A couple of weeks ago, a black bear attacked a human in our local community. There were no major injuries, but it was the first such account on record in the history of Calaveras County. A man walking his dog accidentally found himself in between a bear cub and its mother, and he did exactly what you're not supposed to do...He ran! Mama Bear chased the man into a thicket of shrubs, and he reported that the bear pawed at him a couple of times before walking away from the scene.
In my opinion, the man received nothing more vicious than a mother's stern warning, but the fact that she actually charged at him does certainly raise some concern. Black bears rarely attack humans, and in fact are known to be afraid of people.
There has been a great deal of bear activity in the park in the past couple of months. Jason has had several sightings at the South Grove and one in the meadow behind our house. One morning we discovered bear paw prints on Jason's truck, and there have been encounters reported at the Group Camp as well as the Maintenance Yard, both within a quarter mile of our house. We also discovered unmistakable bear scat on the residence road.
I had been complaining that despite all of this activity, I had yet to see a bear this summer. That situation was remedied about a week ago! Heading up the residence road near the end of my evening walk, I happened to look straight ahead just in time to see two beautiful black bear cubs crossing the road. Instinctively, I froze in my tracks, enjoying the sight of wild cubs. Thrill quickly morphed into panic when I realized I did not know the location of the mother bear.
I was about a quarter of a mile from our house, and the only way to get home was the road in front of me. Five minutes passed, and I decided the mother bear must have been leading the cubs, so I cautiously marched forward. The bears had been about 60 feet in front of me, and when I reached the spot where they had crossed, I could see the brush below the road moving not far away! At this point, I also heard rustling in the scrub above me, which more than likely was caused by a squirrel or bird, but fear overwhelmed me, and I was convinced it was Mama Bear.
I tip-toed backwards several yards and began yelling for Jason to no avail. Twenty minutes passed before I attempted the walk home. I suddenly found the courage to walk only because it occurred to me that standing alone in the forest with all of my attention focused on the bears made me an excellent target for mountain lions, which are the REAL danger in our area.
Needless to say, I made it home safely, but I was really surprised by the fear I had experienced. I have had a couple of bear encounters in my life, and the bears have always ran away, leaving me disappointed that I didn't get a better view. I have never been afraid to go hiking alone. The recent attack coupled with the fact that I'm on the brink of motherhood has definitely changed my perspective. From now on, I'll walk with a hiking pole and carry a whistle. Maybe I'll even find a hiking buddy. Gone are the days of stubborn fearlessness and nonchalance about personal safety. Someone else is counting on me now...Mama Bear is in da house!
Unfortunately, I have no bear pictures to share, but I did manage to document a particularly awesome day of fishing on Beaver Creek. Jason was on a roll last weekend, and our freezer is well stocked with trout for the winter!
