...fortunately while still in the car :)
Okay so, hiking today, and as we were on our way between dropping off my car at the end and driving to the starting point, a bear ran across our path. Which was A - super cute; I love bears and am always excited to see them. Safely. And B, mildly disconcerting because today I'm solo hiking and I now knew that absolutely there was at least one bear between my starting point and my car. 🤔
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| In a week or two, the colours will be stunning |
Now realistically there are often bears up here, but ignorance is bliss and I've never seen one before heading out. And also this is the first solo hike I've done up here. Which even still wouldn't normally concern me - black bears are generally pretty happy to do their own thing as long as you leave them alone. One on the back porch of the cottage? Just come in the front door instead. No big deal. But, further up north from where I am hiking today, they've closed the camping portion of a campground due to unusually aggressive bears. Speaking with the park staff (cause we left a car there the other day) this is due to idiots feeding said bears to get pictures 🤦♀️.
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| This park is farther north, but not THAT much farther |
I was hiking the southern portion of the peninsula today but had no idea how far bears wandered once their provided snacks disappeared so not sure if this'd be a "normal degree of caution: bear or an "increased caution required" bear. So as I started walking I did a quick refresher on black bear safety. Number one -no matter how much it looks like her, it's not Sasha. Do not pet ;-P. And otherwise avoid, keep distance, etc. Number two - carry bells as you walk so they stay away from you. Number three - if you encounter one get big and loud and don't turn away.
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| In BC they have scarier bears ;) |
Right well... One - got it. Two - distinct lack of bells in my bag. Three - I am not a big human so while I could make myself loud and move absolutely insane, I'd rather avoid this option. So back to two... When I'm hiking along I generally try to be as quiet as I possibly can to enjoy nature around me. I want to hear the wind in the trees, the birds chirping, the angry squirrels nattering as I walk too close, etc. But also - I am extremely useless at the "spot the animal" game -- even in Africa, with a guide pointing directly to a creature, it often took several tries for me to actually see whatever animal it was (usually a lion). And that was something I knew it was there, approximately where, and really *wanted* to see it. Which means out alone, I'm not going to see this bear unless it's literally walking toward me on the trail 😂.
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| Outside the general store near our cottage |
So that leaves bells. 😔. I figured I really should pretend to be safe, and while I don't have bells, I do have car keys that I have very carefully secured so they make zero noise. So I did the opposite. Pulled them out and tied them to my bag where they could swing and jangle and generally annoy me. Gonna admit this significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the day, and likely that of every other critter I walked by. But I guess better to sacrifice the company of the little critters to avoid the company of the big one.
The trail turned away from the edge of the escarpment and into the woods, which was extremely pretty. Arguably a more likely habitat for the bear, but not the first one through so should be good to go :). Also, while we saw him shortly after sunrise, he should be settled in and napping till sunset. The biggest thing I've seen so far is a chipmunk. I adore chipmunks.
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At times the trail was hidden by leaves
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The snarky side of me thinks if I were a hungry bear, I'd view the human trails as delivery food where it just comes to you AND gives you an easy path to follow back to your home. 😂 I get that I'm anthropomorphizing but it amused me, and I didn't have anything else to do on my hike. And yes I get that while they're omnivores, a lot of their diet is seeds and berries and human is not on the preferred meat portion. But still ;)
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| Very pretty area to pause for a snack |
Other than the mild bear concern (which wasn't nearly as dramatic as my post suggests. I'm telling you stories remember), it was a really good hike. At about 5km in I passed a group of four women, probably in their late 60s or early 70s, hiking the other direction. This told me that at least until the next parking area, they'd probably already warned the bears humans were around. I didn't see a single other human the entire hike. It was lovely. Not the best weather for photos today, but for hiking is excellent - overcast, mid-teens, and nice breeze. There was one very short - albeit high - technical section, and one staircase to climb. Other than that a comparatively easy walk through the woods.
Two hiking days left to finish the entire Bruce Trail.
Today's Stats:
Location: Cape Croker to Purple Valley
Distance: 18.58km
Elevation Gain: 370m
Weather: Mid-teens, overcast
Duration: 4h, 26m
Avg Pace: 14:39
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