Mt. Carr, NH Oct 8, 2011 - Bearly made it out alive / no joke

[billski]

I barely made it out of this one.

Beautiful fall day, west approach to Mt. Carr. Nice easy gradually incline. Having a great old time about two miles in. I come to the crest of a ridge, hear some rustling in the leaves to my left. I see the rear of a bear running away from me. That's OK. He then crawls up a tree about 20 feet away. Wait, it was a cub. Oh tihs. I then hear what I think is another cub bolting up a tree. I'm stopped on the forest road at this point. Within seconds, this big black momma bear jumps up onto the road above me about 10 yards from me. No exaggeration.

Now, picture a triangle. The momma, cub and I are on each point of the triangle. I'm frozen. Then she starts to step toward me, growling. I have never been eye to eye with a bear the way I was today. Then a large ROAR! my First thought was, "oh tihs". Second thought "oh tihs" Third, well, get the idea.

So here I am. In a place I tell people never to go: between mama and her cub. S... happens. I crested the hill and we startled each other. Mama didn't want me there and neither did I. It was the ONLY time in my years of hiking that I wished I had a firearm.

I start looking at my options. Up the road, nada. mama is there. To my back, brush and deadfall. No way I could make quick time through that. Back down the road. Oh tihs. I have to go right past the cub. Oh tihs.

Thoughts are racing through my mind. Well, I'd better be prepared to get mauled because she's a stepping towards me, growling. The little cubs have a good seat watch the unfortunate show. Oh joy. This whole thing wasn't more than 30-60 seconds, but it was a lifetime. The strength and the size of those shoulders and snout was my worst fear. She looked dead at me, eye-to eye. Nothing at all like those city zoo with one inch railings.

Adrenalin was pumping high, but there was no time to get scared or do something panicky. It was clear standing there was not an option. So I began to side step back down the road in one foot steps. One, two three. She stops but is still staring into my eyes seemingly ready to lunge. Four five six. She's standing glaring mid road. I did not want to take my eyes off her. Not that I could have done anything. I stepped it up at about the 100 foot mark. The bear still staring. I finally went around a bend, but I didn't feel good about it.

So I started to do something I'd never done. Hiking while checking my back side every couple of seconds. I checked to the left, to the right. You never know where she might pop out. I got about 1/4 mile away. Should have been enough distance? Not for me. I went another 1/4 in a time that felt like eternity.

I was a jumpy mess. "I'm going straight home" I was thinking. I was so jittery. The rotten stumps that were dark black scared me. A chipmunk spooked me. The little toad startled me. I didn't stop a mile. Even then I was pretty nervous. Not scared, just spooked big time.

It all feels like a dream. The only times before I've ever seen a bear, was it's rear end running away from me. I don't know if I'll sleep well tonight or have nightmares. Don't tell my wife, please!
__________________

 

[Raven]

oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

Glad she let you back away slowly.....

 

[Lefty E]

That's quite an experience and having seen a few, it's true, they seem to run instead..you got unlucky with the cubs there, if not it might have hightailed it..hope it does not hinder you..would you have a whistle handy on your pack?? and don't worry, we won't say anything to her!!! what happens on the trail, stays on the trail!!!

 

[billski]

\.would you have a whistle handy on your pack?? and don't worry, we won't say anything to her!!! what happens on the trail, stays on the trail!!!

I have all sort of stuff in my back. Whistle, radios, air horn. Problem is, it was all packed away. Mostly prepared for an injury, not needing to whip out something immediately. They said calm speaking is better, but neither a whistle or speaking is going to make them flee. With her cubs up the tree, she's not going anywhere.

 

[peakbagger]

The AT boundary section in Maine I acquired seems to be good bear habitat. I encountered two different bears walking the 2 miles to and from the trail from the parking. After the first encounter, I got my ACR whistle out and hung it around my neck and gave it a toot every so often. Wild black bears in New England have great hearing and they have no interest in messing with people. I would expect that bear bells have a greater value in the NE woods than out west.

I am usually not as worried about bears in the deep woods as much as human habitated bears on the fringes of civlization or around well used campsites.

 

[audrey]

What you did sounds reasonable. I hope I have the same presence of mind. We usually think this may happen in spring, not fall, when the cubs are bigger.

What, no photos? We were once chased down a logging road by a moose and Pat asked me if I had my camera handy.

 

[erugs]

Great story. Now you will be less afraid?

 

[billski]

Great story. Now you will be less afraid?

I don't think so. More aware, more prepared, absolutely. I have always been one to face my doubts, fears and replays head-on.

I will reconsider the notion of "stealth hiking".

It's my understanding that females have a 10 mile range, while males have 100+ miles. So, she'll still be there unless the hunters get her first. They've got until Thanksgiving.

I also understand that cubs are kept with mom for 1.5-2 years. These looked more like the one-year old edition.

 

[Wolfgang]

I was hiking solo and chased a cub up a tree on Canon Mt. one day. I didn't waste any time sticking around for mama. It sort of made me think about making more noise when I hike.

 

[Lefty E]

That's true about mama sticking around..I did have an experience where mama called one cub down and took off as I waited in the distance..but I did check my six quite often as the hike continued..(Centennial Trail a few years ago)..

 

[Raymond]

Glad you didn’t end up in the next edition of Herrero’s ‘‘Bear Attacks.’’

That’s always my worry, running into a bear, especially when I’m bushwhacking. A few years ago, while descending Hurricane in the Adirondacks, I saw something that sure looked like a bear up in a tree. I stopped and stood still for several minutes, waiting to learn where the mother was so I would know which way to go. Eventually I noticed that the thing wasn’t moving. It was a burl, I guess, rather than a bear. But I took a picture of it and later, when I showed Susan, she gasped and asked, ‘‘Is that a bear?’’

Regarding your account, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s a good idea to stare into the bear’s eyes. It was probably impossible to look away.

I encountered a bull moose not far from the Signal Ridge Trail last Thursday. He moved away, out of sight around a bend, and as I reached for my camera I suddenly heard, thump thump thump thump; charging me, I was sure.There was no place to hide, but it wasn’t running toward me, it was running away, so whew!

 

[DougPaul]

This is a case of a mother black bear defending its cubs. Your best response is generally to try to convince the mother that you are not a threat to the cubs. Don't stare (a threat display), speak softly and back off slowly. If she attacks, play dead.

This is in contrast to a spontaneous attack (usually by a male)--these tend to be predatory. Fight back. Fairly rare.

Obviously better to make noise while traveling so the bear can get out of the way before a confrontation occurs.

Advice excerpted from Herrero.

It appears that you responded properly here and the outcome was good--no casualties on either side.

Doug

 

[Michelle]

Eeeeeek! Carr from the West WAS on my list of hikes "to do in the near future"..........hearing this just moved it to the bottom of the page!! Glad for you that the outcome was a good one. (making it out alive!) Scary story for sure, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Dave Bear]

Billski, Good for you to get out of that one humbled but whole! I climbed up Whiteface by Blueberry Ledge today with my Norwegian Elkhound, Thor. After we went over to Passaconaway and on the way out some folks camping invited me for tea, seriously, and it was good. During our discussion they asked me where I was camping tonight because it was getting late. I told them we were headed down Dicey Mill. They said a fairly large bear that seemed to have a lame front paw followed them for quite a distance from the crossing on up even though they made a lot of noise. This was a family of four with two elementary school age children. I talked to one of the residents down toward Ferncroft on the way out about 7:30 and they said it had been reported following people before but no one had noticed an injury. If it is injured it may be more oppurtunistic with winter coming. The resident said they had heard some fool was tossing it dog treats, hopefully that is no more than hearsay!

 

[billski]

Eeeeeek! Carr from the West WAS on my list of hikes "to do in the near future"..........hearing this just moved it to the bottom of the page!! Glad for you that the outcome was a good one. (making it out alive!) Scary story for sure, thanks for the heads up!

As I understand it Female bears have a 10-mile range. Someone else mentioned a bear on the east side some time ago. I think the hunters may be flushing them out.

In hindsight, I made some mistakes but still survived. However a Vietnam Vet told me once, you can train all you want, but you never know how you are going to react. Or the bear. She has a unique personality and there are exceptions.

I take CPR-AED just about every year. I've taken Wilderness First Aid. I told the instructor that I still felt uncomfortable with all this book knowledge, but no first hand experience. "Oh, it's pretty easy" he said. But, I said, you've a lot more real-world experience than I.

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. Lesson learned. I WILL be back in the woods, I need to confront my fears. But I'll be a wee bit better prepared.

 

[MichaelJ]

Wow, that is easily the most excitement anyone could EVER have hiking Carr.

Glad to hear you made it out safely!

 

[erugs]

Lesson learned. I WILL be back in the woods, I need to confront my fears. But I'll be a wee bit better prepared.

I've only seen a bear once on the trail, and that was this summer at Sunrise, Mt. Rainier. The bear was in the vicinity of a camp, then made it's way up and over the ridge near the Wonderland Trail, which we were hiking on. The bear seemed not to care that we were there, kept a distance, and on the open snowfield kept far to the left.

In New Hampshire, although I've seen scat, I've only seen a few bear and those 2-3 times I was driving in my car. In my mind, that limits by quite a bit what we have to be afraid of.

I, too, look at big burls in trees and wonder for a moment what they are.

I used to be afraid if I was hiking alone and saw someone hiking towards me.

 

[DougPaul]

I take CPR-AED just about every year. I've taken Wilderness First Aid. I told the instructor that I still felt uncomfortable with all this book knowledge, but no first hand experience. "Oh, it's pretty easy" he said. But, I said, you've a lot more real-world experience than I.

FWIW, I've presided at several accident scenes, including my own. (Training: (outdoor modified) Red Cross Advanced First Aid, CPR, MIT Medical Department Outdoors Medicine, lots of reading including rescue). Maybe everything wasn't handled perfectly, but it was good enough. There are only a few problems that require an instant response--take your time, think it out logically, and you will most likely do a reasonable job.

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. Lesson learned. I WILL be back in the woods, I need to confront my fears. But I'll be a wee bit better prepared.

Remember that having seen a bear in the past will have very little effect on the probability of seeing one in the future (unless you insist on hanging around the old encounter site). But I'll bet that you will be better prepared if it does happen...

Get out. Make noise. Relax. Enjoy.

Or hike with a friend or two until the jitters go.

Doug

 

[Stan]

I WILL be back in the woods, I need to confront my fears. But I'll be a wee bit better prepared.

I don't carry bear spray in the Northeast but if I had your experience I'd probably carry it here, at least for a while, in times and places of a perceived risk of such a confrontation ... which will probably never happen again to you but, understandably, "never say never".

 

[Raven]

My first solo backpacking trip was in '98 - I took the Montalban Ridge to Mount Washington. It was somewhere on Mount Parker when I rounded a corner and heard the crashing of brush etc. I saw the cub up a tree it had just shot up. I Didn't see the mother. I was probably 50-70 yards from the cub - luckily no closer...not anywhere near like Bill's experience. I saw mama peaking out from behind a tree much closer to the cub than to me. She was on her hind legs with her front paws on the tree and was leaning out looking at me. Being real stealthy about it. I backed up slowly, lifted my poles up over my head in an effort to look a bit larger, and tapped them slowly to make some noise as I retreated. Very non-threateningly...just letting her know where I was. I heard them take off shortly and I continued on the trail to the Resolution Shelter that night (rest its soul, it was a dump then and the privy had no walls). I banged those poles a lot that day on the trail and came across no other hikers. My food was bagged far from the shelter that night...