NINE BEAR

After 350 miles, I got a trail name. I should be clear that in past hikes I went by “Banana Pudding”, or “BP” for short. This trail name was given to me by my Dad, my twin brother, my sister, and my Mimi for the love I have for my grandmother’s banana pudding – and let me tell you, it’s amazing – but this was a new and very different hike, so I wanted to try on something else for size. And in Northern New Jersey I got what I asked for when I came into contact with nine black bears in one day, of which two were well into the 400-600 lbs range. It was shocking. When you see pictures of black bears in lodges or stores, they are typically the small cute ones by the roadside looking lost. No wonder park rangers have to warn people not to feed the bears when they resemble oversized stuffed animals. What you don’t see pictured are the large males; the ones that are hippo size; the ones that make you realize you are deep in the woods, and this is their home. That’s the wake-up call I experienced when we turned a corner to see a large black bear slowly meandering into the woods. The trail veered right, so Caitlin and I walked around and to higher ground to get a better judge of the situation and to put space between us, only to see four black bears hanging around a water source not 30 yards from us. They saw us too, and we quickly became loud and began receding as the largest began to approach us. We had our bear spray out with safety off when it became disinterested and returned back south to the portion of trail it had been sitting at prior to our arrival; the following hour was spent yelling to other day- and thru- hikers down the trail in warning and trying to pressure the bears away from the trail. And then I saw five more.

The largest came within 25 feet of us as it crossed the trail, clearly unafraid as it walked calmly into the woods after pausing to size us up. By nightfall I was shaken, and Caitlin and I had been delayed by bear encounters too long during the day and were forced to set-up camp early in an area that we had just seen two large black bears merely an hour before. Much of my evening was spent trying to calm down (Caitlin had only seen five of the bears, and was more bothered by her lack of a shower than if we’d survive the night); but we reasoned that none of these bears had actually acted aggressively (two approached us curiously, but not menacingly), New Jersey is infamous for its high bear population, and we carry bear mace should we ever feel the need to use it. Further, that day was probably one of the greatest wildlife experiences we will ever have. Let’s hope, anyway. And so, after a pep-up talk from Dad and a review of how to react when dealing with aggressive bears, I sported a new trail name out of camp that morning – “Nine Bear”. Now, after 38 days on trail and 444 miles, we’re up to 11 bear sightings. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]