A Bear Story
“Co-Habitants” original acrylic painting pointillism by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold, prints available.
The air taxi pilot dropped us off at a remote location at the headwaters of the Chitina River and left us on our own for a few days of exploring and art research. From the landing strip we packed our gear a mile to the public use cabin where we were greeted by a well-worn trail of bear tracks circling the dwelling, and fresh gouges and scratches on the window shutters and door. I am a seasoned camper and comfortable in the wilderness, but this cabin, surrounded by thick, dense undergrowth and full of fresh bear sign was not a place that I wanted to stay. Fortunately we packed a tent so we made a camp in an open clearing with good visibility along a gravel bar by the river. To keep our camp site bear free, we locked our food inside the cabin away from the tent.We grew comfortable after several days as we explored and hiked without any new signs. The day before our scheduled pick up we decided to make a quick climb up a steep ridge above the cabin to check out a small cave that we spotted with binoculars. The ascent was short but almost perpendicular, so we left the awkward, heavy shotgun in camp. I lead, picking my way through rocks and hoisting myself by clinging to small trees. My husband, Bob, called out from below, “Bear!” “Where?” I shouted. “Above you.” His anxious words sent a chill down my spine. Eye to eye with an annoyed black bear, I froze.
“Keep your eyes on the bear and slowly retreat backward,” Bob coached. As long as we made eye contact the bear did not move. But that was impossible, we had to find our way down the steep cliff. Thumb on the trigger of a small can of pepper spray, Bob locked eyes with the ornery critter while I scrambled to a stable perch. Then Bob tried to retreat and the animal advanced! We were moving painfully slow and the bear was gaining ground. Without eye contact from the person in front we were doomed! Hair standing on end, teeth bared, the irritated creature was much too close. Bob fired the pepper, the bear halted and our feet found wings down the mountain, through the bushes, past the cabin, into the open by the tent and the shotgun! Scant seconds behind, the angry beast stopped short at the edge of the clearing. He roamed back and forth smashing the bushes all night, but never came out in the open. Needless to say, we had little sleep and a story to tell when the airplane arrived the next day. And, I had a painting to make.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
