Bears & Berries

With Pat gone again to Granite Point (a camp across the inlet), I took the last day that was forecast to be sunny & hiked up our familiar Skyline. My purpose was to pick blueberries and though it was the afternoon, possibly spot a bear! I was fortunate on both accounts, and before I got up to my intended berry location, I saw a moving black dot between trees on an open patch of low brush. It was only 1:45 or so, and I was surprised to see a bear moving about on such a warm sunny day. It has been getting quite chilly at night, so perhaps the bears know that winter is coming and are taking their opportunity now to gorge. Here are pictures that I took through my "knockers." Most of you would know this to mean binoculars, but our nephew Hudson has created this new shortened version that we have adopted! These were taken at quite a distance, but I have to say, if I'd taken my rifle instead of my .357, I'd been more than just tempted to go after it. This was actually the 2nd bear that I saw on my way down from the berry patch. I took a few moments to plan my solo bear hunt before I came back to earth and decided that may not be the best idea. He did seem to be a nice, shiny specimen of a bear and I guessed him to be around 5.5'. The bear that I missed out on last year was larger at a guess of 6', but I'd definitely take this one on. I'm hoping to have a chance at him when Pat gets home this weekend.

Here was a glimpse of where I was berry picking. All the burgundy plants are the blueberries, and well as some of the ones not yet changed. It was quite a lovely day and the colors are just starting to show off their glory. In about a week they'll be closer to their full potential. I picked, with the help of this berry-picker, about a quart & a half of blueberries. I don't know what I'm going to do with them, exactly, but they are delicious. It was quite a hike just for berries, but I got to spend the entire afternoon on a mountain shared only by a couple bears, and it couldn't have been more ideal. Oh, well, except that I had left my lights on and run the battery out when I got back to my car and had to flag someone down to jump my car. Praise God, a couple men pulled in to help me after I stood at the road with the jumper-cables waving!