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Bear Encounters of the Close Kind !
By - Del Albright of Mokelumne Hill, California
Year 1988 - a photography trip at Katmai National Park, Alaska Peninsula
My close encounter was at Katmai National
Park, Alaska, where the Browns are used to humans. But I don't care what anyone says, they're still BIG and they
own the trail!
I was coming down off a mountain trail, on foot, hiking with my brother, Dale. The trail, lined on both sides with
tall grass and vegetation, was sort of a channel through the forest. It lead to the river where both bear and fishermen
like to catch the salmon working their way up creek.
Dale was in the lead and I was trailing when I heard what I thought was a runner coming down the mountain behind
me. I could hear the thump, thump, thump of his running feet as well as the ragged sort of breath a runner has
that matches his pace. I figured the guy was about to run me over so I turned around in time to see about 1200
pounds of Alaskan Brown Bear hustling down the mountain to chow time.
I stayed calm and tried to get my brother's attention to get off the trail. I kept talking trying to catch his
attention quickly, without making a big disturbance, but Dale couldn't hear me. Finally, bro' turned at what I
thought was the last minute with a white-ashen face. I saw fear in his eyes.
I spun around and prepared to ask forgiveness when the grizz passed a measured eight feet from me and left the
trail to avoid us. I saw and remember to this day, the hair in his ear!
Oh, you ask, why didn't Dale hear me? He said all he heard was this weird squeaking sound. He couldn't place it
until he turned around and saw my lips moving. A mouse-like squeak coming from a 200 pound, six foot guy. Pretty
sad!
Oh well, we all lived. The bear went merrily along. And, I bought new underwear.
And the next day . . . |
The very next day we had another encounter. And we got it on video ... sorta!
This time the grizzly met us on the same type of trail, face to face, about thirty yards way from us. We all stopped;
me, my bro' and the bear; and just kind of looked each other over.
We had the video camera rolling so in some moment of total goofiness, my brother films the big guy looking at us.
Then all of a sudden Big Boy decides to declare the trail his. Mind you, both sides of this trail are lined with
tall grass and brush; we're kind of stuck. He, the bear, gives a half-assed grunt and leans towards the bank along
side the trail, and with his teeth, yanks out a wade of brush, grass and dirt. He flings it around like a dog with
a blanket, then flips it over his shoulder. All this time Dale is running the camera. |
They're still BIG and they own the trail.
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Unfortunately, when the bear flung that clump of trail over his shoulder, bro' and I were not
confused that he was telling us he could do that to us. About then the level of photographic professionalism diminishes
- when you watch the video to this day, all you see is a really shaky picture of bushes, tree tops, blue sky and
more shaky!
We lost it (nearly), but we had no where to go. So somehow, little brother manages to get the camera back on the
bear as he comes toward us.
Again, fate intervened. The big guy turned before reaching us, and sauntered off into the brush. At first we thought
he was circling us; but then we realized he just wanted to get around us. Little did he know we couldn't have moved
had we wanted to!
By - Del Albright |
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