Date: 2011-06-01
From: .1 mile before Fishers Gap 

To: Pass Mtn. shelter
Miles today: 17.3

I woke at 5:10, and turned on my phone to see the time. I heard something walking around, and assumed it was a deer. Although, it sounded a little different. I fell back asleep, since it was not light yet. I woke again around 5:50, just as it was breaking dawn. I sat up in my tent, and looked out the screen while stretching, and immediately saw a bear...under where our food bags where hanging! It was walking away, after hearing me get up, I guess. I was softly trying to tell Wally to look, and it walked off over the bluff. Then I saw a cub angling toward us for a bit. Then it went the same way as momma. I don't think Wally ever saw either bear. I guess we hung our bearbag right. No problems there.   I left camp at 6:10, trying to get to Skyland resort and restaurant, before they stopped serving breakfast at 10:00. So, I was hauling butt about two miles in (right before Rock Springs shelter), and it happened again. No...I didn't fall. I walked right up on a cub and momma bear. The cub was only 15 feet away in some thick undergrowth, when I spooked it. Or, you could argue that it spooked me. The cub shot out through the bushes and up the hill to my right. Immediately, momma bear stands up on her hind legs a few feet further. What to do...hmmm...I start backing down the trail. I had fleeting thoughts of turning and running, but had heard somewhere that you shouldn't do that. Whoever came up with that probably didn't have a protective momma bear standing there at 25 feet ogling her prey. Anyway, with no experience in these matters (and the person who came up with this 'no turning and running policy' doesn't appear to have either), I back down the trail. Now it may seem to my readers that I was calm and did everything carefully and quickly. Well, I did it quickly, but not so carefully. It is very difficult to back down a trail, full of roots and rocks, while keeping both eyes on momma bear. I stumbled, looked down, and lost sight of momma bear. In this split second, she drops down on all fours, into the thick underbrush, where I can't see her. No call for panic here, she's just calmed down a little since I am no threat anymore, backing down the trail...right? Wrong! Out of nowhere (well, actually somewhere, right where I last saw her, to be frank), she bolts out towards the trail (and me),  and hits the trail wide open. At this point I am 20 feet away, standing there like a platter of fried chicken just waiting to be eaten. The sow is really flying, but then crosses the trail and circles to my left. Wait...she's trying to draw me away from her cub. If only she had told me, but I'm too smart to fall for that trick (what...follow a mad momma bear?). So after some long, thought out deliberation (about two seconds worth), I figure I'm between the sow and her cub, and shoot up the trail at an excellerated rate of speed!   So, that little episode with bear sightings #'s 4 and 5, got me quicker to Skyland restaurant than I had thought possible. So, at 9:20, I was eating a tall order of blueberry pancakes, with bacon. And, a loaded omelette with potatoes and onions on the side. And, 4 cups of coffee and a large OJ. That's two huge breakfasts. My appetite appears to rise just a little, right after a near death experience!   The German couple camping tonight just came down to tell us they saw a bear prowling around their campsite, and it wouldn't scare off easily. If only they knew!   The downhill from Mary's Rock to Thornton Gap was the rockiest scramble I've seen. Very tough. In fact, there were rocks for 90% of the day! Tough, hard walking in the heat.    Today was the toughest terrain in the Shenendoah so far.