Wednesday, July 14, 2010

"der is a bear, over der"

"der!, der!", a family of Japanese tourists were saying, while I was out running this morning. "

"what is it?", I ask.

"der!, der!", the one with the over-sized camera says.

I look into the woods and I can't see anything. I keep looking and a huge spot of black starts moving across an old growth log covered in mossy green.

"see!, der!, der!, der!", he says again. That's when I realize he's been saying "bear!, bear!"

9 years I have been trail running across the North Shore and I've never seen or heard a bear. The odd deer has startled me and I've seen plenty of steaming, grassy, berry-filled ugliness, but never a bear. Thanks to those tourists for pointing it out. Had they not been there I wouldn't have even noticed it.

It makes me wonder how many animals I have passed in these last 9 years. And how many have watched me run by. I sometimes feel like I'm being watched, but who knows what that is. Cougars probably. Both types.

Anyway, I have seen my first North Shore black bear. It was huge and I'll happily keep the same 25 foot gap for my next encounter.

4 comments:

  1. I have seen lots of bears -- 2 blocking the trail (at different times) back from the old growth cedar on the west side of lynn creek. Last year one kept coming in my yard. And a cougar was in my front yard hiding behind our berm. My cats lastest 2 years in Upper Lynn Valley.

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  2. there's no such thing as a bear..

    dc (aka lazy blogger)

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  3. haha "cougars- both kinds"- I see what your getting at here!

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  4. I wondered if anyone would get that joke. I often end up laughing alone. I tell my self it's because my jokes are too sophisticated, but really it's because they're dumb. Nonetheless, I still laugh. Thanks for laughing.

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