[at-l] Old time bear stories

[aaronwv@unm.edu (aaron Vanwieren)]

Bear Stories, What about true events.
Just sit back and let chatter tell you all about them
mean nasty bears and how they can scare the poop
out of you.
Back in '97, when I first started backpacking, on my
second trip into the woods.  I got a late start from us 42
heading to Hawk Mtn Shelter in GA.  It was only about 8 miles
but I was in very terrible shape back then.  So, I did not get to the 
shelter till
close to dark.  When I arrived threre were allready two people there, packer
backer and tonto.  We chatted for a while, and they thought I was due a 
trail name.
But, they said something would pan out to warrant me a tag.
So, they go to bed because it is allready dark out, and I am sitting
at the picknick table eating my dinner, cous cous with seven vegitables.
The U.S. Rangers from fort merril wre out doing manuvers, for you could 
hear fake
bird calls and hellicopters.  Well, I am sitting there eating when I hear 
leaves crunching
over my left shoulder.  I figure it is some camo army dude seeing who is up 
at the shelter.
Well, I turn around with my headlamp in one hand and my pan with food in 
the other,
Staring at me, what looked to be a couple of feet away in the dark,
was two eyes and a maw, surrounded in black hair.  It was a bear.
I did not know what to do, and before I could do anything, it
turned around and walked away.  I shouted into the shelter waking
up the two sleeping hikers.  They were dissapointed I did not get a picture.
But they were excited, and were eventually able to calm me down.  In the
morning, they started to call me chatter, because I was chattering
about bears in the middle of the night.  The funny thing was.. the paw
prints were noticable that morning, that bear was close enough for me to
reach out and touch it!
True Story, Amazed I ever went backpacking again(or my mother ever let me 
go again)
Chatter