Yeah, going out to chase a black bear away is one thing. A grizzly is something else. Even a relatively young one. That being said, I probably would have done something similar. And it wouldn't have been my worst decision. Good reminder. And good reading.
Thanks for recommending my work! :) I hope that the online Hammett piece will inspire folks to follow your lead in subscribing to the print version of this terrific magazine.
Oh my! I'm glad this turned out okay for you! I suppose that bear was more interested in the chickens and didn't want to share with you, and glad that you ran off to leave her to dine in peace. I wonder if our brains are so foggy these days that snap decision-making doesn't always work the way it should.
Long ago when I was getting my geology degree, a couple of grad students working in Alaska were attacked by a grizzly. One of them had some decent scrapes but they got lucky and neither were too seriously injured. We were headed to Montana for field camp, with one of the pair amongst our TAs. He made light of it all, but also made sure that we knew what to do in case of a bear encounter (which never happened). Rattlesnakes showed up a few times - including at the first outcrop we stopped at on the first day! Our professor picked it up with a stick, and we knew then that he was probably a madman. Little did we know that by the end of six weeks mapping rocks through Montana, Idaho, and Washington we'd all be a bit mad too.
Glad you are okay. The desire for control underpins does much of what we do as humans, doesn’t it? And recognizing the futility of control is often an important step in learning to have fulfilling relationships with those around us.
100 Awesome-Nerd-Points awarded for quoting Becky Chambers. #scifinerdsunite
I'm glad you're OK after facing down a bear with nothing but a flashlight (I see nothing wrong in phrasing this story in ways that make you sound like a total badass). And that is a HUGE bear, so - I'm glad you're ok.
Eva Holland wrote a lot about humans meeting bears, last year & the year before. If you're feeling some residual Yikes-ness over all this, I bet she'd be a good one to chat to. (I was chatting with her about your newsletter a few weeks ago, so you're in her thoughts.)
And I'm going to circle back to scifi. I loved the original "Alien", the first in the series, because it was all about what happens when you step too far into the wilderness, too confidently, with zero caution or respect for the interoceptive signals coming from your gut and breathing and heart and everything, because you are Rational and Know The Rules and Nothing Bad Can Happen If You Assert Your Rights And Take Control. But as you say, at the local scale, the wilderness is forever uncontrollable. It does its thing, and we play along as best we can.
Be careful, Nia. I couldn't ... bear ... to lose you.
Yeah, going out to chase a black bear away is one thing. A grizzly is something else. Even a relatively young one. That being said, I probably would have done something similar. And it wouldn't have been my worst decision. Good reminder. And good reading.
Hi Nia! Merlin Sheldrake's book is great. Often in the evening, nonfiction puts me to sleep, but his book kept me awake and turning pages.
Also, I love Becky Chambers's work!
Also, for what it's worth, don't beat yourself up too hard re the bear encounter. We all think more clearly in hindsight and after a night's sleep!
Thanks as always for your writing; it's a highlight of my week.
Thanks for recommending my work! :) I hope that the online Hammett piece will inspire folks to follow your lead in subscribing to the print version of this terrific magazine.
Oh my! I'm glad this turned out okay for you! I suppose that bear was more interested in the chickens and didn't want to share with you, and glad that you ran off to leave her to dine in peace. I wonder if our brains are so foggy these days that snap decision-making doesn't always work the way it should.
Long ago when I was getting my geology degree, a couple of grad students working in Alaska were attacked by a grizzly. One of them had some decent scrapes but they got lucky and neither were too seriously injured. We were headed to Montana for field camp, with one of the pair amongst our TAs. He made light of it all, but also made sure that we knew what to do in case of a bear encounter (which never happened). Rattlesnakes showed up a few times - including at the first outcrop we stopped at on the first day! Our professor picked it up with a stick, and we knew then that he was probably a madman. Little did we know that by the end of six weeks mapping rocks through Montana, Idaho, and Washington we'd all be a bit mad too.
Glad you are okay. The desire for control underpins does much of what we do as humans, doesn’t it? And recognizing the futility of control is often an important step in learning to have fulfilling relationships with those around us.
100 Awesome-Nerd-Points awarded for quoting Becky Chambers. #scifinerdsunite
I'm glad you're OK after facing down a bear with nothing but a flashlight (I see nothing wrong in phrasing this story in ways that make you sound like a total badass). And that is a HUGE bear, so - I'm glad you're ok.
Eva Holland wrote a lot about humans meeting bears, last year & the year before. If you're feeling some residual Yikes-ness over all this, I bet she'd be a good one to chat to. (I was chatting with her about your newsletter a few weeks ago, so you're in her thoughts.)
And I'm going to circle back to scifi. I loved the original "Alien", the first in the series, because it was all about what happens when you step too far into the wilderness, too confidently, with zero caution or respect for the interoceptive signals coming from your gut and breathing and heart and everything, because you are Rational and Know The Rules and Nothing Bad Can Happen If You Assert Your Rights And Take Control. But as you say, at the local scale, the wilderness is forever uncontrollable. It does its thing, and we play along as best we can.
I say again: glad you're ok. :)