Not that I’m looking for excuses not to hit the trail, but state Departments of Natural Resources are confirming it, black bears are on the move in Midwest states. I’ve never encountered a bear, nor have I ever even seen one. The closest I’ve come to a bear was in Sun Valley, Idaho during a GIS conference. On one of my days off, we took to the trail. We didn’t see a bear, but we saw bear sign.
If you asked me why, I couldn’t explain, but I have this fear of bears. Weird, huh? Not like I’m drawing from experience or anything. Just a fear. I remember reading in a book, the title of which eludes me now, about encountering bears in the woods. The book stated that if you met a grizzly in the woods that you should climb a tree. If it follows you, kiss your ass good-bye.
Or maybe it has to do with . Maybe knowing that Brad Pitt’s character was killed by a bear was too traumatic for me. What I do know is this. Hiking the trails at Gooseberry Falls State Park had me paranoid. I kept looking behind me, sure that the sound I heard was a bear silently approaching. I suppose if I really wanted to get deep here, I’d talk about how bears are representative of introspection, always a frightening prospect to look deep within oneself and search for meaning and purpose, to examine one’s soul. Now that’s scary.
Nah. Just put it down to Brad Pitt.
