Date: 2006-05-29
From: Rockfish Gap Near Waynesboro, VA

To: Parking Lot on Skyline Drive
Miles today: 9.8

I'm sitting in the dark on the ground in a parking lot on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. By all accounts you are guaranteed to see bear here, and I have. I entered the park at 1.30 this afternoon with the bright idea that I would hike beyond the first shelter and camp in the woods near the road. I'd have breakfast at the parking lot overlook and hope that a sweet passing tourist would pull in and offer an Orange Crush or chocolate shake. Not wise.I hiked 6 miles into the park and hiked 6 miles to Calf Mtn. Shelter to get water and sign the register. I talked to a bunch of northbound section hikers and hopped to ask about bear and snake sightings. They all had stories. I said that except for one brief bear glimpse I hadn't seen anything so far on the trip. I said I was sure to see both, hopefully in daylight. Not to be.I found a good flat spot right off the road against park rules but I did it anyway. While putting in tent stakes I Heard noise in the woods and expected to see a hiker on the trail. When noone answered my greeting I realized otherwise. The loud rustling came from about 50 feet behind me in the brush, not from the trail. I turned around and caught large eyes in my dim headlamp beam, low to the ground and snuffeling. Right movement and shape to tell me exactly what I was looking at. I'd been talking and singing while setting up because I knew there was another large animal on the other side of the road.I started talking louder, making noise, breaking stick, and clacking hiking poles as I calmly as I could walked back out to the road. I heard it moving closer to my tentsite. The whole time I talked louder to it describing my every movement. I told it I Was leaving its domain, it was welcome to anything I had but to leave me alone.I stood in the lot for a while listening to the sounds from the site and watching it get completely dark. I decided I'd sleep up here and assured myself that bears prefer woods to roads. Probably wrong but I'm holding on to it. The flaw in the plan: my tent and sleeping bag were still in the woods. I waited for the sounds to disappear and returned to the trail. Unfortunately my lamp is too dim to enter the woods. Nothing to do but flag a passing car and spin my improbable tale.I waved my arms and mouthed the word 'help' to 3 cars before one pulled over. Why would anyone stop for a dirty, hairy-faced man in a kilt? When the car pulled over a frightened woman in the passenger seat cracked the window an inch. In my most rational tone I outlined my bear dilemma and asked to borrow a flashlight for 5 minutes while I dragged my gear out of the woods. The husband clearly thought I was a highwayman out to rob and cut throats. While I stood at a safe distance he jimped out and opened the back hatch. He said I could take his headlamp and keep it. Translation: Take what you want and don't kill us. I said all I wanted was batteries, but he thrust it into my hand and said I'd need it , then he sped away. Unexpected but fine with me. The lamp is a heavy thing, over a pound with a thick rubber strap. It's better suited for scuba diving than camping. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.A little more reassured, I went back to the tent, the whole time keeping up a running monolog about how I was leaving the animal to his domain and that he should give up a space in the parking lot for me.He was gone so I pulled up stakes and dragged tent and bag up to the road. I set up under a tree, hopefully close enough to the sound of occasional passing cars. Once done, I sat scraping my poles on the pavement and talking loudly. I still hear rustling from the brush on the other side of the oervlook. I'm pretty sure I hear it now upending my pack. Fine. Take anything but the Grease Monkey. I'm pretty sure it will find no scraps or crumbs of food and will go away and leave me alone. Hope so. I'm yelling down through the tent wall now. I hope another loud vehicle passes by.Too bad this excitement is happening now. I had other stories of the day that I want to remember. They're a little eclipsed at the moment. Time to look out and make more loud noises. I may be a little tired in the morning.Calming down. Funny there should be a bear on my side of the road when earlier I was sure there was one on the other. As I was hanging my food bag up near the parkway I also heard loud snuffling and growely groans. I assumed a bear found a hive and was harvesting honey. DOubly important that I hang the bag high and get away from the tree. This of course is the time for the rope to snag on the branch so I can't haul up the food. LOts of nervous rope flipping freed it. I used a heavy stick to push the bag up higher while I pulled on the rope. I need to curb my apetite so I don't have to buy so much.Damn, I sound a lot like Bill Bryson. With this happened to him instead of me.The stollen headlamp just died. Time to try and get some sleep. Could be a long night.Verdict by the light of day: Got up this morning and lowered my food bag. Went into the woods to retrieve my pack. No signs of tampering. Annoyed when I got back to the parking lot to find a stray dog eating my supply of trail mix.It must have been a bear last night. That's all I'm saying.