Mama Bear Face-Off

Ever had a terrifying encounter with wildlife?

Last weekend we went camping in the amazing Olympic National Park, and I had my first.  Don't get me wrong...I've come across plenty of moose, elk, deer, skunks, raccoons, bison, etc, but none of them hold a candle to this one. 

We were hiking as a family along a three mile boardwalk from Lake Ozette to a fairly untouched beach on the coast.  About halfway there, I picked Ella up and put her on my shoulders so we could quicken our pace while she ate an apple.  I took off and left Russ and Lauren behind.  I had some lame idea to count my steps as I went, but it was really taking up way too much of my brain power to just remember what number I was on.

In my state of total distraction and somewhere around 487 steps, I rounded a corner to see a thick bush 10 feet in front of my thrashing back and forth.  Ever seen LOST?  Think about the trees moving as the polar bears run through the jungle: I froze.  The bush thrashed harder.  I took a few slow steps backwards.  I wasn't breathing.

At that moment, Russ came bounding around the corner with Lauren on his shoulders.  I looked at him and said, "There's someone in the bush."  He laughed (and continues to laugh at me for the comment) and said, "Yeah, it looks like a BIG animal."  Then he yelled out.  The bushes thrashed as the THING ran from us.

Suddenly, in the not-far-enough-away distance, a tree started shaking as a BLACK BEAR ran up its branches.  I think my heart stopped momentarily.  THAT had been TEN feet away from me and I had STARTLED it?  I have never been so grateful to be alive as I was at that moment. 

Lauren, excited to see the bear, wanted to know if we could feed it.  Russ, way too over confident (in my opinion), was ready to keep hiking.  I, in my terror, stated, "I think it was just a cub, Russ.  We better go back."

Russ, laughing again, replied:  "No way.  That was a full grown bear, and we scared it."  Russ yelled again and clapped his hands.  The bear looked at us and climbed down the tree.  I was sure now that the BEAR had seen us we, he knew he could take us and was coming BACK for us. 

Russ, on the other hand, simply stated "He's gone" and walked off.

Guess what?  Fear can render you immobile.  The moment Russ walked off I realized I couldn't move.  The further away he got, the more panic set in.  Finally something inside me snapped and my legs sprang into action...I ran after Russ.  I'm glad I was able to convert the panic into something useful like running...I think my only other option was crying.

I shook for three hours straight after meeting the BEAR.  There were no more rest stops for us on that hike...poor Lauren, complaining about tired legs and me replying with "No stops before the beach!"  And THEN we had to walk the three miles BACK right past the same spot.  I was terrified.  The only reason I got back on the trail was because other hikers were arriving at the beach...that meant the BEAR wasn't eating them so we might have a chance. That and Russ said they wouldn't send a helicopter to pick me up from the beach.

Russ later referred to the encounter as the "Mama Bear Face-off."  I reminded him that we (thankfully) didn't see any cubs which would have made the bear more aggressive.  He laughed and said, "I was referring to you and your cubs...that bear didn't stand a chance."  Possibly, but I'm just glad we're all here to tell the tale.

Hiking just prior to the EVENT:

Arrival at the most amazing beach ever: