Danger, Run! I mean, look at that...
"What was that?"
"Something in the woods, something big." We sat up and looked around us.
"Do you smell that?"
"Yeah, must be an old boar around."
This is part of the conversation my husband and I had while on Brown Mountain the other day. The weather up there was in the low 80's (F) and not only unusual, but very muggy where the humidity is often 90%. We took off our clothes for relief while we picked different wild teas and berries and thoroughly enjoyed our day, but it was not without event. We're starting to learn that a day up here without event is like a day without daytime. It just doesn't happen.
The first bear we saw didn't see us, at first. We watched him nose around the berries and bushes and then mosey on down the mountainside toward the creek in the valley below. They seem like a cross between cats and dogs - they're curious about people and they like to play, even when they're alone. The next bear we saw was at a lower elevation, and a younger one; obvious from his shiny thick coat and medium size. Probably a two-year-old out on his own for the first time. He seemed to be practicing his attack mode as he stomped his front feet on the ground and ran short distances quickly, stopping to bite an occasional bush. Then, he squatted like a cat and wiggled his back end - and then he pounced on a tree, which he proceeded to almost run halfway up! It was so cute, we laughed out loud, and being downwind from him, we drew his attention. He took one look at us and scampered further into the dense forest.
The best - and most dangerous of all - is to see a mother with cubs. I've seen them before and have always been lucky enough to be a distance away from them, so I could watch safely. Except for that one time... that summer when a mother and cub got into our trash nightly - this was before we discovered bear-proof trash containers. They're so prompt you can almost set your clock by them. After several nights of hearing them go through our trash and watching from the window, I decided to get some photos of the little guy and his mom. I sat in the shadow of a corner and waited and right on time, they showed up. I didn't see the mother, though - just the cub. He popped his head up next to the deck to see if the coast was clear, and I very slowly aimed my lens at him.
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