What's that outside my tent
It's 2:13 a.m. and I've just been woken up to a large noise in our campsite. Something is definitely out there and it's not a bird. I hear whatever it is smash forcefully into the bear container where we're supposed to be keeping our food. It's about 25-30 feet from where I'm sleeping. I begin to sit up and then I realize that whatever it was that made the noise has now walked over to my tent and is about 2-3 feet from my head. I'm halfway sat up in my sleeping bag and I freeze. I glance over and, luckily, Naj is sound asleep. If she was awake I would have two problems on my hands, dealing with whatever is out there and dealing with her being afraid of whatever is out there.
Two seconds later, seemingly two hours, I hear something walking right by the back of my tent, grunting and breathing heavily. This is a very large animal. The sound of the breathing makes crystal clear what I had previously feared. It's a bear. I can hear it walk away, but I'm paralyzed with fear.
I hear the dog at the campsite across the road start to bark. I slowly sit up and look out the window into the night, just in time to see a very, very large, dark figure moving through the moonlight. It never came back, but I laid there with my heart beating for more than an hour. Naj never woke up, except to go to the bathroom about an hour and a half later. I never told her until morning.
We knew it was bear country and I'm always careful about putting food away when camping in places like this. But I guess I wasn't quite convinced that it would be a problem. I put our food in the bear container at our campsite (they all have one. clue?) but didn't think anything more of it.
Earlier in the day our neighbor came over and talked to us and introduced himself. He said he hoped we like dogs because the houses adjacent to the campground had a bunch and they bark all night. Then he told us a bear had been through the campgrounds three nights in a row, but I figured it was just a lie to get us to put our food away. Especially when he kept saying, "Don't worry, you guys will be fine because you keep a clean camp. Right?"
As I went to sleep the dogs behind us began barking. His prediction was already half right but I ignored the other, more onimous, prediction. Luckily we were ok, but there were a few scary moments there.
Here I am at the tent.
Here's a picture of the bear container. They're a little tricky to get latched if you're not paying attention. It's obvious the bear knows that occasionally they don't get fully shut so he was whacking it to see if it would open. I think that dirty print there is a paw or nose or something. We're not sure.
Close up of the print.
Two seconds later, seemingly two hours, I hear something walking right by the back of my tent, grunting and breathing heavily. This is a very large animal. The sound of the breathing makes crystal clear what I had previously feared. It's a bear. I can hear it walk away, but I'm paralyzed with fear.
I hear the dog at the campsite across the road start to bark. I slowly sit up and look out the window into the night, just in time to see a very, very large, dark figure moving through the moonlight. It never came back, but I laid there with my heart beating for more than an hour. Naj never woke up, except to go to the bathroom about an hour and a half later. I never told her until morning.
We knew it was bear country and I'm always careful about putting food away when camping in places like this. But I guess I wasn't quite convinced that it would be a problem. I put our food in the bear container at our campsite (they all have one. clue?) but didn't think anything more of it.
Earlier in the day our neighbor came over and talked to us and introduced himself. He said he hoped we like dogs because the houses adjacent to the campground had a bunch and they bark all night. Then he told us a bear had been through the campgrounds three nights in a row, but I figured it was just a lie to get us to put our food away. Especially when he kept saying, "Don't worry, you guys will be fine because you keep a clean camp. Right?"
As I went to sleep the dogs behind us began barking. His prediction was already half right but I ignored the other, more onimous, prediction. Luckily we were ok, but there were a few scary moments there.
Here I am at the tent.
Here's a picture of the bear container. They're a little tricky to get latched if you're not paying attention. It's obvious the bear knows that occasionally they don't get fully shut so he was whacking it to see if it would open. I think that dirty print there is a paw or nose or something. We're not sure.
Close up of the print.
posted by Mookie at
7:02 PM
5 Comments:
Wow!! That's freaky!! Jeff
By
Anonymous, at 7:39 AM
P.S. We have centipedes and I think a mouse in the apartment in Montreal where we are staying. Jeff
By
Anonymous, at 1:37 PM
Also a scary situation. I had an inch worm on my shoulder earlier in the night but I neglected to mention it in light of the visiting bear.
By
Mookie, at 5:03 PM
When I first saw that print it looked like a nose print. That was my first thought. Gotta be a nose. Whoa. I remember the time (insert scary bear story here). That was close. I'm glad it's over. But it's nothing compared to the baboons on our car in South Africa. Now those are crazy mofos. They steal babies.
By
Alishia, at 5:30 PM
When I first saw that print it looked like a nose print. That was my first thought. Gotta be a nose. Whoa. I remember the time (insert scary bear story here). That was close. I'm glad it's over. But it's nothing compared to the baboons on our car in South Africa. Now those are crazy mofos. They steal babies.
By
Alishia, at 5:30 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home