Hey bear! Years of delightful bear encounters on trail

On a  hike this past spring at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, my streak of encountering bears on trail continued. I saw bear warnings posted, but I assumed they were left over from last fall. I was finishing up my last mile, sauntering along mudflats, and then, just like that, a young bear crossed the trail ahead of me. And just like that, the youngster disappeared into the forest, leaving me fumbling with my phone, thrilled at the sighting but bummed at the missed photo opportunity. 

I love seeing bears out on trail. Seeing a bear reminds me that there are still wild lands out there — and many close to our population centers. But I understand that not everyone loves seeing a bear on the trail and many hikers find the notion frightening. I’ve talked to many hikers who have never seen one in the wild and are envious that I’ve seen so many. They’re curious why I’ve been so fortunate.

Bear tracks at Cradle Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Photo by Craig Romano

I attribute my bear sightings to a few things. One is simply the amount of time I spend on trail (more than 2,000 miles a year). Two, I spend a lot of time on trail alone. This increases bear (and other wildlife) sightings, as I’m not making noise by talking and I’m focused on my surroundings instead of engaged in conversation. If you’re hiking in a group, the sound of voices will warn bears of your approach and send them skedaddling. I also spend a lot of time on trails less taken, where there’s perhaps more bear use than human use. And finally, I love being on trail early in the morning and later in the evening — prime times for bear sightings. Many of my bruin meetups have also occurred in national parks, where hunting is prohibited.

I’ve seen bears on my hikes from Maine to Alaska. Let me share with you some of my most memorable encounters. While out on a trail run with my wife in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, we spotted a cute grizzly cub in the distance, wading across the channels of the Athabasca River. It soon dawned on us that mom must be someplace close — and she was! As we turned away from the river, she was right there in the trail! It happened so fast — luckily we weren’t between the mom and her cub. She gave a quick grunt and moved toward her cub. We came to a quick stop with hearts racing! After she moved on, our run continued, boosted by a surge of newfound adrenaline!

In Kelowna (which actually means grizzly bear), British Columbia, while I was pushing my son in a jogging stroller on the wonderful Mission Creek Greenway, we saw a young black bear right in the city limits. My son got to count his first bear encounter on trail when he was a mere 8 months old!

• Be bear aware
• Bears are wild animals, and while there is a potential risk to encountering them on trail, being prepared can help a lot. In spring, bears will start to become more active, and it’s a good idea to watch for them. All of my encounters have worked out well for both me and the bear. To have positive encounters with bears, it’s imperative to be bear aware while hiking and backcountry camping. This also means engaging in behaviors that will keep you and bears safe. Keep a clean camp, keep your distance from bears, make noise if you’re in an area where you might surprise a bear (like a densely vegetated section of trail), keep pets on a leash, and stay well away from cubs if you see them. Carrying, and knowing how to use, bear spray is also wise. 
  
  
• It is also important to remember that, as the climate changes, bear activity may also change. Just because you’ve never seen a bear in a certain area or at a certain time, don’t assume that will always be the case. 
  
  
• Learn more at wta.org/bears

On an ultra-trail run on Mount Rainier’s Northern Loop, a young black bear forced me and my running companion Grady (a WTA employee!) to take a break. Grady was up ahead while I lagged behind, noting a plethora of bear signs — fresh scat and lots of tree scrapings. I finally caught up as Grady was coming back toward me. I asked if he’d noticed all of the bear signs and he said, “Yep, and the bear is just ahead on the trail.” We spent some time talking to this curious little fellow until it moved on so we could complete our challenging 33-mile day.

It seems that even when I’m in an area that closes trails because of bear activity, I still see bears. Last summer, while I was hiking at British Columbia’s Mount Revelstoke National Park, park personnel closed some of the trails due to bear activity. No problem, I thought, I’ll enjoy the other summit trails. Within a few minutes, I hiked past a big old black bear munching away in a patch of huckleberries. It appeared the bear was avoiding the closures as well. I ended up encountering two more black bears on that 6-mile loop. Where there are berries, there are bears. It’s usually later in the season when I see the most bears, and it’s almost always in areas of high huckleberry concentrations. 

Bears are opportunists and will eat a variety of things. Once while I was hiking down the lonely Schaefer Lake Trail in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, I spotted half a bear on the side of the trail. Yep, it was just the bear’s rump sticking into the air. Its snout was deep in the ground, slurping up larvae from a yellow jacket nest. I clapped a couple of times to let it know I was passing. It popped its head out of the ground, took one look at me and hightailed it down the mountain, a swarm of angry yellow jackets in pursuit! It was definitely one of my more unique bear sightings.

This curious bear made an appearance during a trip to Windy Pass in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Photo by Craig Romano

On a solo hike near Windy Pass, below Cashmere Mountain, I watched a young black bear, feeling as if I was working on a documentary. I was downwind from it and behind some shrubs as I watched it play, frolic, roll and stand on its hind legs. It dawned on me that this could go on forever and daylight was at a premium, so I clapped and announced my presence. The bear cleared the way, and I passed in peace.

For sheer number of bear sightings, nothing beats Olympic National Park. My bear encounters there have been epic, including seeing 13 on a single hike. That was on a 3-day backpack to Lake LaCrosse, in the heart of the park. At the Home Sweet Home camp, we had a resident bear, which made for cautious trips to the privy in the dark of night. 

But it was on a 2-day backpacking trip at High Divide that I had one of my most cherished bear sightings. It was 35 years ago, on my first solo backpacking trip. I was dealing with a period of darkness, and a pair of bears brought me so much joy. While eating lunch on Bogachiel Peak, I heard splashing from a tarn below (the tarn no longer exists). Curious, I headed to a ledge, where I watched a sow and her cub playfully splashing before a spectacular backdrop of Mount Olympus, with its glistening glaciers. It’s one of my most cherished backcountry memories. That trip was a turning point, and the wildlife encounters, which included seeing seven bears, are permanently etched in my mind’s eye.

I look forward to another hiking season of bear encounters. I can’t bear to think of hiking without these beautiful animals!