Day 96:
The terrain was great this morning – a few climbs but mostly long smooth downhill stretches.
Had lunch at Middle Fork River, refilled water at Bear Creek, and then, THE CLIMB. Middle Fork is at 2900 ft above sea level, and I set up camp at Lookout Spring which is at 5800 ft, a gain of just about 3000 ft. I’m out of gas – goodnight.
19 miles today.
Channeling my inner Peter Pan:
Middle Fork River:
Great view:
On the way up:
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Day 97:
On this morning’s hike, shade wasn’t naturally provided so I used my semi-broken-quasi-functional umbrella.
Eventually entered an area with lots of tree cover. These trees were quite beautiful because they were almost completely covered with green moss – it was neat.
The scenery then changes to a more heavily wooded area of primarily pine trees. As I’m walking along, something moving up the hill catches my eye. It’s big, and it’s brown, and it’s furry, and it’s A BEAR. As is natural for any millennial, my first instinct is to pull out my phone and press record (if I’m gunna get mauled by a bear, may it at least end up on YouTube). I yelled and waved my arms and, initially, the bear was startled. He then proceeded to causally walk away, glancing back at me every so often. And that was that.
Do I claim to have intimidated a bear in the wild with nothing but my booming voice and powerful presence? Absolutely! But just between you and me, I’ll admit it’s likely that I was more annoying than intimidating to the bear. Either way, no one got eaten today – everybody wins.
You may be wondering why I engaged with the bear instead of minding my own business (which is a valid question). Here is my reasoning (which I admit, may be faulty). Although there is a good chance I could have snuck by without incident, I decided that it was better to let the bear know I knew he was there rather than walk by and give the impression that I didn’t see him, potentially (and maybe unlikely) giving the impression that I am a vulnerable (and delicious) target.
With that adrenaline pumping, I hiked fast, putting as much space as I could between me and my new acquaintance. HUMANS! I saw a tent set-up in the most beautiful spot (seriously, one of the most pristine on trail). I said hi and told my bear story. Cheetah and Bridget were happy to share the campsite with me and so I set up my tent (I was SO GLAD to not have to be alone tonight).
20 miles today.
Moss covered trees:
The woods:
The bear:
Need some help?:
Sun is going down:
Happy place:
This:
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Video:
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Ask your doctor if adrenaline is right for you:
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