Why bears …. in the woods from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken discovers why bears do **** in the woods..
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Why do bears ….. in the woods?
September 21st, 2011In bear country
September 20th, 2011In bear country from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken makes a brief stop at a camp ground north of Anchorage. In bear country.
Dancing bears
September 14th, 2011Quite what they thought the hulla hoops would achieve I never did quite grasp. Other than to imagine the rather remote possibility of the bears being deterred by the necessity of treading gingerly through them. On tip-toe.
I’d met with a group of teenagers from Wales, spending a night in the Bent Prop Inn Hostel before returning once more to the wilds of Alaska. One of their tents being hastily repaired with duct tape. Ripped by a bear eager to take a candy bar inadvertently left behind, the occupants fortunately elsewhere.
The hoops, and a couple of kayaks, had been placed around the damaged tent to deter further foraging. Ineffective this might have been, but at least it suggested spirits had not been dampened. Rather, the story seemed to get further embellished with every telling. Surely it must have been a family of bears, I hinted.
Walk on the wild side
September 8th, 2011I’d been glad of the visit to the conservation centre. To see brown and black bears close up, albeit behind the wire. Far from making me feel more nervous about camping, it’d come away feeling quietly confident. Felt I now at least had the threat in perspective, understood the nature and the quality of the risk I’d be taking.
True, the first few nights might be unnerving. I get spooked by sheep. But I felt comfortable with the measures I’d need to take to say safe. And, crucially, was content I could distinguish between brown and black bears. For, in the event of an aggressive encounter, the steps you take are very different.
What I hadn’t quite appreciated was just how far out of Anchorage the centre was. A good hour’s drive. Another example of host Linda and partner Angie’s unceasing generosity.
Sobering thoughts
August 31st, 2011Sobering thoughts. Never mind the bears, watch out for the moose. The former may leave you for dead, whereas the latter will make sure first. By trampling. And they’re not the only things that can be fatal in Alaska. Wear the wrong sort of clothing – cotton for example – and you can easily succumb to hypothermia. The Arctic Circle lies just a matter of four hundred or so miles to the north of Anchorage.
I’d been met at the airport by host and fellow cyclist Linda. Five am. Driving across town, we’d discussed a few of the challenges ahead, the dangers one might face. This was not, she explained, the place for romantic notions. I’d nodded in agreement. Adding that hopefully I at least knew what I didn’t know. Keen to draw on her experiences, her knowledge drawn from over a quarter of a century living in Alaska.
She’d dropped me off at her house before heading off to work. I’d meant to go to bed, I really had, but my body clock was askew and I found myself inexplicably wide awake. Besides, there were maps on the kitchen table for me to peruse. Far from unsettling me, I’d found the conversation in the car inspiring. There was much to do, and I wanted to get started. I’d sleep later when I actually felt tired.
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