During our recent trip to the Rockies, Tim and I took a walk one afternoon, not far from the cabins where we were staying. We walked and talked, enjoying the warm sun and relative lack of mosquitoes. As we rounded a corner on the trail, our eyes met the eyes of a large black bear munching away on berries about 100 feet away. He saw us at the same time we saw him.
I turned to leave, but Tim grabbed my arm and said, "Don't run." I wasn't planning on running, exactly, just walking very fast. Instead, we stood there staring at the bear for a few seconds while he stared at us. Then we began backing away. The bear, curious, but not threatening, followed for a few steps, then presumably lost interest.
It was a very short walk. And I didn't have my camera. I don't know if I would have had the presence of mind to actually use it if I had had it with me. Bears are animals deserving respect. So many tourists approach bears, disregarding the signs not to do so. Bears might look cuddly, but they can move very quickly if threatened. I was glad Tim was with me - he has much more bear experience than I have.
I did snap the photo of the bear in the above photo, much smaller than the one we encountered. The little black bear was feeding on bushes beside the highway, so we stopped, along with at least 20 other cars, and took some photos. In all we saw four bears on our trip, one of them a grizzly.
Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary of the Little Red House.
Good reaction to stay calm but I'll bet your heart was pounding.
ReplyDeleteJudith
Way scary! Now I'm wondering if you were talking loudly and making some noise as you walked along or were you quietly enjoying the stroll? (I have heard that in bear country, one makes some noise.) I think I might have had a heart attack if it had started to follow me. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteThere have been a number of 'bear talks' on CBC this summer. I guess people are getting a bit casual in their approach to bears. I'll bet you were very glad to have Tim there!!!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful mosaic, but I would have been scared too. I saw a bear in our back yard at the last house we lived and thank god I was in the house.
ReplyDeleteThat's an encounter that would be very alarming to me. Glad you had the presence of mind to behave in a way that did not threaten Mr. or Mrs. Bear.
ReplyDeleteI would have found it very difficult to calmly back away. I can see myself screaming and trying to run very fast. Glad you are all safe and sound.
ReplyDeletei remember my first sight of black bear in Canada, many years ago now. Rather frightening, as I 'd been given so many warnings about them.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing bears! It is best not to run and I believe most of the black bears are more afraid of us. Unless they have cubs with them. Great photo and mosaic. Have a happy week!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat! Good thing you wisely kept your distance. We saw a mother and cub when we took the glass domed train from Calgary to Vancouver, Canada. Wonderful experience. Visiting from Mosaic Monday. HAPPY August~
ReplyDeleteWow! Nature's beauty showing itself to you ~ Beautiful collage photos ~ Wonderful! Happy Week to you xxooo
ReplyDeleteHi Lorrie, Nice to visit with you today. Great photos! It would have been hard not to take off in a run!
ReplyDeleteI would have been wanting to run! Especially if I saw a grizzly.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the bear was more interested in the berries than you!
ReplyDeleteOh my stars! My heart would have pounded out of my chest! So glad you are safe!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness your hubby stopped you from running! I would have been frozen to the spot. Glad you are both ok and have lived to tell the tale - however aren't they soooo cute!! xx
ReplyDeleteI love bear sightings, as long as I am far enough away to be safe!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness looking a real bear in the eyes. I would have been in shock.
ReplyDeleteWow, how scary! And what a wonderful experience......afterwards :-)
ReplyDeleteMy heart is pounding !! Apparently there was a cougar sighting in Medicine Hat. I know they are in the Cypress Hills for sure....Mother Nature is wonderful,,,,from a safe distance!!! Glad that you were safe and that you didn't run! Have a great week Lorrie.
ReplyDeleteI would have been shaking in my shoes and am very glad you were able to get away without incident. I had to look back through some of your vacation shots- you have seen some amazing landscapes!
ReplyDeleteWow! So glad you didn't surprise him. Living in Montana I have see three Grizzly's and happily from a distance. My daughters are outdoor lovers and I worry about them, but they pack a can of bear spray. I remember the old days when I used to hike and we all wore bear bells....LOL Kit
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing by not running! We are told that unless a bear feels her cubs are in danger most will move on when they spot humans. Even so, I make sure to make a lot of noise when I hike, so they know I'm coming and don't feel trapped. I will have to look into getting bear spray.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a fun and interesting vacation. Glad your bear encounter turned out good!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness that you didn't run! They really just want to be left alone, but could be tempted to chase.
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