All I could think of was, “I can’t outrun him, and no one
at camp can hear me call out so I might as well talk to the
bear.” I planted my feet, raised my arms — I didn’t spread
my fingers because I didn’t want to look like a caribou —
and said really loudly, “I’m really big. I’m a human. You’re
not interested in me.” I kept repeating that over and over
again. Well, he moved across the channel and downwind
until he was on the same side of the water as I was, but I
thought, “Well now he’s on my side, but he’s downwind so
this is getting better. Okay good.” And I kept repeating -
“I’m really big. I’m a human. You aren’t interested in me.”
Well then he started walking toward me. “Okay,” I thought,
“I don’t have a whistle on me or any bear spray.”
Well, unbeknownst to me one of the other artists on the trip
was on the other side of the spit and could hear me. He
didn’t understand why I didn’t shut up. Normally when
you’re going into the brush you make warning sounds but
he said, “You just kept talking, and you were so calm I
figured there was nothing wrong.” He also commented that
the bear probably didn’t understand English and I could
have said, “Hey everybody, I have a grizzly bear here.”
When he did realize something was up he grabbed his gun,
roused the rest of the camp and they went out to where I’d
been. They were amazed when they saw my prints and the
bear’s prints and how far away they were from each other.
Honestly, it was all about staying calm. You never know
He got within 20 feet and stood up on his hind legs. I’m still how you’ll feel in a situation like that. Are you going to
repeating my phrases, but now I’m thinking, “But I’m really freak and run or are you going to think about what you
little and he’s really big!” *lol* But I kept repeating myself
know about nature and stay calm? All I could think to do
and eventually he got down on all fours, turned around and
was look as big as possible, talk to the bear, and hope he
walked away. “This is good,” I thought when he disappeared couldn’t scent fear or at least wouldn’t react to it. Thanks to
into the willows, “but I can’t run back to camp. If he’s
the training I’d gotten from a polar bear expert, what I did
watching and sees me run, he’ll want to chase.” So I slowly probably saved me.
turned and walked back to camp.
May | June 2019
15