First Bear experience

[hikergirl1120]

So I took my mom and her first hike this weekend. She is a runner and in extremely good physical condition so I though Greylock would be awesome for her.

So we are hiking along, chatting it up, doing the mother daughter thing when she suddenly freezes. Some LOUD rustling ahead. I was like " Holy ***** that's a bear". We just froze in our tracks and calmly walked in the other direction.

Not only was this a big a** black bear (I swear she was a 300 lbs) but mama had a little cub with her. As she was running up the mountain she stopped to look back to make sure we were leaving too. What an experience.

My mom was leading and she told me that when she first saw them she thought they were two black dogs....we were pretty shocked!

Never saw a bear so close and I can't really say that I hope to again. I mean meeting a mother bear and cub is pretty much worst case scenario in my book. She must not have heard us coming, we certainly didn't hear her.

Well anyways quite the day. My mom told me this morning that I gave her "the bug", so I guess this means I have a new hiking partner!!

I am sure glad that I had someone with me for my first encounter....

Looking back we got a pretty good look at them, really beautiful creatures, super black and shiny, more than I had expected.

[Jo-To]

Congrats,you made it through & enjoyed your first encounter. I remember the first bear I ever saw...similar experience,he didnt hear me,and i didnt hear him. We both ended up backing away from each other. Like you said though,they are awesome creatures.

[Buzz_Lightfoot]

Looking back we got a pretty good look at them, really beautiful creatures, super black and shiny, more than I had expected.

I see them all the time.. even in my yard and I have to agree with you there. It's unbelievable just how BLACK they can be and a healthy one shines like it has turtle wax.

BL

[Phoenixdadeadhead]

Congrats!!!!!! I hope to see one one day. I normally hike with others and they talk a lot, my next hike I will be alone so maybe I will get lucky

[hikingshoes]

Hey hikergirl1120,seen my first Bear this weekend also.I had walked right by it and a hiker told me to look back and it was coming out of the woods.I got a pic of it.Check it out of my profile.we watched it for about 15mins.

So I took my mom and her first hike this weekend. She is a runner and in extremely good physical condition so I though Greylock would be awesome for her.

So we are hiking along, chatting it up, doing the mother daughter thing when she suddenly freezes. Some LOUD rustling ahead. I was like " Holy ***** that's a bear". We just froze in our tracks and calmly walked in the other direction.

Not only was this a big a** black bear (I swear she was a 300 lbs) but mama had a little cub with her. As she was running up the mountain she stopped to look back to make sure we were leaving too. What an experience.

My mom was leading and she told me that when she first saw them she thought they were two black dogs....we were pretty shocked!

Never saw a bear so close and I can't really say that I hope to again. I mean meeting a mother bear and cub is pretty much worst case scenario in my book. She must not have heard us coming, we certainly didn't hear her.

Well anyways quite the day. My mom told me this morning that I gave her "the bug", so I guess this means I have a new hiking partner!!

I am sure glad that I had someone with me for my first encounter....

Looking back we got a pretty good look at them, really beautiful creatures, super black and shiny, more than I had expected.

[Many Walks]

We hiked early in the morning and saw a lot of bears. The ones that always stood out were the healthy looking ones with the black shiny coats. A yearling in GA was one of those for our first too. It was coming down the trail toward us and we spotted each other at about 50 ft. It took off up through the timber and was absolutely beautiful glistening in the sun.

There's something exciting about being in the woods knowing you're not at the top of the food chain.

It always amazed us how different moose and bears moved through the woods. We had 6 moose sightings and learned they are so quiet for such huge animals. My wife was leading in ME when she and a mother with her calf nearly collided when they crossed the trail. Didn't hear them coming.

On the other hand, when a bear runs through timber it sounds like someone is driving a pickup truck through the forest with branches crashing everywhere.

Every critter is a sight to behold, but that first bear is pretty special!

[saimyoji]

Sweeeeeeeeeet.

[johnnybgood]

In my experience I have seen more bear early in the day and usually when you least expect to.
Remember once walking slowly over a rock scramble around a large bounder and suddenly coming within twenty feet of a good sized bear. He was just as startled as I was , obviously he didn't hear me coming.

[Phoenix7]

Nice story. Last 2 times I saw black bear there was one chowing down on my neighbor's bird feeder and the other one I saw at night. Was going out for a smoke and there was a mid-size bear in the road about 20 ft. away. It startled me, I startled it, and we both went our own ways. On the pavement it was practically silent.

[Egads]

There's something exciting about being in the woods knowing you're not at the top of the food chain.

Wait, what are you getting at? Are you saying that hikers are on the menu?

[Many Walks]

Wait, what are you getting at? Are you saying that hikers are on the menu?

Uh, in some areas....but no worries, not in your happy place.

[Alaskanhkr23]

My first bear encounter was with a grizzly ,i swear to god i almost Pooped myself,running into that thing.

[Many Walks]

My first bear encounter was with a grizzly ,i swear to god i almost Pooped myself,running into that thing.

Now that's where you start thinking seriously about the food chain.

[Safari]

A grizzly?!!! Yikes!.... i take it they aren't that common on the AT then...

[Lillianp]

A grizzly?!!! Yikes!.... i take it they aren't that common on the AT then...

Grizzlies don't really come east, they're mostly in the northwest part of the US and Western Canada and Alaska. As far as I know, it's only black bears we have to worry about on the AT.

[Kanati]

Hey hikergirl1120,seen my first Bear this weekend also.I had walked right by it and a hiker told me to look back and it was coming out of the woods.I got a pic of it.Check it out of my profile.we watched it for about 15mins.

Was this a MT bear?, and did it have a cinnamon color phase like some of them do out there?

BTW, how is MT

[Egads]

Wait, what are you getting at? Are you saying that hikers are on the menu?

Uh, in some areas....but no worries, not in your happy place.

What if my happy place is the Canadian Rockies?

BTW, just kidding about the surprise.

[Safari]

thats a relief no grizzlies... how about jabbawocky's or skunks?

[hikingshoes]

that pic was from the hike this weekend.GF and her sister was playing slots and i was going hiking.for as MT.waiting on the call to head out waiting on permits to start the job.cant wait to much longer i need to start to work!

Was this a MT bear?, and did it have a cinnamon color phase like some of them do out there?

BTW, how is MT

[buckwheat]

Never saw a bear so close and I can't really say that I hope to again. I mean meeting a mother bear and cub is pretty much worst case scenario in my book. She must not have heard us coming, we certainly didn't hear her.

Two words: bear bell.

I got one of these attached to my pack. Whenever I'm in "bear country" (which I define as flat, uncongested forest), I pull it out of it's little bag. I see almost nobody else doing it, which surprises me really, especially at this time of the year when almost all black bears will be with cub.

When not in use, it goes back into its little bag, where there's a magnet which keeps it quiet when I'm out in the open or otherwise not worried too much about bear.

I have no interest in upsetting the current hegemony where the food chain is concerned. Best bear defense is to make noise so they can't help but hear you coming.