|
************ |
Greetings from Bear Country USA
As I write this I am wrapping up a two week vacation in the mountains of West-By-Golly- Virginia where the Red Spruce and Hemlock grow tall and wild and the air is sweet and cool. When we left Roanoke a couple of weeks ago it was 95 and humid. Our arrival temperature here in Randolph county was 74 with zero humidity. With no air conditioning available or needed, it’s easy to understand why folks used to pack steamer trunks and head to any number of mountain resorts in VA and WV for months at a time.
My guess is that they also came to see the abundance of wildlife in its natural element. I know I do. Bear, bobcat, deer, coyotes, racoons, eagles, even flying squirrels - the land at this elevation (3600-4600 feet) harbors them all. At the top of the list is the black bear, illusive and awesome as the only large land predator remaining in the east. I know, I know - the debate over the presence of the mountain lion continues and I even have my own story to tell, but until someone produces hard evidence, I’m only writing about bears. People think I’m crazy enough as it is.
But the fact remained that as of this summer the only time I had seen a bear was while driving my car - and even then only from a distance.
That is decidedly no longer the case.
My first encounter was with a medium size example of the species while riding my mountain bike with my brother, uncle and cousin. We had just finished a grueling climb to the top of a ridge on Back Allegheny Mountain and were descending at a pretty good clip when dear Uncle Michael let out a “Whoa!” It was the kind of “whoa” that indicated something imminently dangerous or cool ahead. I looked up and saw that it was both - a descent sized black bear now bounding down the trail ahead of us through the tall grass and wild flowers. We had clearly startled him as much as he had us, and fortunately his fear of unexpected things flying uncontrollably into his world was as high as ours. He continued for about twenty yards then dove off the trail into the mountain laurel . It was absolutely beautiful. I’ll never forget the fluidity and grace with which he moved - strong, purposeful and powerful, yet seemingly without effort.
The glory of the creation is clearly evident in the movement of bears, but not always in bike riding Uncles. Attempting to keep his eyes on the bear for as long as possible, Michael careened off the trail and flipped over into the undergrowth. He popped up with an embarrassed smile on his face. “DID YOU SEE THAT!” he exclaimed. We had a great story to tell the rest of the “reunion” when we got back to the lodge.
The next sighting was different for two reasons: A) The bear was far bigger and B) I was alone. Again I was on my mountain bike, but this time I was moving along a level ridge top on an old graveled forest service road. I had just finished climbing up a small rise when I looked up and saw the biggest black bear I have ever seen - in pictures or otherwise. I have no way of knowing its weight, but I’m guessing he was near the upper echelon of those found in the Eastern US.
Fortunately, timidity is not a function of size when it comes to bears and after taking one look at me, this big fellow took off down the path with the same amazing agility, speed and power as the first one. (It may be noted that I seemed to have the same affect upon cute girls in college). His rich black coat shimmered and slid loosely on his body as he glided over the ground and the beautiful athletic movement was all the more pronounced due to his size. As he disappeared into the woods I was struck by how quiet he could move through the dense undergrowth of low hanging spruce limbs and mountain laurel.
Was he still there? My two dogs (fearsome and loyal protectors that they are) caught up with me about the time the bear vanished and their noses quickly caught his scent. Unlike deer and all critters smaller, which they pursue with reckless abandon, they sniffed intently but did not take the first step in the direction of the bears departure. They both gave me the same flat uninterested look. “”We don’t do bears,” it said.
I didn’t either. But I guess I do now.
Hurray for bears! And the natural beauty of this awesome and amazing world!
- Stuart