Life in Bear Country

Image via Wikipedia

Interesting read in the Anchorage Daily News concerning a bear attack just South of here.  Not a terrible attack in the sense of "gruesome," but clearly could have turned out far worse than it did.  Everyone's OK and I thank God for that.  But I do like the "write-up."  Almost like you can see and feel it, giving a sense of the terror, the adrenaline, and...well, I like it because the folks came out of it in better condition than some other accounts that get the press.  This just made me realize all over again that, no matter how outdoorsey you are, we all need to be "bear aware" up here.

The account begins this way:

Tyler Nord doesn't remember the moment the grizzly pounced on him. He couldn't tell you what her breath smelled like or how soft her fur was. All he remembers is summoning the adrenaline that was coursing through his body to his legs to push her off.

The memories of the attack are like a strobe light of images playing through his mind, he said Thursday in talking of the encounter involving him, two mountain-biking companions and the bear on Resurrection Trail. 

The bear bit or clawed into Nord's thigh, but he wouldn't notice that until later, after the grizzly and her cubs had retreated to the woods, bear spray in her face.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/07/08/1359490/mountain-biker-recounts-tale-of.html#ixzz0tAXb1C7B