good thing that bear ran off".

He then says to me "Like, what were you going to do, go all Crocadile Dundee on him?"

I said "No, you don't understand. We've been hiking for six days now. My knees hurt. Your knees hurt. We're standing here with handfuls of blackberries and there's no way we could ever out run that bear!"

"Besides, I'd really hate to have to push you down!"

[Nightwalker]

Last week, I saw 5 bears in one day between Mohican and Culvers Gap. I've been on the trail for 27 years. The only other bear was in SW VA. I saw my first rattlesnake last year. I also saw my first moose last year.

Last week was my deer time. I saw 6 adult does within 30 minutes on two different sides of a gap in the Shenendoahs. I also had one come within 20 feet of my hammock later the same day, and it didn't even run when I sat up to look at it. Hammocking lets you camp in a lot of places that the deer aren't used to seeing people, and they don't automatically stay away from your area.

Two weeks ago, my dog and I saw a 4-point buck that still had fuzz on his antlers in downtown Damascus, about 2 blocks off of Laurel, on Railroad Avenue. What an absolute trip! He just stood and watched us walk by.

Since we killed off all the wolves and mountain lions in the East, we probably have more deer than there were when we got here!

[Nightwalker]

There is also a problem bear on the trail as there are a bunch of signs up. He shows no fear of humans and is stealing packs. Between Wayah and somewhere south, though I cannot remember exactly where as I write this...

If I remember correctly, that's an old sign.

Edit: Yeah, what Skids said.

[Nightwalker]

Last week my daughter Grass and I did the AT through the Shenandoah National Park.

I saw your post in the Calf Mtn. Shelter. It blew my mind to see that you were kind of right in front of me, just a week ahead.

[Ramble~On]

I've been really lucky this year and haven't been shut out yet.
I saw seven in one day last week but I wasn't hiking I was bike/hiking.
Cade's Cove is an excellent place to see bear. The GSMNP is estimated to have 1600+ black bear which works out to something like 2 bear per square mile. Cade's Cove is estimated to be home to 100+. Roaring Fork Motor Trail has been lucky for me too...
The AT between Spence Field and Mollies Ridge offer good odds at seeing a bear as do all of the trails in and around Cade's Cove. I often see bear along the side of the road getting to trailheads in the park.
If I really wanted to see a wild bear and only had one day I'd head to Cade's Cove and pay close attention to the cherry trees at the back of the cove in late summer . If you can it is a great experience to be the first one into the cove on a bike before they open the gate to cars...just before dawn and head down Hyatt Lane... Hmmmm...maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this.

[buckowens]

The sign on the info board at the Base of Standing Indian in Deep Gap, right?

It's been posted for, ohh, 'bout four years.

Yup, that's the one! He/She is now becoming an "old" problem bear!! LOL

[buckowens]

Luckily, the bear runs off like a bat out of hell away from us. I let out a gasp of relief, and tell my son "It's a good thing that bear ran off".

He then says to me "Like, what were you going to do, go all Crocadile Dundee on him?"

I said "No, you don't understand. We've been hiking for six days now. My knees hurt. Your knees hurt. We're standing here with handfuls of blackberries and there's no way we could ever out run that bear!"

"Besides, I'd really hate to have to push you down!"

Monkeyboy -

I read your story to the whole family and everybody laughed!! Similar to me always telling Roo that when we get into the woods I can beat her and nobody will hear her scream

[Monkeyboy]

Like I said....you don't have to out run the bear....you just have to out run Roo.....

Thought you'd get a kick out of that story, since you were just there as well.