2 Bears and an Aussie Walk Into a Bar $43.24

Some days the best laid plans go complete awry in the absolutely best way possible. This was to be one of those days. 

I rose with the jetlag devils at 3am. The positive of this was that I had more than double the hours of sleep than the night prior. The negative was it was 3am. I did my lying still trick until 5:30am, then began to pack up with the coming of dawn.

I ate some breakfast and was joined by the thru hiker I met the night before for a few minutes of chat. The hiker shared with me the upcoming highlights of the day, including the ledges of doom. Ok, full disclosure, the rock formation isn’t called that and the hiker did not use this name. The hiker did give this description as they had heard it through the hiker grapevine: ‘need to throw my pack down over the ledges edge, and it’s safer to scramble down backward over the rocks’. 

This is a perfect example of how grapevines thrive in a world of hyperbole and exaggeration. So many trail stories gather steam as passed from one hiker to another, and the end result can often be far from what reality has in store. 

Going off the AT

Hang on, didn’t I just get on the AT? Hear me out, dear reader, as I had a cunning plan. Whilst studying the map in my hammock yesterday, I noted that there was a Native American burial ground a couple of miles off trail. There was also a spur trail next to the burial ground that allowed me to rejoin the AT without the need to backtrack.

As an international visitor I was keen to see some historical sites and felt it was a reasonable (and minor) detour to make. So off I went to see what I could see. Upon arriving at the burial ground I was surprised to discover it was simply a modern day cemetery, not what I had imagined. To compound matters, the spur trail entrance had a very large private property notice at the entrance. So I was now left with a decision. Backtrack 2 miles to rejoin the AT, or continue on the road I was on and join the AT back in Kent.

I decided to follow the road mainly because adding 4 miles would have broken my commitment to myself to keep my miles low for the first week.

The Bear

Another couple of miles down the road I was striding along with nary a care in the world when a large fuzzy face caught my eye maybe 100m down the track. Now keep in mind, I love the fauna of this planet, and I had been hoping to see Yogi at some stage. I did not expect our first meeting to be on day 2 along a road!

So the bear hopped up onto its hind legs, and I began to appreciate that I didn’t have much of a plan. The bear then popped back down, and so did my heart rate. The bear played this game of upsie downsie a few more times, allowing my heart rate to continue varying.

At this point it’s worth mentioning my level of expertise in black bear behaviour. I think you’d call me a quasi expert, based on the one documentary I watched by National Geographic in the 1990’s.

After hopping up one last time (as any quasi expert will tell you, a way of saying hi to the human), the bear proceeded into the foliage to the left of the road by my perspective. Now I had the interesting decision of whether to backtrack 4 miles away from the bear and back on to the AT, or to continue past where I’d seen the bear disappear.

Based on how friendly the bear had been, I went forward. Also, I’m lazy. I started a conversation with the bear at this point, as my quasi expert knowledge told me this was the right way to proceed. I asked the bear about life in the forest, what the bear had for breakfast, you know, normal small talk.

It occurred to me that the only way this could go really wrong was if my new friend was a) a female and b) had cubs on the right side of the road. Well, one out of two ain’t bad.

As I passed the point where I had seen the bear disappear, I realised the bear was female. This realisation was as a result of seeing a tiny cub at about eye level to me on a nearby tree (fortunately on the left hand side of the road). My quasi expert instincts told me it was the wrong time to stop and take a picture of the cutest little fluffy bundle of happiness that ever lived. 

I continued on my way, and spent the remaining miles into Kent spotting black bear logs and stumps, all causing heart rate spikes.

Kent

I arrived into Kent devoid of adrenaline, and headed straight to the outfitter for some gas. It was 855am and the owner was kind enough to swing the door open 5 minutes early for me. I grabbed a lighter and gas, and headed to the grocery store with a smile knowing that hot food was back on the menu. 

I was waylaid on my way by some more hikers clustered around some power outlets in the centre of town. Had a great chat with a trio making their way north together, and then went for food. 

I grabbed a resupply for a couple of days worth of hiking, and a fettucini chicken alfredo dish from the deli that was piping hot and delicious. 

Back to the trio of hikers for some more conversation and a quick charge of powerbank and phone. I ducked into the bathroom for a wonderful sink shower. For those unfamiliar with the combination of these two words when using a bathroom, it is a hikers delight. Simply apply whatever soap is provided by the dispenser at the sink to all your parts that don’t smell good, then turn on the sink tap and splash the water at the same parts. In no time at all you’re clean as can be…well cleaner than you were perhaps. 

The Ledges of Doom 

After a decent climb out of Kent, I arrived at the aforementioned ledges. You’ll be pleased to hear no backpacks were thrown, and I maintained forward facing momentum throughout the entirely unperilous descent. In fairness, I did have to put one hand down on the ground once to stretch out my leg to get to the next step. But I survived. 

River Walk

All that was left for the day was a casual stroll along a river to camp. The campsite was pleasant, and after a few hours spent swinging, it was time for dinner. I decided to roll out the big guns, and made hiker Pad Thai. For those unfamiliar with this delicacy, here are the ingredients and steps needed. 

Hiker Pad Thai 

Ingredients 

One packet of ramen (two minute noodles) 

One generous spoonful of PB

One packet of chicken

Handful of crushed Fritos (corn chips) 

Steps

1. Boil 150ml of water

2. Add ramen to boiling water. Switch off stove to save gas

3.Place pot inside pot cozy (or wrap in clothing if no pot cozy) 

4. After 2 minutes, add ramen flavour packet, chicken, PB and crushed Fritos to pot. Stir vigorously. 

5. Allow the flavours to meld for 1 minute. 

6. Aim spoon at pot and eat as fast as possible. 

With the meal that would make Gordon Ramsay jealous devoured, there was little left to do in the day but pack away the hammock and head to bed. Surely tonight would be the night that the jetlag ended.