MOTORHOMING IN BEAR COUNTRY

I drew this cartoon while camping in forest campgrounds in North America where bears were regular visitors.   Thankfully they were usually better behaved than depicted here.

MOTORHOMING IN BEAR COUNTRY

During the years we spent travelling and living full time in our motorhome my wife and I had many exciting encounters with wildlife, particularly when camping is some of the more remote parts of the world.  Perhaps one of the most memorable and heart stopping took place in Alaska.  We were staying near Hyder, a tiny forest town situated close to the border with Canada.  Although it is an America town it can only be reached from the rest of Alaska and the lower forty eight by either making the long overland drive through British Columbia or by ferry.  We had made the journey because we had been told that there was a place in the forest nearby where we would be able to get close up views of bears fishing for the returning salmon as they swam upstream to their spawning grounds.  

We had been told to drive through the town and on into the forest along an old logging road until we reached a bridge where the track crossed over a fast flowing river.  Apparently, just downstream from the bridge was a favourite fishing spot for the animals that we hoped to see.  On reaching the bridge we pulled off the track and, with some trepidation, got out and walked back to the bridge to see if we could see any bears.  We were not disappointed.  Several animals were visible right away and we soon became totally absorbed watching the almost continuous comings and goings of both black and grizzly bears.

We had originally planned to move on later that day but just couldn’t tear ourselves away and ended up staying for nearly two weeks.  We never seem to tire of watching the animals wading into the fast flowing water to seek their prey.   Some would chase after the fish, some would put their head under the water and snorkel and others would sit quietly waist deep to hook out any fish that swam close by.  Although we had seen similar scenes on TV nothing could possible compare with actually being there, sitting on the banks of that tumbling river surrounded by wild forest and snow-capped mountains while the bears fished and eat their catch right in front of us.  It was just magic.  And the animals were doing so well, gorging themselves, piling on the calories in order to gain enough fat to see them through the long winter months of their hibernation.  And so numerous were the fish that the bears would often eat only the more nutritious soft under belly and the eggs of the females, leaving the remainder for the scavenging bald eagles and ravens circling overhead, waiting their opportunity to join in the feast.

As there was no camp site nearby, each evening we would drive a few miles further into the forest and find a suitable spot to cook our supper and spend the night.   Forgetting how acute is a bear’s sense of smell and the many stories we had heard about how they can tear open a vehicle in order to get at food they detect inside we foolishly decided to cook ourselves bacon sandwiches for supper.   Not a good idea in the remote Alaskan wilderness.  And if we needed a reminder of just how foolish we were being, it suddenly arrived in the shape of two grizzly bears, charging at surprising speed down the track directly toward us, one behind the other!  With the motorhome door wide open and with no time to close it I remember becoming acutely aware that only the flimsy screen door lay between us and our unexpected visitors.

We froze, shocked and mesmerized by the approaching animals.   Then, when no more than ten yards separated us from them the following bear caught up with its companion causing it to suddenly stop and turn to face its pursuer.  Rearing up in an open mouthed snarl the animals began grappling with each other and it soon became apparent that, with their bellies no doubt full of salmon, they had other things on their mind than food.

And thus we found ourselves witnessing the mating of these two magnificent and powerful wild animals just feet away, something rarely seen in the wild at such close proximity.  So mesmerized were we that I didn’t even take the opportunity to close the motorhome door.  However, that proved unnecessary, for after the deed was done the animals separated and wandered away into the forest without so much as giving us a second glance.