BEARS

 This is about my close encounter with bears while working for the Forest Service.   It does include the encounter with  the unknown creature, which was probably a bear, that ran me out of the East Fork of Bluff Creek in my story titled--IN SEARCH OF BIG FOOT.   

The quickest way back to the truck was to go straight up through an old clear cut unit from the bottom of the East Fork of Blue Creek after a day of locating proposed clear-cut boundaries on the Orleans Ranger District.     It was the spring of 1972 as I made my way up to the old hand fire line running along the bottom of the unit.   Then I noticed the fresh carcass of a cub bear.    In the world of bears it is common for the big male bears to attack and eat young cub bears.   Not really sure why, but might have something to do with the cub not being their offspring or downright hungry after hibernation.   As I started the steep climb from the bottom of the unit I saw a large black figure walking on the road about thousand feet above.    It was a large black bear looking down into the unit and sniffing the air.   Bears have bad eye sight, but can smell and hear things from a far distance depending on the wind.   It must have heard me as it was straining to see what was making noise down slope.    I stayed put for a while sitting behind as large stump waiting for the bear to leave as they can be aggressive if disturbed.    Finally I made it to the road on top of the unit.    As I walked along the road back to the Forest Service truck at the end of the road I saw large bear droppings going in my direction.    Luckily I made it back to the truck with no problems.

My next encounter with bears was in Alaska when I volunteered for a work detail on the Tongass National Forest in September of 1993.    Four of us were assigned to the Forest Service work center at the Rowan Bay logging camp that was operated by the Alaskan Pulp Corporation on Kuiu Island.    The black bear population was greater than the human population on this island and they were everywhere as the Salmon were going up all the streams to spawn.    Working in the woods locating clear-cut unit boundaries and spur roads, we were required to carry canisters of pepper spray to deter any attack from the bears.    The bears were so intent on catching salmon they could care less on what we humans were doing.   Driving back to camp at the end of the day we had to stop at times to allow bears to cross the road as they were chasing salmon up the many streams.    There was even a sign that said ‘Bear Crossing’ just before getting to the camp.  The camp was comprised of single wide trailers for living quarters.   Garbage containers had to be kept within the enclosed front porches to keep the bears from getting in it.   Garbage was collected and incinerated here, no open dump for bears to feast in.   They roamed the small streets of the camp with a population of about 100 people as if they owned the place.    There were penalties for leaving garbage out in the open or goodies in the vehicles.    In many ways the bears ruled this place.