| She talked about it; she dreamed about it, she never | | | | just crossing the path about 50 yards in front of us. My |
| let it go. This was how a friend of mine regarded her | | | | good friend screamed, grabbed a hold of me and |
| fear of coming across a bear when we would go | | | | started to shake. I joined in with the screaming part |
| hiking in the wilderness areas of Idaho. Her character is | | | | because the first thing you do when you come across |
| strong in all other ways. She is kind, hard working, | | | | a bear is make a lot of noise to scare it off. So I |
| intelligent, prosperous and loving. But when the word | | | | figured, what the heck, I might as well scream too to |
| "bear" crosses those ears of hers, she turns to Jell-O. | | | | make her feel better. |
| In other words, her life is somewhat Un-Bear-Able! | | | | Well, the bear scurried off, my friend almost fainted |
| We were hiking last spring in the Coeur d'Alene | | | | and I laughed till I cried. I gave her a few minutes for |
| mountains going for a 10 mile excursion to visit one of | | | | her heart to slow down from it's 160 beats a minute |
| the beautiful alpine lakes that are plentiful through out | | | | and then I calmly and gently said to her, "You see, |
| this part of Idaho. We packed a lunch, threw on our | | | | bears are not going to hurt you". She calmly said to |
| backpacks and set off for a glorious day of exercise | | | | me, "We got lucky this time buster". Well, needless to |
| and becoming one with nature. My friend, however, | | | | say, this experience did not help her fear of bears but |
| was nervous and carried a canister of bear spray | | | | only increased the intensity of her phobia. |
| (kind of like pepper spray only for bears) with her just | | | | We still go on hikes together and now my friend is |
| in case. I assured her that bears were harmless in this | | | | more at peace in the wilderness like never before. No, |
| area. Only black bears roamed the woods here...no | | | | she did not get over her extreme terror of bears. No, |
| grizzlies I told her. Yet she was set out to believe that | | | | her dreams have not stopped. No, she has not made |
| a bear was a bear and in her mind, they were all very | | | | peace with this precious animal. When we returned to |
| very bad. | | | | our city dwellings after that last hike, my dear loveable |
| After about an hour of vigorous hiking we sat down | | | | sweet caring friend immediately called up a shooting |
| for a minute to take a drink of our water and take in | | | | gallery, enrolled in a class to learn how to shoot a gun, |
| the natural beauty that surrounded us. SNAP! went a | | | | and now carries a pistol on her side whenever we |
| tree branch just up the trail and there it was...everything | | | | roam the hills and valleys of bear country (just in case, |
| she ever imagined in her worst nightmares was in | | | | she says). My friend feels less nervous and seems to |
| front of her. It was, you guessed it, a big black 10 foot | | | | enjoy our hikes like never before. Me, I feel sorry for |
| growling snarling bear! Actually, that is how she | | | | the poor bear. |
| remembers it. It was actually a small female black bear | | | | |