tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post114478035573157357..comments2024-01-21T03:26:23.301-05:00Comments on Musings: Recalling encounters with bears...sagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17499891950639742366noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-24865942478870714282010-07-01T16:02:35.719-04:002010-07-01T16:02:35.719-04:00I still haven't seen a bear. I don't thin...I still haven't seen a bear. I don't think I want my first encounter to be in my campsite and certainly not my tent!Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12573262524755768643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144937311698696072006-04-13T10:08:00.000-04:002006-04-13T10:08:00.000-04:00Sage - I guess there is going to be a run on them....Sage - I guess there is going to be a run on them. I ordered my copy yesterday.<BR/><BR/>I just started "At Home In the Woods" last night.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144936186525684752006-04-13T09:49:00.000-04:002006-04-13T09:49:00.000-04:00Ed, I remembered there was some connection, but ha...Ed, I remembered there was some connection, but had thought the group had its start before The Monkey Wrench Gang(my reading of Abbey was mostly 15-20 years ago). I've got Peacock's "Walking It Off" on order.<BR/><BR/>Karen, I haven't seen any bears here in Michigan. I've been told there are bears in Chicago, but there's some question as to the validity of that statement, if you catch my drift.<BR/><BR/>Deana, the picture of a cub doing in windshield wipers is humorous!<BR/><BR/>Keda, mud between the toes is a wonderful feeling--quite relaxingsagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17499891950639742366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144918233751401242006-04-13T04:50:00.000-04:002006-04-13T04:50:00.000-04:00being a bit of a city wuss and living in a long wa...being a bit of a city wuss and living in a long way from bear country i've never seen one in real life (except once at a zoo and it made me cry! nuff said)<BR/><BR/>i have to say i'm not sorry i think i would be terrified.<BR/>but it must be an amazing experience to encouter such an impressive truely wild creature. wonderful stories once again. thank you for sharing.<BR/><BR/>ps i was standing on mud! the boots were a neccesity but usually i would opt for flip flops or even bare foot!*kedahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05996009634057410650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144894815663653072006-04-12T22:20:00.000-04:002006-04-12T22:20:00.000-04:00I am more familiar with your Appalacian Mountains ...I am more familiar with your Appalacian Mountains below but both photos are extraordinary....just breathtaking.<BR/><BR/>I've seen bears in the Smokies and when we go to Pigeon Forge but I have yet to see one here in Patrick though others do often. We had a siting near our home not long ago but I never saw it. My best friend actually had a baby bear get on the hood of her car one night and play....muddy...tore the windshield wipers off. I had to laugh but it scared her. She was afraid to go "shoo" it off thinking the mother might be out there watching.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144880518456283272006-04-12T18:21:00.000-04:002006-04-12T18:21:00.000-04:00Encountered a bear once in my life when I was a ch...Encountered a bear once in my life when I was a child up north here in Michigan. It was up on its hind legs... pretty scary!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16583773305351498372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144872147812453772006-04-12T16:02:00.000-04:002006-04-12T16:02:00.000-04:00Interesting factoid, Earth First was created by Ed...Interesting factoid, Earth First was created by Edward Abbey in his book the Monkey Wrench Gang. The actual group started up after the book. I think Peacock was friends with the founders and attended some events but I don't think he has said that he was a bonified card carrying member. <BR/><BR/>Walking It Off has gotten a lot of good reviews and sounds like something that you and I would like.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144871597591589062006-04-12T15:53:00.000-04:002006-04-12T15:53:00.000-04:00Ed, I thought Hayduke had a connection to the Eart...Ed, I thought Hayduke had a connection to the Earth First guy, is that also Peacock. I'll have to look up his books, they sound interesting--especially the linking Vietnam & Abbeysagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17499891950639742366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144869923813068332006-04-12T15:25:00.000-04:002006-04-12T15:25:00.000-04:00I would be scared sh**less if I saw a bear up clos...I would be scared sh**less if I saw a bear up close like that. Good thing you never had a tangle with one.kenjuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342414519714356343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144867418828833932006-04-12T14:43:00.000-04:002006-04-12T14:43:00.000-04:00I tried posting this earlier but kept getting deni...I tried posting this earlier but kept getting denied.<BR/><BR/>Doug Peacock was a close friend of the late Edward Abbey. Abbey modeled the main character of two of his novels off of Peacock although Doug says that Hayduke was based more off of Abbey himself. After reading both of their writings, I tend to agree with Peacock on this issue. He has a newer book called, Walking It Off that is about his involvement with the war (Vietnam) and his relationship with Abbey. I haven't read it but it is on my list.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144848106209756692006-04-12T09:21:00.000-04:002006-04-12T09:21:00.000-04:00Doug Peacock's "Grizzly Years" is what I had in mi...Doug Peacock's "Grizzly Years" is what I had in mind. It is about him coming home from Vietnam and trying to get his life in order and he ends up spending several seasons studying grizzly bears and their habits. I really enjoyed the book and the tips on how to survive a bear encounter like never look it in the eyes, keep looking down and never show your teeth.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144844163895746402006-04-12T08:16:00.000-04:002006-04-12T08:16:00.000-04:00Ed's right about Black Bears--they are not as terr...Ed's right about Black Bears--they are not as territorial as a grizzly and don't normally kill to eat--but I wouldn't have wanted to tangle with a mother defending her cub. <BR/><BR/>I haven't read Peacock's writings. What do you suggest? Bill Bryson's book, a Walk in the Woods, has a lot of humorous stuff about bears, but generally he's not letting the truth get in the way of his story.<BR/><BR/>As far as being frightened around animals, there's been a moose encounter and some buffalo encounters that I've been for frightened--and one cougar enounter in which I was stalked but never saw the animal--that was very unnerving (I'll have to write about that one sometime).sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17499891950639742366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144843679849244102006-04-12T08:07:00.000-04:002006-04-12T08:07:00.000-04:00Make no mistake, black bears can be very hostile a...Make no mistake, black bears can be very hostile and dangererous if they are cornered or you are between the mother and cub. If they are habituated to camp life, they can also be dangerous. But the black bear that stumbles upon camp just looking for a bite to eat, they usually run rather than fight. I've seen perhaps four times as many black bear butts than I have black bear faces.<BR/><BR/>For an excellent resource on what to do in a bear situation, even grizzly, read some of Doug Peacock's writings. He is like the Timothy Treadwell of grizzlies only sane and practical.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144815559328184842006-04-12T00:19:00.000-04:002006-04-12T00:19:00.000-04:00They are gorgeous animals but that doesn't mean I'...They are gorgeous animals but that doesn't mean I'm not scared of them :)Daydreamer of Ozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06252522799288629118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144811529399262042006-04-11T23:12:00.000-04:002006-04-11T23:12:00.000-04:00Great anecdotes of your bear encounters. I take i...Great anecdotes of your bear encounters. I take it Black Bears aren't as hostile as Grizzly Bears? Or are you more aware of the bear's intentions and can sense or decifer when a bear may become hostile?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, great tales from nature Sage-man.vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18308061674357594371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144802682987462092006-04-11T20:44:00.000-04:002006-04-11T20:44:00.000-04:00I've seen bears while hiking in the Delaware Water...I've seen bears while hiking in the Delaware Water Gap area in New Jersey and up in Maine while driving a rural road. All my bear sightings have been black bears. We even had a bear sighted going across my parent's farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania once.Tim Ricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01305530681191503858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144786545703427012006-04-11T16:15:00.000-04:002006-04-11T16:15:00.000-04:00Oh, I found that jar of peanut butter the next mor...Oh, I found that jar of peanut butter the next morning and it was licked completely clean and in perfect shape except for a few teeth marks. Black bears have very long tongues!Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144786445092654572006-04-11T16:14:00.000-04:002006-04-11T16:14:00.000-04:00I've had lots of black bear encounters but never a...I've had lots of black bear encounters but never a grizzly though I have seen one of those from a distance. I've never lost any food to a bear except for a jar of peanut butter and the bear got a paddle broken across its back for that. If it had been a grizzly, I would have run the other way and let it take what it wanted. <BR/><BR/>Once in the Winds of Wyoming, I had my bag of lunch stuff stolen by marmots. Somehow they dragged it about twenty feet to the shore of the lake and after eating a hole in the side, proceeded to eat every single Jolly Rancher I had leaving behind a neat pile of wrappers. That was before the Yellowstone problem bears got shipped there. Now I have to hang my food.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9454941.post-1144782159820044342006-04-11T15:02:00.000-04:002006-04-11T15:02:00.000-04:00I think you're fortunate. I've hiked and camped a...I think you're fortunate. I've hiked and camped all over the western U.S. and the ONLY bears I've ever seen were grizzlies in Montana.<BR/><BR/>I think bears are interesting animals and find them fascinating (but would not want any of your close encounters).dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10317162641530057285noreply@blogger.com