My meeting with black bears in the wild

Hello, steemians, friends and strangers. Once upon a time my life path brought me to the magnificent state of Montana. If you are not very familiar with the the U.S. map, it's one of the northern states. It borders Canada and is well known for its big skies, natural beauty, small population, and "country" lifestyle. I stayed in a small town named Great Falls, and there was only a short drive through the fields to get to these wild mountains and forests barely touched by civilization.

(view from above; my encounter happened down there not too far from the dark trees...)

An avid nature lover, I just wouldn't stay put. It never occurred to me that hiking in remote areas of the wilderness shouldn't be done alone. Who even thinks about that after looking at the map and seeing these massive patches of green filled with awe and wonder of creation? So I got in my car and took a mountain road to the place named Sluice Boxes National Park. About twenty minutes later I parked my car on a small gravel "parking lot" next to the country road which seemed to lead to nowhere. On my right in the distance stood an abandoned farm building, and on my left started a narrow path that ran along the river surrounded by thick bushes with an abundance of edible berries (I don't remember what sort). That was the path that I took.

As I kept walking, it kind of dawned on me that I was all alone in the wilderness. No other hikers, no houses... No camping areas... Just me. At the same time I thought that the abundance of sweet berries near the river must be a perfect spot for bears. It was the end of August, after all, and they had to gain all that extra weight to survive the long winter.

The path brought me to the place where I would have to cross the creek if i wanted to go on. On the other side there was an open space covered with tall, yellow grass. Some abandoned wooden houses stood there, and I really wanted to explore them. So I crossed the creek which was about 30 feet wide, almost slipping on the smooth rocks in the icy-cold water... And when I reached the other side, I had to stop and take off my service boots to shake out the water. I sat facing the creek and took care of that, listening to the light buzz of insects in warm, pleasant silence.

But then there was a noise.

Some small rocks rolled down to the water from behind my back. "Why would the rocks roll?" I thought. Were there other hikers in these woods after all? But then... where is their car? What if there is a maniac serial killer residing in these mountains?! Suddenly, all those horror films I used to watch during my young adulthood came to mind, the lovely Texas Chainsaw Massacre taking the lead.

I slowly got up and turned around to face whoever it was that made the rocks roll down to the creek. I looked up at the dark green line of bushes which grew along the river, and that very second the large, dark brown creature turned its fat butt to me and ran in the direction of the forest to the left, making lots of noise as it was going through the thick growth.

It was the first time I saw a bear in the wild so up close.

I stood there a while, my heart beating fast. I imagined how the bear stood there and watched me curiously for at least a minute or two while I was taking the water out of my boots. How quiet she was! (I was somehow sure that it was a "she"). How softly she poked her head out of those bushes to be able to see me better. And then the rocks rolled down... Does it mean she was about to walk to me... to what? To smell me better? To kill me? Judging from how she ran, it seemed like she was more scared of me than I was of her. I could see her making her way through the bush because of the way they moved as her massive body cut through them. She went far. I assumed she was really trying to get away.

And there, only quarter a mile away, stood those abandoned houses. "You should head back to the car now," said a sensible voice in my head. But instead of listening to it, I put my boots back on and started walking along the narrow, practically non-existing path (barely seen in the tall yellowish grass) toward the houses.

There wasn't much too see. I expected some furniture, objects, something on the walls... But the rooms were empty except for one broken wooden chair. If there was anything historical in there, it had been picked up and probably taken to the museums.

While I was inside the houses, I started getting anxious. It was like a gut feeling you can't explain, it was just there. From the inside I couldn't see what was going on out there anymore. The silence was deep. It was a warm august noon and lots of insects were buzzing in the grass outside. What if the bear decided to come back? I wouldn't even know... I wouldn't know where she was. What if she came back to the river which I had to cross again on my way back?! Deciding not to test my luck anymore, I went back on the path.

And then, above the top of the grass I saw a dark head with rounded ears - just the head, ANOTHER bear staring straight at me. How did I know it was another one? Because the forest was far away to the other side, and this other bear stood in a completely opposite direction and seemed smaller. Now I had at least two bears on both sides of the path that I had to take back to the car, and I could see only one of them. Who knows where the first one was now.

I froze. The bear froze. For two or three long seconds we were like statues, our eyes fixated on one another. All thoughts disappeared from my head as I was looking at him, not knowing what he would do the next moment. Would he run toward me? How can I ask him not to? What do I do?

"Please, go away," I said in my head. And then I moved my hand, and as soon as I did that, he went down and hid in the grass.

"A cub," I realized. A grown bear would stick out, the back would be visible. It was a little cub, he got scared when I moved. He had no idea what kind of creature I was! And where on earth is his MOTHER?

God, no, please, mother-bear, don't be near me, I thought as I started walking back to my car. It took me lots of courage and self-discipline not to run. I thought my heart would explode as I was walking, making sure to look normal and confident, just a little stroll along the path... There was no wind, the air was still, and I realized that the bears probably couldn't smell me very well. That's why they ended up so close to me... If they knew a human was coming, they would make sure to walk away before I even got there.

So, to add more to my suffering, I started clapping my hands and singing. And, as if mocking me, the bears somewhere to the left and behind my back started making grunting and cooing sounds, which seemed so loud in the early afternoon quietness of that beautiful place. Needless to say, I sang all the way to the car, hoping that these magnificent creatures wouldn't want to do anything with the lonely, unexpected human who wandered into their territory.