ADK HIGH PEAKS BEAR ENCOUNTER #1

The first encounter with a black bear took place in 2003 in the heart of the ADK high peaks, Marcy Dam. That location has been known for its bear problems for decades. Before the days of food canisters that locked with a coin, all food supplies had to suspended in higher locations. As the number of hikers increased in the area, so did the amount of good smelling food.

Marcy Dam regulations in 2003 mandated all hikers to suspend their food supplies over the dam on cables that were strung for that very purpose. With each passing year, the black bears were becoming more intelligent in how to get hold of the food. They even figured out that by chewing off the ropes that held the bags suspended in the air 50-60 feet away would cause the food to drop into the water below and then they would retrieve it there. Sometimes hikers would find the remains of their food supplies on the banks of the river below.

In the distant past, black bears would hunt around the dam at night when all the hikers were in their lean-to's sleeping away. However, that also changed as the strong odors of hikers preparing their food caused some hungry bears to excessively salivate even during the day. And so my first encounter took place on Day 2 of our hiking adventure in the evening as I was cooking up some scalloped potatoes on my portable propane stove. Shortly into my cooking, a heard a rustle behind me near the waters edge. I quickly turned round to find a large black bear coming at me about 30 feet away. Instantly I grabbed another pot nearby and a spoon and started to make as much noise as I possibly could. The bear quickly ran away and was gone into the brush before my friends could spot him for themselves. We didn't see another bear for the remaining duration of the trip.

My bear encounters only get more interesting from here.