Date: 2015-07-11
From: NY

To: NJ
Miles today: 12.0

I had just finished my journal for the day and sent it off. And boy!!! did something happen this evening that warrants an addendum! Near Bear Attack! It was still daylight but I had finished my evening chores, hung up my bear bag and crawled in my tent. I had completed my days journal and sent it off to Susan. We texted a few times. Usually my pack is in my tent due to the possibility of rain. But today I leaned it against a tree just outside the tent flap. I had gotten a weather report and it called for zero chance of rain. This is the first time since I started this hike that I did this. I was laying there (no shirt, shoes, pants, just underwear) Ready for sleep. I start hearing this loud "huffing" sound and I look outside my tent and there is a large bear sniffing my backpack not 4 feet from my head! He started pawing at it and messing with it and seemed oblivious to me being right next to him in my tent!I didn't move a muscle! But I was trapped in my tent! I couldn't get out! All I could do is wait. I decided the only way out was to slice a hole in the back of my tent and try and crawl out that way! Just as I started to do that the bear grabbed the pack and dragged it away! At that moment I shot off a text to Susan saying a bear was there and dragging away my pack. I couldn't see the bear but I could hear him breathing and pawing at the pack. I quickly dressed and and slipped out and there he was not more than 15 feet away. When he saw me he stopped what he was doing and I half expected him to attack me. But he didn't. He went back to dealing with the pack. They say never to run from a bear but since he was distracted I backed away slowly. I crossed the creek and climbed up the steep bank on the other side. The trail went by there and just then a couple of hikers (a man and woman) came walking up. I asked him if he felt brave? He said, why do you ask? I said look there across the creek, a bear is tearing up my pack. I asked if we could all three go over there and try to scare the bear off! He agreed and we crossed over and proceeded to yell and scream and whistle and I threw rocks at him. He completely ignored us. This was no normal bear!About that time four more hikers came down the trail (four young guys).Then we all 7 tried to scare off the bear. He just looked at us and started walking toward us and back into my camp.He poked his head in the flap of my tent and looked around. Then he walked around to the side of the tent and began to tear my tent down! I couldn't believe it! What a nasty bear!He then went over to my two water bottles which were leaning against the tree and swiped at them and destroyed them both!He then seemed to walk away and out of site.We all decided since it was getting dark about this time, now would be a good time for all of us to go into camp and grab everything and carry it back across the creek.We could actually hear him breathing in the thick brush when we got there but everyone did what they had to do. Even one of the young men crawled into the brush and retrieved my backpack! The bear couldn't of been more than a few feet from him!After crossing back across the creek they helped me fold everything up.I was amazed that my pack was mostly intact! I would be able to use it to hike out of there to a safe place.I have to admit, all these hikers were real troopers the way they pitched in and helped me out in the face of possible grave danger or even death! You might recall last year a hiker was killed by a bear and it happened in this same area!We all hiked out to the nearest road which was about 2 miles away.I flagged down a car for a ride into town. My friends hiked a couple more miles to meet up with friends of theirs who had a car. They didn't want to stay in the woods that night either.About that time I remembered that the last time I texted Susan was right at the beginning of the bear encounter. Holy crap she must be worried!I fired off another one but luckily she never read the first one! Whew!!When thinking about my bear encounter can you imagine if the bear would of showed up at 2 in the morning and not when he did in daylight?Imagine if he did the exact thing he did but imagine me not waking up when he first got there and took the pack?I would of been zipped up inside the tent when he came over and tore the tent down. I'm pretty lucky.The woman that gave me a ride dropped me at a hotel. I pulled my tent out to see the damage. I also looked the pack over.The tent had two large holes in the side and two large tears in the mosquito netting. I'll spend the day repairing equipment.I got up in the morning, checked out of the motel and walked about a mile to a Episcopal Church Hostel in Vernon, New Jersey. The church allows hikers to stay in their rec. room for ten dollars a night. It includes free shower and free laundry and access to their kitchen! What a deal!This is a small town and has very few stores but I was able to get much of what I needed. I spent the afternoon sewing and patching. It turned out pretty good!I'll be ready to go in the morning.