Trails Update: Oct 15-19, 2018
[heading]Trails Update: Oct 15-19, 2018[/heading]
Rocktober!
T’was a pleasant month for working in the woods. The fall colours, mushrooms, brisk air and stunning sunsets (!) calling the team back to civilization. I suppose we’ll need flashlights next week. Beyond the pleasant weather, it’s been a treat to pick at the to-do list. Signs are going up, bridges are getting replaced, tools getting winterized and new trail approvals are coming in... I’ll let the President make the announcement.
Renee just got back from Alaska and joined us to explore a new zone... the whole crew is excited! The dense forest offers challenging steep terrain sprinkled with granite highlights, fruitful foraging and space for some long turns. Typical Sproatt Mountain.
Big Bear!
We were busy putting the final touches on a small bridge project, when I was startled by what I thought was a comically large bear. His face was so small in contrast to his rotund, fluffy body. I’ve had plenty of bear encounters in the woods, so I calmly went through my usual routine:
“well hello there, mister bear...” “We’re busy working on the trail and Jolan will not share his chicken wraps with you...”
That usually works: the bear wanders off confused by my use of language and reasoning. This bear took my banter for an invitation, taking a few steps towards us. Perhaps I sounded too friendly. He did look like the top prize at a county fair water gun range.
“HEY BEAR! YOU NEED TO FIND ANOTHER TRAIL NOW!”. That stopped his progress but we were at a stalemate. Jolan is loving the situation (This is the most Canadian thing he’s ever experienced) Benoit joins me in trying to annoy the bear verbally to no avail.
We were going to need to showcase our technological superiority to win this standoff. We could “hide” in the truck... No. I noticed that the bear was not wearing any ear protection! Silly bear. I reached for gas powered noise machine (a chainsaw) and scared the big guy off. He sure could run!
Get bear smart: read up on bear behavior here or always carry a chainsaw!