It was a perfect summer morning yesterday and over coffee, Art and I decided to go on a familiar hike starting in the North Carolina Arboretum. It has some elevation, is mostly in the shade because of the dense woods and is a healthy 5.5 miles (partly uphill) if we go the entire way. It’s a 15-minute drive from our house to the Arboretum. We took the last parking space in the lower parking lot!
“Look at all the cars, “ I pointed out to Art. “It’s never this crowded!”
Gathering our walking poles, armed with bug spray, sun screen, and a water bottle each nestled securely in a pack around our waists, we set off uphill on the familiar Hard Times Trail.
A half mile up, we passed two women coming down. “There’s been a bear sighting on Owl Ridge Trail, and we are coming back down,” one of them said as she pointed off to the right. “I wonder why they are out this late in the morning,” she continued. “Aren’t they supposed to be more visible early in the morning and at dusk?”
We were bypassing Owl Ridge Trail anyway so were not too concerned. We continued up Hard Times Trail to the gate which marks one of the boundaries of the 450-acre Arboretum. The gates are unlocked during daylight hours in order to allow hikers and bikers to pass through in and out of the Pisgah National Forest. We momentarily forgot the bear sighting tip and yet noticed we were not seeing many hikers and only a few mountain bikers. Perhaps this should have been a warning.
At the top of Hard Times Trail you come out by the side of the road near the Blue Ridge Parkway and then the shady, rather wide and winding trail begins and goes several miles down to Lake Powhatan. I was feeling good, enjoying the trees swaying in a slight breeze and the shadow patterns along the trail. Art was up ahead of me as he walks faster. This morning it was seemingly perfect. We passed a friendly hiker with her two Dalmatian dogs who told us “if you don’t want to go all the way on Hard Times there is a trail that is only numbered off to the right about a half mile down. “ I knew what she was talking about but had never tried this route not wanting to get lost which is easily done once you start wandering around without a map in the Pisgah Forest!
I said to Art,” maybe we should try that trail and make it a shorter hike to have time to do some other things.” He agreed.
It was just around the bend as we were approaching this turn off that I heard a loud rustling in the trees on the bank above us. It was noisier than squirrels usually make or even birds. I glanced up to see a big black bear coming down right towards us.
I yelled to Art who was ahead of me, “there’s a bear coming down lets go fast!” I suddenly picked up my pace, bypassed Art and headed down the Hard Times without turning off as we had planned. It was too close to where the bear was headed.
I walked at least a half mile until I began to slow down, look around and try and calm down. “This must have been the bear sighted in the Arboretum,” I thought. “Well, as long as he was behind us we should be fine.” Art and I began to go over what we thought we had heard to do if you encounter a bear in the woods. It is a fact that black bears that live in North Carolina are omnivores and don’t attack people unless provoked or unless it's a Mama Bear with cubs. We had also heard that they can be scared away by loud noises like clapping, a whistle or especially a bear horn. We had none of those things except hands to clap with but that would hardly seem to do anything in light of the size of the bear I had just seen.
Two young guys in full biking gear suddenly appeared ahead of us coming up Hard Times. I stopped them and said “there’s a bear up ahead…just so you know…”
“Oh we saw him and got an awesome photo,” one told me as he pulled out his phone to show me. (I don’t have an “awesome” photo to add to this post simply because I could not even think to stop and take one while trying to put some distance between me and the bear.)
Then the bikers continued down and heading in the bear direction without another thought. I remember thinking, “at least they have bikes and can get away more quickly…”
Just as we began to relax on our hike once again I glanced back to see where Art was and saw THE BEAR was back on the trail behind Art…wending his way down towards us. “Bear!” I yelled to Art as I began to go faster downhill. Just around the bend, I stopped abruptly as there was a second bear in front of me on the trail headed straight towards us.
It was then that, as , the cliché goes I saw my life flash before my eyes…We were trapped with one bear behind us and one in front of us.
“What do we do???” I frantically shouted to Art. I passed a tree that looked like I might be able to climb part of it. “I’ll climb a tree,” I yelled.
“Bears climb trees,” Art said quickly. I think it was then that Art got scared. While I stood undecided as to what to do, the bear in front of me crossed over the trail and disappeared down the ravine. Without even glancing back, I took off at a full sprint downhill. I remember thinking I am 72 years old and I am actually running! I ran and ran and ran without stopping hoping Art was behind me and wanting to get as far away as possible.
It was only when we got to the bottom of Hard Times Trail where it comes to a T that we saw people, two young couples and little children oblivious to bears. They were on an outing near Lake Powhatan. We were still a long way from our car parked at the Arboretum but at this point the trail turns to go back to the Arboretum and often is much more used by dog walkers and bikers. We set off again, glancing around just in case the bears had come this far, and feeling relieved every time we passed people along the way. There seemed to be safety with other people around, most of whom were oblivious to what we had just been through. And we made it back to our car exhausted but greatly relieved.
On the way home we vowed to thoroughly research Black Bears on the Internet and never to go on another hike again without a whistle, which we have and never bother to carry. Since then, I shared our story with neighbors who are avid hikers and they told us about a bear horn . Amazon actually sells bear horns. One is already on order for us! Now that I am recounting our adventure I am sorry I don’t have a photo of the two bears. Whoever reads my blog will just have to take my word for all of this!
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