Just for Smiles or Laughs

Below are some short trail-related anecdotes and stories that have come to me via the Internet or KTC members.  To this point the ones that I have included are bear stories and one of them is actually a true story.

Two men went bear hunting. While one stayed in the cabin, the other went out looking for a bear. He soon found a huge bear and shot at it, but he only wounded it. The enraged bear charged toward him, he dropped his rifle and started running for the cabin as fast as he could. He ran pretty fast, but the bear was just a little faster and gained on him with every step. Just as the hunter reached the open cabin door, he tripped and fell flat. Too close behind to stop, the bear tripped over him and went rolling into the cabin. The man jumped up, closed the cabin door and yelled to his friend inside, "You skin this one while I go and get another!"

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Web Master's Note:

[I found the following darkly humorous bit on several different web sites on the Internet last spring after I took over as editor of the newsletter. I was not sure that I would ever find a way to fit this into the newsletter, but John Haynes and Jim Copeland provided the way for me to introduce it during the last board of directors meeting. They were discussing the merits and value of small bear bells (bar bells would obviously be too heavy!) tied to clothing and backpacks while hiking or backpacking in bear country. Jim said that he had used them for many years and John reported that he had read somewhere that making noise and loud talking are more effective.

Let’s see what the Internet has to say about this and then, you may draw you own conclusions.]

In case anyone is considering doing some hiking and/or camping in bear country in the near future, please note the following public service announcement. In Alaska, tourists are encouraged to wear tiny bells on their clothing when hiking in bear country. The bells are supposed to warn away most bears. Tourists are also cautioned to watch the ground on the trail, paying particular attention to bear droppings to be alert for the presence of Grizzly bears. One can easily recognize Grizzly droppings because they have tiny bells in them.

[The anecdotes above are amusing, but few bear stories can top the true one that Roger Bryson shared at a recent board meeting. Roger has been active in KTC for a long time and served on the board of directors in various capacities until recently when he withdrew because of health considerations. Roger’s outdoor recreation interests include canoeing, fly-fishing, backpacking and hiking. He has also been involved in Boy Scouts and Boy Scout leadership for many years.]