Before he returned from the Arctic, I had a dream one night that a polar bear was chasing me. I had a bowl of candy (I admit to my sweettooth) so I threw bars to him. That distracted him and gave me enough time to get away. I told David about this dream and he said, "That's some dream... sounds like the nighmare I was having before coming here... Ya done good gal... throw 'em something to satisfy their curiosity, shout loud as you can, get to high ground (my plan was also to throw rocks hard)... that said, if they are on the shore, they are getting hungrier by the day and if old or young, may attack without warning! Theyare very unpredictable. There are signs to watch for, but they are not100%. We had an old male today who kept us from landing at Discobukta (Kittwake Canyon). We tried for some time, but he would not leave, so we did."
I heard a mainland bear story lately, a food bag not hung high enough in a tree. The bear just reached up and swiped his paw over it, riping it open. All there food was gone, except for canned goods. They were on a 10 day hike, kept going, ate little. Dangerous.
I've been around a lot of bears, mostly black bear in norther Idaho. They want the food and come down lower as the berries run out or if it isn't a good berry year. People think they are cute, but they are dangerous and making a lot of noise, getting real big, and going the other way is the best bet.
David is back in the Arctic now for two weeks, then home until November. We're planning another trip when he returns, this time perhaps to a cabin somewhere. In the meantime, I'm tending my garden, the last of the summer bringing on a lot of tomatoes and squash and beans. Nice! And swimming still in the bay. What fun!
Peace,
Traveling Nan
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