The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

I made this short video a couple days back. Hiking through the thimble berries, I remembered the close encounter while on the Eagle Creek Trail, a short segment in Oregon which coincides with the Pacific Crest Trail. Just a few miles from Cascade Locks, I had the closest bear encounter of my life.





While eating thimble berries around 7 a.m, I rounded the bend of a very narrow legdge. The drop off and mountain kept all hikers from deviating from the narrow trail. Suddenly, I felt something brush my pack. I turned to look and saw a cub scampering up the tree I'd just passed, an arms length away.

Just below that tree a mother bear glanced up, stood on her hind legs to see what had passed. She began huffing at me, I backed up, calling to my hiking partner a ways behind, hoping he would not walk past a mother and cub as I'd just done. We couldn't see each other at that point. He told me he saw the bears and knew I had just passed them.

I hit my poles together, yelling, backing up, glancing behind me so I wouldn't fall off the ledge, or worse, back into another cub!

Finally, expecting a bluff charge, determined not to run or touch the mother unless she touched me first, the mother took off into the canyon, her cub scampering back down the tree, running behind her.
Just then, Rainmaker rounded the bend.

Both safe, and a true story to last a life time.

Today was interesting. I saw a beautiful black bear lope across the old gravel road  on my morning hike. He looked very healthy. I say he because the mother bears around here have cubs.

My life partner was hiking the other day and came near a mother with two cubs in a tree. He backed up and she seemed even more agitated, so he turned to notice a third cub right behind him. Because he does carry a firearm when he hikes he wasn't real alarmed. Further consideration caused him to buy serious bear spray and carry that as well. Neither one of us wants to hurt a mother bear with cubs or create any orphans in the woods.

We generally hike alone because I'm a morning person, and like hiking in the cool of the day, while he likes hiking early afternoon. This works for us.

While I was writing on my computer, the floor began to shake. I thought maybe the washing machine had a very unbalanced load, but wait, the washing machine was not running. Nothing was running. I paused my work and felt the chair also shaking. I thought then maybe a bear had crawled in under the house and was tearing up the floor. I stood up and it quit.
I've been through a couple earth quakes, small ones. But the east coast doesn't get earth quakes, not like this.

We turned on the news and found out sure enough, a 5.8 that jiggled about 22 different states.
Never a dull day in the mountains.

Every morning, especially in the summer, I get an early hike in. Before coffee, before breakfast, before it gets so hot.
Now that our trail cameras are showing a lot of bears with cubs, wild hogs with piglets, and god knows what else out here, I'm making myself bring
The Sling.

And since it has a built in ditty bag, I'm adding some survival stuff, just in case I get off on a bushwhack.

A firestarter, matches, and cigaretter lighter all fit into a tiny plastic bag. This is dropped into the sling. I've placed a large white plastic bag, a watch and a small jack knife into the built in pouch. These simple tools would come in very handy if I had to spend the night alone in the forest.


I made this sling myself from some silnylon. Its just a large ditty bag, measuring 5.5 inches x 9 inches tall. I included a smaller ditty bag whose cord encircles the strap on the sling.

The safety clip on the bear spray has an elastic cord around it. I added this so the clip would never get lost. A small burst when the wind is at your back and the attacker is in close range is sufficent.



Every once in awhile, I practice removing the spray from the sling, sliding the clip off and aiming. I have never needed to use it yet.

By keeping it simple, I know I actually will grab The Sling before I head out the door.
This morning I saw a wonderfully healthy looking black bear. He ran from me, and I thanked him.