The outdoor experience is often shaped by what we encounter. From poem worthy vistas, to serene waterways to dense forests it is also best to be keenly aware that you are a visitor in those habitats and to spend time familiarizing yourself with just whom may call your trail, home. Let's dedicate this one to resident of parks, forests and national areas of the Mid Atlantic, the Black Bear. In the States of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia Black Bears have been recorded in all counties regardless of human population. But take a breath this is not the Revenant however, It is important to be bear aware and be smart when hiking in their habitat.
Lets meet the Black Bear:
Hello preparation:
While on the trail:
An Encounter:
So lets recap. Bears are not that into you. Prepare yourself. Be aware and don’t panic.
Lets meet the Black Bear:
- He/She likes grasses, insects, berries and roots.
- They can be active at any point in the day, but they prefer a good sunrise or sunset walk/ feeding.
- They are shy.
- They can be 4 to 7 feet in length and can weigh between 100 to 500 lbs.
- The moms are super protective of their young.
Hello preparation:
- Before you leave for the trail be sure to check with the state, national park or local county website for bear and Animal Warnings.
- Pack your snack or lunch in a seal tight container.
- If solo hiking, be sure to tell a friend/ family member or the local ranger of your itinerary
While on the trail:
- Make noise while you hike: sing, talk, whistle, etc. because bears do not like to be startled and if they hear you coming then they are more apt to leave before you come through..
- Fun Fact : Almost all hiking backpacks (including kids packs) come with an emergency whistle (yep, its true check the front shoulder and chest straps near the clasp)
An Encounter:
- If you encounter a bear on your hike:
- Remember they are in the area to scavenge for bugs, roots and grasses.
- Be calm, if you can proceed on the trail then do so at a cautious pace or retreat at a cautious pace (never turn your back to the bear)
- Not the time for Instagram photos.
- Never ever run away or climb a tree. A bear is faster than you, can climb too and they will laugh at you for trying.
- If a bear comes close to you or engages you, GET BIG! Hands up in the air , make noise & stand your ground.
- If all else fails, and the black bear actually charges or attacks you. Then fight back!
So lets recap. Bears are not that into you. Prepare yourself. Be aware and don’t panic.
My Old Rag Event
I have had a few interactions on the trail with the black bear. For many years, I had never seen one let alone encountered one, then I made up for lost time rather quickly. I keenly remember my first encounter, this while on the Old Rag trail. it was my birthday and as I do every year I detox from technology, work, life stresses and I go solo hike Old Rag. I have hiked Old Rag too many times to count, but the earliest I can remember was at the age of 11. There are benefits to hiking solo and there are drawbacks, neither is more persuasive than the other however it comes down to comfort. I was well aware of the risks and of course ready for the experience.
I hit the trail in early June and to experience Old Rag, you go early because its popular and heavily trafficked. This was a weekday but I still arrived early to beat the crowds and to be able to set my own pace for the trail. Old Rag is part of Shenandoah National Park and for that its not uncommon to know and understand that you are a visitor in a habitat of bear, coyote, fox, snake and for that a level of care if always the best approach.
My trail route started at the upper parking lot, where I always chose to go up the quickest and most direct route to attack the trail. The morning was cool with the spring bloom nearly complete, trees nearly full foliage and yet all was still and quiet with only the sounds of my shoes trekking the ground. I approached an area that widened into a groves of trees, the trail was decorated with bushes, fern and fallen trees. As I moved, I could hear an off in the distance rustle that was noticeable, but I took it as deer or a squirrel. The forest can play tricks on your hearing as sounds carry and take on a form unrelated to the object making it. so, What sounds like a large mastodon is in actuality that of a pint size bird. I arrived at a small bend in the trail and noticed two female hikers off in the distance. As I made my way to them, I became aware of the sound in the forest again this time it was moving quickly and it was not concerned with how much sound it made. The two female hikers looked the part, they had the right gear and clothing to experience Old Rag. However, what made an impression was the fact that as I approached, they were still and not once did they look my way. As I continued towards the two hikers, I was making considerable noise but still no movement from either of them. As I came within a few yards, it was at that point the noise in the distance, became the noise right behind me. As I turned, an adolescent bear ran behind me and across the trail at a good speed. I say adolescent because the bear was not of great size and appeared small. As the bear darted across the trail and made its way up my left side, I began to catch hold in my periphery of why the two hikers had not moved and why the bear was in a rush. There, merely 10 to 15 feet in front of us was a mother bear and her four cubs sitting in a large grove of shrubs. I approached the hikers and quietly asked if they were okay, they were but wanted to stay and take pictures. I let them know I was going to continue on the trail as I knew enough to leave a mother and her cubs alone. I began to walk forward on the trail, my eyes set firmly on the bear family with the goal to keep eye contact until I was out of sight. Mother bear however was intrigued by me and started to walk symmetrical to me, merely a few yards to my left. A few things happened to my body when a several hundred-pound momma black bear walked side by side with me. The first was my throat turned to concrete and swallowing ceased to exist. The second was walking became somewhat existential, and if there were rocks and roots below me, I probably walked through them. After what seemed like a mile (actually just a few paces) the bear stopped, plopped and began eating from a shrub. I moved forward and turned the bend and we both left our lives forever.
That day, I tackled and enjoyed all that was Old Rag, but the bears stuck out in my mind so much so that I spoke with the local ranger and shared with him my adventure and passed along a warning for other hikers. He kindly replied, “lucky you” and thought nothing of my concern and thought more how lucky I was for the experience. I to this day, agree.
I hit the trail in early June and to experience Old Rag, you go early because its popular and heavily trafficked. This was a weekday but I still arrived early to beat the crowds and to be able to set my own pace for the trail. Old Rag is part of Shenandoah National Park and for that its not uncommon to know and understand that you are a visitor in a habitat of bear, coyote, fox, snake and for that a level of care if always the best approach.
My trail route started at the upper parking lot, where I always chose to go up the quickest and most direct route to attack the trail. The morning was cool with the spring bloom nearly complete, trees nearly full foliage and yet all was still and quiet with only the sounds of my shoes trekking the ground. I approached an area that widened into a groves of trees, the trail was decorated with bushes, fern and fallen trees. As I moved, I could hear an off in the distance rustle that was noticeable, but I took it as deer or a squirrel. The forest can play tricks on your hearing as sounds carry and take on a form unrelated to the object making it. so, What sounds like a large mastodon is in actuality that of a pint size bird. I arrived at a small bend in the trail and noticed two female hikers off in the distance. As I made my way to them, I became aware of the sound in the forest again this time it was moving quickly and it was not concerned with how much sound it made. The two female hikers looked the part, they had the right gear and clothing to experience Old Rag. However, what made an impression was the fact that as I approached, they were still and not once did they look my way. As I continued towards the two hikers, I was making considerable noise but still no movement from either of them. As I came within a few yards, it was at that point the noise in the distance, became the noise right behind me. As I turned, an adolescent bear ran behind me and across the trail at a good speed. I say adolescent because the bear was not of great size and appeared small. As the bear darted across the trail and made its way up my left side, I began to catch hold in my periphery of why the two hikers had not moved and why the bear was in a rush. There, merely 10 to 15 feet in front of us was a mother bear and her four cubs sitting in a large grove of shrubs. I approached the hikers and quietly asked if they were okay, they were but wanted to stay and take pictures. I let them know I was going to continue on the trail as I knew enough to leave a mother and her cubs alone. I began to walk forward on the trail, my eyes set firmly on the bear family with the goal to keep eye contact until I was out of sight. Mother bear however was intrigued by me and started to walk symmetrical to me, merely a few yards to my left. A few things happened to my body when a several hundred-pound momma black bear walked side by side with me. The first was my throat turned to concrete and swallowing ceased to exist. The second was walking became somewhat existential, and if there were rocks and roots below me, I probably walked through them. After what seemed like a mile (actually just a few paces) the bear stopped, plopped and began eating from a shrub. I moved forward and turned the bend and we both left our lives forever.
That day, I tackled and enjoyed all that was Old Rag, but the bears stuck out in my mind so much so that I spoke with the local ranger and shared with him my adventure and passed along a warning for other hikers. He kindly replied, “lucky you” and thought nothing of my concern and thought more how lucky I was for the experience. I to this day, agree.
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